Flying taxi

After recently revealing plans to have a flying taxi station ready for action in Florida midway through the decade, Lilium has expanded on this vision, signing an agreement to build a network of at least 10 so-called vertiports across the state.

China's air mobility company EHang has added another location to its autonomous air taxi roster with the launch of an aerial sightseeing trial in partnership with real estate company Greenland Hong Kong.

EHang is on a mission to get its autonomous air taxis into the air around the globe. After flying into Spain earlier this year, the air mobility firm has now been granted its first trial flight permit in the European Union – but it's not in Seville.

Chinese air mobility company EHang has completed three test flights in South Korea to show off the passenger transport, emergency response and air tourism potential of its all-electric two-passenger autonomous aerial vehicle, the EHang 216.

Lilium is one of a number of startups working to make flying taxis a reality, and is now offering folks a new look at its vision by divulging plans for its first “vertiport” planned for Orlando, Florida, in 2025.

Although we've heard about several proposed passenger-carrying eVTOL (electric vertical take off and landing) aircraft, many are still in the conceptual stage. Such is not the case with the Alia, though, which we're told is making daily test flights.

Like a number of others in the field, German startup Lilium is out to shake up the world of aviation with an all-electric air taxi, and it has just picked up a little more momentum by way of an additional US$35-million investment.

EHang has joined forces with LN Holdings to bring air tourism to the latter's hotels. One of the first projects to emerge from the new collaboration will make the LN Garden Hotel in Nansha the first hotel to offer air tourism services to its guests.

Just last month, air mobility company EHang announced plans to fly into Europe and set up shop in Seville, Spain. Now the firm has partnered with the City of Hezhou in Guangxi Province, China, to build a tourism-focused terminal for its air taxis.

As part of plans to establish a flying taxi service in the region, and ultimately across the world, Volocopter has joined with ridesharing company Grab on a new feasibility study to uncover high-potential routes between megacities in Southeast Asia.

Earlier this month, Ehang took to the air with its Autonomous Aerial Vehicle for the first flight in the US. Specs on the 216 two-passenger pilotless air taxi were scant at the time, but let's take a closer look now.

Ehang's Autonomous Aerial Vehicle – a multi-rotor drone capable of carrying people – made its first US appearance at CES 2016, and now the company has demonstrated the first flight in the US of its two-seater autonomous air taxi.