eVTOLs/Urban Mobility

Electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft developer Lilium has announced a new research and development agreement with lithium producer Livent Corporation. The companies stated that the collaboration will focus on advancing lithium metal technology for use in high-performance battery cells. According to Lilium, the agreement is an “important step towards securing Lilium’s future access […]

Joby Aviation announced on Thursday that it has received its Part 135 air carrier certificate from the FAA, allowing the company to operate aircraft commercially. Joby reported that the certification process included the submission of more than 850 pages of manuals and required its pilots to “demonstrate mastery of the Company’s procedures and training under […]

Joby Aviation reported on Tuesday that its prototype electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft met the company’s noise profile goals during acoustic testing completed with NASA last fall. The tests, which took place at Joby’s facility near Big Sur, California, were conducted over two weeks in September 2021 as part of as part of […]

Airbus is heading a Germany-based partnership aimed at “making urban air mobility within and between cities a reality.” Called the Air Mobility Initiative (AMI), the program will set up a series of research projects focused on three areas: electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft, unmanned traffic management (UTM) services and airport and city integration. […]

Urban-Air Port opened its first hub for electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft in Coventry, U.K., on Monday. According to the company, the 1,700-square-meter (about 18,300-square-foot) prefabricated Air-One “vertiport,” which was designed for “rapid” assembly and disassembly, will operate in Coventry for at least a month. While open, it will demonstrate operations such as […]

A local company says it plans to build the first eVTOL terminal and charging station at Oshkosh’s Wittman Regional Airport this coming fall. Volatus Infrastructure said the $500,000 facility will be ready for customers before any customers are likely to be approved for commercial sale. Volatus spokeswoman Sheena Baker said the company wants to ensure […]

Volocopter, one of the pioneers of the urban mobility concept, has set the 2024 Olympics in Paris as the target for the first commercial operation of its 18-rotor electric aircraft. The first flight of the final configuration of its VoloCity two-place aircraft took place earlier this month and the company said in a statement the […]

FedEx says it will start testing an autonomous hybrid eVTOL that can carry up to 500 pounds as far as 300 miles. The company said the trials with the Elroy Chaparral will start in 2023 and begin the process of getting certification for pilotless delivery. “We look forward to continued testing and learning throughout our […]

The U.S. Senate has passed legislation designed to establish an interagency working group to promote advanced air mobility (AAM) in the United States. The Advanced Air Mobility Coordination and Leadership Act (S.516) calls for the Department of Transportation to create a group to “plan and coordinate efforts related to the safety, infrastructure, physical security, cybersecurity, […]

Joby Aviation says it’s taken a big step toward certification of its eVTOL aircraft with the first submission of its novel staged approach to the process. Rather than present the finished aircraft for certification, Joby is conducting the first ever “area-specific certification plan” for the tilt rotor design. The first plan covers cabin safety and […]