Volocopter completes first manned test flight
Volocopter has completed the first manned test flight with their 2X electric aircraft in Singapore. The pilot covered a distance of approx. 1.5 km at an average height of 40 meters.
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Lilium achieves complex maneuvers in test flights
The Munich-based German startup Lilium has published new images of its all-electric Lilium jet on the occasion of the now completed first phase of flight tests. The vertical take-off aircraft (VTOL) now flies increasingly complex manoeuvres at speeds over 100 km/h. The new Lilium Jets are now available in a variety of different models.
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Audi reconsiders flying car project
According to a media report, Audi has discontinued work on the autonomous electric car drone Pop Up Next, which was presented last year together with Airbus and Italdesign, and intends to reevaluate their cooperation with Airbus.
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Porsche joins Boeing in Urban Air Mobility market
Porsche and Boeing signed a Memorandum of Understanding to explore what they consider the market for urban air mobility (UAM). As part of the partnership, the companies will create an international team to gather insight on new mobility applications.
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Geely invests €50M in Volocopter air taxis
The German airport taxi start-up Volocopter has secured 50 million euros in a new financing round led by the Chinese Geely Group. The new funds will be used to bring Volocopter’s electric aircraft to commercial launch within the next three years.
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Volocopter presents design of future commercial air-taxi
Volocopter has just revealed the design of its latest model VoloCity. This is the fourth generation of the electric VTOL from the German company – and the basis for the Volocopter’s planned air taxi service.
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Oxis develops lighter Li-S cells for Bye Aerospace
British battery specialist Oxis Energy is cooperating with US aircraft manufacturer Bye Aerospace to develop lightweight lithium-sulfur cells for battery packs in future Bye Aerospace electric aircraft.
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Electric aerial racing series may take off soon
Alauda’s plans to create a racing series using electric VTOLs is nearing fruition. At the Goodwood Festival of Speed, a series of prototypes and technical details were revealed.
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EASA releases new electric aircraft regulations
The European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) has adopted a framework plan for battery electric and hybrid electric vertical take-off aircraft in Europe: With the “Special Condition”, the designers now have the first specifications for this group of aircraft.
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Paris may offer flying cabs by Airbus at 2024 Olympics
Airbus, Aeroports de Paris and the Paris Transport Authority are exploring the feasibility of using autonomous flying taxis to carry visitors from Charles de Gaulle Airport into the city during the 2024 Olympics.
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Melbourne to pilot Uber Air’s flying taxis
Uber has selected Australia as the first “international market” for its planned e-flight taxi service Uber Air. Melbourne be the third city to pilot the program following Dallas and Los Angeles. Test flights are scheduled to start next year and commercial operations from 2023.
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Agent 007 eat your heart out
The Israeli-American company NFT (Next Future Transportation) has introduced a flying electric car concept called the “Aska” that uses a gasoline range extender to reach a range of 550 km at a top speed of 200 kph. The first test flight is planned for 2020 with a view to market launch in 2025, with a […]
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Alaka’i presents fuel cell air taxi
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 to show air taxi landing platform in Singapore
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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Lilium’s five-seated air taxi completes maiden flight
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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Boeing VTOL takes test flight as flying taxi
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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Bell Nexus VTOL to be new flying Uber taxi by 2020
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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German rescue service ADAC testing VTOL
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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FAA legalises ultralight Hoverbike for real
At the start of 2017, we told you about a hoverbike called Scorpion. Back then the company from Russia was ahead of the game of flying cars, although their VTOL is more of a hovering jet ski. Nonetheless, at least they had a flying prototype and have since advanced.
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Volocopter plans Singapore test flights in 2019
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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Air taxi Cora: Kitty Hawk teams up with Air New Zealand
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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Geely-backed Terrafugia accepting orders for flying car
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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UK: Air taxi firm to offer inter-city flights in eVTOL (video)
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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Japan aims to take off with flying cars
The Japanese government is working on founding an industry consortium to realise electrified flying car technology. A total of 21 companies are said to be involved, including Uber, Airbus and Boeing.
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Aston Martin & RR both envisioning luxurious air taxis
Aston Martin presents the Vision Volante Concept, a study of a premium VTOL with hybrid propulsion. Whether the three-seater will ever take-off on a mass scale is uncertain. Yet Aston is on to something as Rolls-Royce also issued their version of an air taxi.
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Audi & Airbus launch air taxi test project in Europe
Audi homebase Ingolstadt is to become a first testbed for VTOLs jointly developed with Airbus. Their Urban Air Mobility project is part of a European initiative that includes other cities such as Geneva or Hamburg.
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Uber to test air taxis in Paris
The ride-share company Uber is working on the development of electric air taxis and announced their first research and development center outside of the USA, which will open in Paris in Fall this year.
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Uber presents tentative air taxi design
Uber has brought their latest flying cab design to their second annual Elevate conference in Los Angeles. The ride hail company hopes to be using their drone-like “flying car” for personal taxi transport as of 2023.
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AeroMobil presents flying car with VTOL capability
The Slovakian company AeroMobil has presented their concept for a flying car. The AeroMobil 5.0 VTOL is a purely electric four-seater, that can take off and land vertically. It is to be market ready in the next 7 to 10 years.
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Kitty Hawk’s electric flying cab called Cora takes off
Backed by Google co-founder Larry Page, Kitty Hawk formerly known as Zee-Aero, has finally launched its electric, autonomous air taxi Cora. It is a VTOL with two seats and twelve electric motors and got the backing of New Zealand’s new prime minister.
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