Flying taxi

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.

After offering a look at its vision for flying taxis at last year's CES, Bell has returned to Las Vegas with what it considers a new and improved version, featuring an all-electric mode for zero-emission travel over urban centers.

Aviation company Lilium is pushing ahead with testing of its all-electric jet, with the latest footage to emerge from the German startup showing the aircraft pulling off a few new moves across a three-minute test flight.

There is no shortage of aviation startups out to build self-flying aircraft from the ground up, but California-based Skyryse has adopted a slightly different approach, with flight technologies designed to be fitted to existing helicopters.

With the ability to carry up to 250 kg of payload at speeds up to 80 km/h, the 12-rotor Seraph is Britain's leading electric VTOL air taxi candidate. Vertical Aerospace has released video of this chunky bird in flight.

German company Volocopter has again moved to build up its presence in Singapore, this time by flying its 18-rotor aircraft over the island nation’s Marina Bay, an outing described as its most advanced flight yet.

In Singapore for Intelligent Transport Systems World Congress, Volocopter has shown off a first full-scale prototype of what it calls a VoloPort, the terminal for the flying taxi service it envisions for city centers of the future.

Porsches has joined forces with Boeing to explore the possibility of developing a premium urban air mobility vehicle.

Hyundai has joined the growing list of big-name brands in making moves into the world of flying cars, today announcing the launch of a new urban Air Mobility Division.

The team at Volocopter has sent its 18-rotor aircraft into the skies over Stuttgart as part of its first urban demonstration flight in a European city center.

The Volocopter has flown amid other traffic at an international airport for the first time.