Important Innovations

  New eVTOL Flies Like a Butterfly                                         Source:  Hyundai's Supernal New Hydrogen Powered eVTOL South Korea-based automaker Hyundai is developing two, highly innovative eVTOL (electric, vertical takeoff & landing) vehicles for inner-city and intra-city commuting.  Hyundai's Advanced Air Mobility division, Supernal, unveiled an electric flying taxi concept that seats 5 at the Farnborough International Airshow in the UK.  Specifically, they unveiled the very futuristic and elegant passenger cabin.  Supernal is working with Hyundai's top automotive designers and engineers to integrate automotive capabilities into the flying taxi. In terms of flight, it is being designed to mimic the flying capabilities of a butterfly.  Hyundai also disclosed that it is working on a larger, hydrogen powered eVTOL that will roll out two years after the smaller eVTOL. Targeted Plans Hyundai expects the eVTOL, just revealed in the UK, to start operations in th

Hyundai's Two  New eVTOLs                                          Source:  Hyundai's Supernal New Hydrogen Powered eVTOL South Korea-based automaker Hyundai is developing two, highly innovative eVTOL (electric, vertical takeoff & landing) vehicles for inner-city and intra-city commuting.  Hyundai's Advanced Air Mobility division, Supernal, unveiled an electric flying taxi concept that seats 5 at the Farnborough International Airshow in the UK.  Specifically, they unveiled the very futuristic and elegant passenger cabin.  Supernal is working with Hyundai's top automotive designers and engineers to integrate automotive capabilities into the flying taxi. In terms of flight, it is being designed to mimic the flying capabilities of a butterfly.  Hyundai also disclosed that it is working on a larger, hydrogen powered eVTOL that will roll out two years after the smaller eVTOL. Targeted Plans Hyundai expects the eVTOL, just revealed in the UK, to start operations in the US

  A Personal Automobile For the Sky                                                  Source:  LEO Flight New, Very Fast, Long-Range Flying Car Being Developed in US A stunning, very futuristically styled, all-electric flying car called the LX-1 LEO Coupe has just been unveiled by US based, eVTOL startup LEO Flight.  It's a piloted, electric vertical takeoff and landing "personal automobile for the skies".  A hyper eVTOL, it has extraordinary speed and range.  The electric flying car can take off and land on a driveway for ultra-commuting convenience.  LX-1 has good looks, uniquely powerful technology and great inventor pedigrees - all of which have the potential to shakeup the global flying car industry. Tech Specs LX-1 is an experimental prototype with an aluminum frame. The prototype was built to test its innovative powertrain that contains four banks of at least 72 small vertical-lift fans.  Two larger fans in the back of the vehicle give it forward, horizontal thrust.

  Joby Wins 1st FAA Flying Certificate                                             Source:  Joby Aviation One Certificate Done & Two More to Go California-based flying taxi startup Joby Aviation is one big step closer to takeoff.  It just received its Part 135 Air Carrier Certificate from the FAA.  It is a major milestone for the company.  It means that Joby can begin operating its air taxi service.  But to legally fly passengers, it needs to secure two more certificates.  It must be awarded a Type Certificate from the FAA which declares that the company's eVTOL meets the Agency's design and safety standards.  It also needs to secure a Production Certificate when it is ready to start producing eVTOLS.  With those three certificates, Joby can start legally flying passengers in its air taxis.  Tech Specs and Performance Achievements Joby's S4 is a 6 rotor eVTOL or all-electric vertical take-off and landing vehicle.  It set an eVTOL global speed record this year when it fl

Joby Wins 1st FAA Flying Certificate                                             Source:  Joby Aviation One Certificate Done & Two More to Go California-based flying taxi startup Joby Aviation is one big step closer to takeoff.  It just received its Part 135 Air Carrier Certificate from the FAA.  It is a major milestone for the company.  It means that Joby can begin operating its air taxi service.  But to legally fly passengers, it needs to secure two more certificates.  It must be awarded a Type Certificate from the FAA which declares that the company's eVTOL meets the Agency's design and safety standards.  It also needs to secure a Production Certificate when it is ready to start producing eVTOLS.  With those three certificates, Joby can start legally flying passengers in its air taxis.  Tech Specs and Performance Achievements Joby's S4 is a 6 rotor eVTOL or all-electric vertical take-off and landing vehicle.  It set an eVTOL global speed record this year when it flew

