The US startup Alaka’i Technologies has presented the concept of a fuel cell air taxi called Skai, which was developed together with the BMW brand Designworks. It offers space for five passengers, is powered by six electric motors and is expected to have a range of around 400 miles (640 km).
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Volocopter and British Skyports plan to complete the first port for electric air taxis before the end of this year. The presentation is planned during the public test flights Volocopter has announced for the second half of the year in Singapore.
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The US manufacturer Bye Aerospace announced another large order for their electric aircraft. After the Norwegian company OSM Aviation recently ordered 60 electric-powered aircraft, BlackBird now ordered 110 electric aircraft.
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DHL Express and drone manufacturer EHang have entered into a strategic partnership to develop a fully automated drone delivery solution for China’s metropolitan areas. The cooperation has already started with a maiden flight at the EHang Command and Control Center in Guangzhou.
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Lilium has presented their new electrically powered flying taxi prototype for the first time, which is designed to carry five passengers. At the beginning of May, the team also completed its maiden flight with the new aircraft.
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University of Illinois student researchers are leading a NASA-funded project to develop a novel approach to all-electric aviation. The team is investigating the use of fuel cells to power an all-electric aircraft.
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Airbus and Siemens have apparently prematurely terminated their 2016 development cooperation for hybrid-electric aircraft engines.
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The Israeli startup Eviation Aircraft will work with MagniX as engine supplier for its nine-seater electric aircraft Alice, which was presented as a prototype for the first time in 2017. MagniX will contribute its 280 kW propulsion system called Magni250.
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The UK Aerospace Research and Technology Programme is awarding a grant of more than £1 million (around €1.16 million) to Hybrid Air Vehicles, Collins Aerospace and the University of Nottingham. The partners will develop a novel all-electric propulsor for the Airlander 10 zeppelin.
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Lilium, the startup that wants to launch a fleet of flying electric cars in cities across the globe by 2025, is awaiting safety approval in Europe and the USA. Meanwhile, the Munich-based company will be joined by Christopher Delbrueck as its first CFO.
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OSM Aviation has awarded a huge order for commercial electric aircraft. The Norwegian company ordered 60 all-electric planes from the Colorado-based manufacturer Bye Aerospace to be used for training at its flight training centres.
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MagniX, a company specializing in electric aircraft propulsion, and North America’s largest seaplane carrier Harbour Air are cooperating to successively electrify all 42 of Harbour Air’s seaplanes. The 560 kW magni500 electric motor will be used.
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As part of the Urban Air Mobility project, Airbus has now presented the air taxi CityAirbus in the Audi town of Ingolstadt. The electric aircraft with eight rotors takes off and lands vertically and will be able to transport up to four passengers. The model still has its maiden flight ahead of it.
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Volocopter, and Fraport AG – the owner and manager of FRA, Germany’s biggest airport, intend to develop concepts for the ground infrastructure and the operation of electric aerial taxis at airports. The main focus will be on smooth passenger handling and efficient connections to existing traffic infrastructure.
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Boeing has absolved a successful test flight with a VTOL that they now call Passenger Air Vehicle (PAV). Boeing announced that the prototype has just completed a controlled takeoff, hover and landing during the test conducted in Manassas, Virginia.
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Boeing will work with Japanese companies, universities and the government to develop technologies for next-generation lightweight electric aircraft. Partners include GS Yuasa for battery development and Sinfonia Technology and Tamagawa Seiki for the aeroplane’s engines.
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US helicopter manufacturer Bell Helicopter presented a vertical take-off and landing aircraft (VTOL) with hybrid-electric propulsion for five passengers at the CES 2019 under the name Bell Nexus. Bell has been cooperating with Uber for their planned flying cab since 2017.
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Engineers from Rolls-Royce and their partners have set themselves the goal of developing the world’s fastest electric aircraft as part of the ACCEL (Accelerating the Electrification of Flight) project. The model is expected to reach 480 km/hand take off for the first time in 2020.
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Researchers from the University of Illinois created a flight-performance simulator in order to model potential fuel savings for two hybrid systems for airplanes. The simulations include take off, climb, cruise, descent, and landing.
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This hybrid of a ship and an airplane Egan Airships presents also includes a few drone and helicopter elements. The result is a VTOL called Plimp, which can fly with helium, but also bears a hybrid drive.
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The German ADAC Luftrettung, that is the air rescue service, is planning to test manned electric multi-copters as rescue vehicles in two states in Germany, namely Bavaria and Rhineland-Palatinate. Volocopter’s electric VTOL will be used for the pilot.
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Airbus, Audi and their subsidiary Italdesign launched a model of their flying electric car Pop.Up Next. The concept is a hybrid of a drone and a cab that popped up in 2017 for the first time. In Amsterdam the team shows a working 1:4 model.
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Boeing spin-off Aurora Flight Sciences launches an autonomous lightweight airplane called Odysseus. Thanks to advanced solar cells that deliver 250 watts, the solar plane can fly “practically indefinitely” at high altitudes and will take off for the first time in spring 2019.
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The University of Nottingham and Air Race E have announced a collaboration to develop the first electric race aircraft. A prototype is in the making and will use an existing petrol-powered plane as base. The racing series will see pilots fly just above the ground at highest speeds from 2020.
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Flying from London to Amsterdam with zero emission? You may not have to wait much longer, at least if the cooperation of EasyJet and Wright Electric continues to progress at lightning speed. The British airline aims to launch an electric aircraft next year.
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The German aviation startup Volocopter is planning test flights in the centre of Singapore for the second half of 2019. The series of tests will focus on urban flight conditions and will validate the use of an electric aircraft in an urban environment. The next step will then be public demonstration flights.
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Kitty Hawk subsidiary Zephyr Airworks has signed a cooperation agreement with Air New Zealand as both partners want to work on setting up an air taxi service with self-flying electric aircrafts. We remember: About half a year ago, Kitty Hawk unveiled its electrically powered autonomous air taxi Cora.
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Terrafugia is taking pre-orders for their hybrid plane that mixes two worlds in every sense. The Transition is said to switch from road to air operation in less than a minute and moves from partially electric driving to conventional flying.
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The Singaporean company HES Energy System has presented plans for a hydrogen-electric passenger plane named Element One. The plane will be capable of carrying four passengers on stretches from 500 km to 5,000 km. The first prototype is expected in 2025.
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Bristol-based Vertical Aerospace is the latest contender in the race to launch flying cabs for urbanites. Their electric VTOL is to be fit to carry passengers on short, inter-city flights within the next four years and a first prototype underwent testing.
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