XPeng’s flying car subsidiary XPeng Aeroht has received a conditional flight permit from the authorities in China. The company says its Aeroht X2 has thus become the first crewed eVTOL to obtain such a permit in China.
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The development of take-off and landing sites for vertically taking off and landing electric aircraft such as air taxis and drones is the goal of a new cooperation between Siemens and Skyway. To this end, both companies want to determine the electrical and digital infrastructure required to operate such vertiports.
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The US startup Aska has landed a prototype at CES. The Aska A5 is a “flying car” that is an electric VTOL with a significant range while capable of driving on the ground. The company has opened pre-orders and is confident to launch in 2026.
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Stellantis and the Californian flying taxi start-up Archer Aviation have announced a significant expansion of their partnership. They will now join forces to manufacture Archer’s Midnight, the electric VTOL the young company debuted a few months ago.
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The German electric air-taxi start-up Lilium has closed a financing round of 119 million US dollars. Participants in the investment round included existing shareholders, strategic partners, and new investors.
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H3Dynamics from Toulouse, France, has presented a decentralised hydrogen propulsion solution for aviation. The company’s concept relies on housing hydrogen and smaller fuel cells in a series of so-called propulsion nacelles under the wings, initially for drone use.
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Archer Aviation has presented the series eVTOL Midnight. The air taxi that vertically takes off and lands offers space for one pilot and four passengers, not unlike the prototype Maker. Other spec has changed, however, yet an ambitious production schedule remains.
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California’s eVTOL startup Archer has selected a site in Georgia to install its first factory in Covington, near an airfield. The United Airlines partner targets making 650 flying cabs a year from 2024 and increasing capacity significantly within ten years.
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Bavarian electric flight taxi startup Lilium has signed a preliminary agreement with Saudi Arabia’s Saudia airline to supply 100 units of its all-electric Lilium Jet. However, it is not yet a binding order.
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Boeing-backed air-taxi company Wisk Aero has unveiled the Gen-6, an autonomous four-seater aircraft. Wisk says the eVTOL (electric Vertical Take-Off and Landing aircraft) is market-ready and can now apply for type certification by the FAA, the US Department of Transport Federal Aviation Authority.
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The Japanese company SkyDrive shows the design of its electric aerial taxi SD-05, which is currently under development and is to be used at the World Expo 2025 in Osaka. The SD-05 is a two-seater, electrically powered air taxi designed for flights up to about ten kilometres.
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Kitty Hawk, the electric aviation startup backed by Google co-founder Larry Page is shutting down. The company said in a tweet and a LinkedIn post that it was winding down operations. “We’re still working on the details of what’s next”, the posts on social media read.
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United plans to buy up to 500 electric air taxis. The US airline has not only invested 15 million dollars in the manufacturer Eve Air Mobility, but has also signed a purchase agreement for 200 air taxis – including an option for another 200. Deliveries are to begin in 2026.
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News of advances in urban air mobility keeps flying in with Electric Power Systems announcing a new customer, this time from Japan. SkyDrive, a self-described developer of flying cars based at Toyota City, has opted for EPS’ ‘EPiC’ battery system to power future passenger drones.
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Volkswagen Group China has unveiled a prototype eVTOL. The passenger drone is called V.MO and is nicknamed the “Flying Tiger” in a nod to its target launch market. Future series models will carry up to four people and their luggage over 200 kilometres.
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Hyundai’s air mobility subsidiary Supernal has announced cooperating with Electric Power Systems (EP Systems) to develop eVTOL batteries. The announcement was made at the Farnborough International Airshow and is Supernal’s first partnership.
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Rolls-Royce and Hyundai Motor Group have announced plans today to collaborate on all-electric propulsion and hydrogen fuel cell technology in aviation. They have signed a letter of intent to deliver low-emission solutions to the Urban Air Mobility (UAM) and Regional Air Mobility (RAM) markets.
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Volocopter has completed the maiden flight of its four-seater electric aircraft VoloConnect, which was presented last year. The prototype performed various flight manoeuvres for two minutes and 14 seconds. The commercial launch of the VoloConnect is planned for 2026.
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Bavarian electric air taxi startup Lilium has entered into a partnership with Honeywell and Denso to jointly develop and produce the electric motor for the Lilium Jet, whose market launch has been postponed to 2025.
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To advance the development of electric air transport, a number of companies, universities and research institutions as well as municipalities and organisations have joined forces to form the Air Mobility Initiative (AMI).
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In the UK, Urban-Air Port is opening “Air-One”, the showcase of a fully-operational hub for electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) vehicles and autonomous cargo drones.
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US electric aerial vehicle developer Beta Technologies has raised US$375 million from investors in its latest Series B funding round. Beta intends to use the funds to further develop its electric aerial system.
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Japanese automakers Suzuki and SkyDrive have announced a partnership for the commercialization of flying cars. SkyDrive is a Japanese manufacturer of flying cars and is currently developing a compact, two-seating electric-powered flying car with plans for full-scale production.
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German e-flight taxi developer Volocopter has conducted the first manned eVTOL flight in France. The flight was part of a week-long test series to evaluate noise emissions.
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The eVTOL (electric vertical take-off and landing) start-up Joby Aviation has completed the first system tests and compliance checks by the Federal Aviation Administration and received the approvals. The company, therefore, feels that its development approach has been validated and intends to continue working on the product design.
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Electric flight taxi developer Lilium has reached a memorandum of understanding on a far-reaching strategic partnership with business aviation company NetJets. This provides options for up to 150 Lilium aircraft for NetJets. In addition, NetJets wants to support Lilium in expanding its business in the USA and Europe.
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German electric air taxi developer Volocopter has raised €153Mn in the first signing of its Series E funding round led by South Korean investor WP Investment. Volocopter expects that the new capital will accelerate the certification of their electric passenger air cab and its launch in initial cities.
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Electric aerial taxi manufacturer Eve Urban Air Mobility Solutions, a subsidiary of Brazilian aircraft manufacturer Embraer, has received two orders for a total of up to 90 eVTOLs from Australia. Aviair and HeliSpirit are ordering up to 50 electric aircraft from Eve and Microflite up to 40.
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US aircraft manufacturer Boeing has invested a further $450 million in Wisk Aero, the joint venture between Kitty Hawk and Boeing to develop electric aerial taxis. The investment is intended to further the development of Wisk’s sixth-generation eVTOL and fund preparations for the start of series production.
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Britain’s electric air taxi startup Vertical Aerospace made its debut on the New York Stock Exchange on Friday after a blank-check SPAC deal valued at $2.2 billion got the go-ahead. It injects the company with 300 million in cash and has Vertical Aerospace looking to set up shop, perhaps in Ireland.
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