  TCab E20 eVTOL Is Flying Regularly                                                                             Source:  TCab Tech & EHang EHang Is Doing Autonomous Demonstration Flights with Passengers Regularly China is becoming a big leader in the global race to deploy flying taxis.  Flying taxi company EHang, based in Guangzhou, China, has been doing a series of successful autonomous flights with passengers onboard. It uses 4G & 5G, high speed wireless transmission to communicate with its command-and-control center for remote control of the aircraft and real-time transmission of flight data. The EHang eVTOL is expected to win full flight certification any day.  Meanwhile, a second company Shanghai-based TCab Tech is making tremendous progress with its E20 eVTOL air taxi, which is piloted and carries 4 passengers. Their 50% scale prototype has successfully made numerous flights demonstrating the effectiveness of the design to takeoff, hover and transition to winged cruise f

  TCab E20 eVTOL Is Flying Regularly                                                                             Source:  TCab Tech & EHang EHang Is Doing Autonomous Demonstration Flights with Passengers Regularly China is becoming a big leader in the global race to deploy flying taxis.  Flying taxi company EHang, based in Guangzhou, China, has been doing a series of successful autonomous flights with passengers onboard. It uses 4G & 5G, high speed wireless transmission to communicate with its command-and-control center for remote control of the aircraft and real-time transmission of flight data. The EHang eVTOL is expected to win full flight certification any day.  Meanwhile, a second company Shanghai-based TCab Tech is making tremendous progress with its E20 eVTOL air taxi, which is piloted and carries 4 passengers. Their 50% scale prototype has successfully made numerous flights demonstrating the effectiveness of the design to takeoff, hover and transition to winged cruise f

  Dawn of Flying Taxi Services                                                 Source:  Embraer & Eve Eve Publicly Traded on NYSE This is turning out to be quite the week for Brazilian aerospace company Embraer and its eVTOL subsidiary and partner Eve.  Eve's technology is undergoing flight tests over Rio de Janeiro this week to collect data on its vertical landing and takeoff capabilities.  They're using conventional, piloted helicopters that are part of Embraer's Autonomous System project or EASy to do the testing and push forward the goal of autonomous flights.  It's another aviation landmark in the journey toward fully certified and autonomous eVTOL (electric, vertical takeoff and landing) flying taxis. Eve Goes Public Simultaneously, Eve was spun-off by Embraer this week and has just started trading on the NYSE.  Embraer and Eve remain partners in the development of eVTOL vehicles.  For nearly two years, the two have been testing subscale models of Eve in order

  Sky and Drive Commuting in Japan                                                        Source:  SkyDrive Automaker & Flying Car Startup Partner on Flying/Driving Taxis One of the world's leading automotive and motorcycle makers Suzuki and Japanese flying taxi startup SkyDrive are partnering to launch fleets of flying taxis, first in the Osaka Bay area of Japan in 2025.  SkyDrive's new vehicle called SD-XX is an eVTOL or electric vertical take-off and landing vehicle that operates like a helicopter and doesn't need a traditional runway to take-off from and land on.  Of big interest, SD-XX can drive to other locations once it lands.  SkyDrive has big backers in Toyota, Panasonic and Fujitsu.  SkyDrive intends to put the SD-XX prototype into commercial production in 2023.  Now partnering with Suzuki on R&D, manufacturing and mass production systems, SkyDrive will likely be able to bring large numbers of vehicles to market. Highly Advanced Travel Technology SD-XX is

  Sky and Drive Commuting in Japan                                                        Source:  SkyDrive Automaker & Flying Car Startup Partner on Flying/Driving Taxis One of the world's leading automotive and motorcycle makers Suzuki and Japanese flying taxi startup SkyDrive are partnering to launch fleets of flying taxis, first in the Osaka Bay area of Japan in 2025.  SkyDrive's new vehicle called SD-XX is an eVTOL or electric vertical take-off and landing vehicle that operates like a helicopter and doesn't need a traditional runway to take-off from and land on.  Of big interest, SD-XX can drive to other locations once it lands.  SkyDrive has big backers in Toyota, Panasonic and Fujitsu.  SkyDrive intends to put the SD-XX prototype into commercial production in 2023.  Now partnering with Suzuki on R&D, manufacturing and mass production systems, SkyDrive will likely be able to bring large numbers of vehicles to market. Highly Advanced Travel Technology SD-XX is

  Miami Becoming a Global Capital of Flying Taxis Flying Taxi Partnership Between Hyundai & Miami Hyundai's urban air mobility division, Supernal, has signed an agreement with the city of Miami to launch air taxi services in South Florida by 2028.  The agreement establishes a framework to win buy in from industry and community stakeholders in order to achieve the regulatory approvals needed to start air taxi services.   Strategic Flying Plan Supernal is a young startup, formed by Hyundai in November 2021. The agreement to start operations in Miami is their first air taxi deal. Supernal's strategic plan is to develop an air taxi network as an integrated component of an end-to-end ridesharing, app-based system. The company is currently developing their air taxi model with Boston Dynamics, HTWO and Motional. From the artist renderings of the eVTOL, it appears to be a tilt rotor, propulsion design aircraft with fixed wings.  The vehicle would carry 4 to 5 passengers.  It would

  Miami Becoming a Global Capital of Flying Taxis Source:  Hyundai's Supernal Flying Taxi Partnership Between Hyundai & Miami Hyundai's urban air mobility division, Supernal, has signed an agreement with the city of Miami to launch air taxi services in South Florida by 2028.  The agreement establishes a framework to win buy in from industry and community stakeholders in order to achieve the regulatory approvals needed to start air taxi services.   Strategic Flying Plan Supernal is a young startup, formed by Hyundai in November 2021. The agreement to start operations in Miami is their first air taxi deal. Supernal's strategic plan is to develop an air taxi network as an integrated component of an end-to-end ridesharing, app-based system. The company is currently developing their air taxi model with Boston Dynamics, HTWO and Motional. From the artist renderings of the eVTOL, it appears to be a tilt rotor, propulsion design aircraft with fixed wings.  The vehicle would car

Embraer's Eve Has Order Backlog of 1,785 eVTOLs                                 Source:  Embraer's Eve Green, Zero Emissions Urban Air Mobility Brazil's aviation giant Embraer has a very hot eVTOL flying taxi subsidiary, Eve Urban Air Mobility, which is doing record business.  Eve, headquartered in Fort Lauderdale, FL, has an order backlog of 1,785 eVTOLs or electric vertical takeoff and landing vehicles.  That big backlog amounts to $5.4 billion in flying taxi orders.  And, at the 2022 Singapore Air Show, the backlog got bigger.  Eve has signed a number of new deals to make its eVTOLs operational in Australia by 2025.  Western Australia air charter companies Aviair and Helispirit, which specialize in scenic charter flights, have ordered 50 Eve eVTOLs.  Melbourne based helicopter company Microflite ordered 40 Eve eVTOLs.  Recently, Sydney Seaplanes ordered 50 Eve eVTOLs.  And Nautilus ordered 10 Eve eVTOLs for tourist flights over the Great Barrier Reef.  Eve UAM says Austr

  Sir Richard Branson Building Flying Taxi Fleet From UK's Vertical Aerospace                                                                           Source:  Vertical Aerospace Branson's Plans for Flying Taxis Virgin Atlantic founder Sir Richard Branson is looking to expand his fleet of aircraft and spacecraft.  He is investing in the UK air taxi company Vertical Aerospace and is planning on buying a fleet of their air taxis. The air taxis are a strategic addition to his Virgin Atlantic aircraft and his Virgin Galactic spacecraft.  Branson has entered into a partnership with Vertical Aerospace to purchase 150 flying taxi eVTOLS, which are electric vertical takeoff and landing vehicles. Entrepreneur Branson, whose expertise is aviation and aerospace, provides a ringing endorsement to the future of eVTOL, flying taxi travel. Technical Details on the eVTOL VA-X4 The flying taxis that Branson is purchasing are the VA-X4.  Vertical Aerospace was founded and is run by the highly s