Bruce Crumley is journalist and writer who has worked for Fortune, Sports Illustrated, the New York Times, The Guardian, AFP, and was a Paris correspondent and bureau chief for Time magazine specializing in political and terrorism reporting. He splits his time between Paris and Biarritz and is the author of the novel Maika‘i Stink Eye.
Air taxi developer Archer Aviation has announced a new partnership with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), which will initiate their mutual research into future advanced air mobility (AAM) applications with what they see as the lynchpin of the new tech’s performance – powerful but safe batteries.
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Chinese auto maker BYD is taking to the skies with DJI drones in its continued effort to best Tesla for the title of the world’s biggest electric car manufacturer.
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German electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) plane startup Lilium has obtained authorization from the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) that will allow it far greater flexibility and range in developing its future battery-powered air taxi toward certification.
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Leading global advanced air mobility (AAM) company Joby may have decided to set up its future production line in Ohio as the most financially alluring locale vying for its presence, but California is looking to get as much job creation and economic activity from the Santa Cruz-based air taxi startup before its focus shifts east – and has just handed over a nearly $10 million grant to prove it.
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The planned global introduction of air taxi services next year during the Paris Summer Olympics already risks being grounded after city authorities from across party lines joined up this week to lavishly dump on what elsewhere in France and the world has been the tech’s much-ballyhooed debut.
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In a move reflecting the national interests in the race between next-generation aviation companies to bring advanced air mobility (AAM) vehicles to market, Japan’s SkyDrive has received 12.4 billion yen ($82.7 million) from the government to support the development of the startup’s electric vertical takeoff and landing craft (eVTOL).
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Sustainable next-generation aircraft developer REGENT has taken another major step toward the manufacturing and marketing of its all-electric seagliders for advanced air mobility (AAM) services by securing $60 million in Series A Round funding round.
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The Paris Air Show broke all records for attendance with its habitual large-draw long-haul passenger planes and military jets, but the main stars of the 2023 biannual event were arguably the next-generation electric takeoff and landing (eVTOL) air taxis making their first appearance.
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It admittedly isn’t the kind of invention marking a radical departure from its previous drone-related innovations, but a recently published US patent application by the Ford Motor Co. does offer additional evidence the automotive giant is intent on integrating UAVs into its future cars and trucks.
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Next-generation air taxi developer AutoFlight has released new video of an upgraded proof-of-concept version of its electric takeoff and landing (eVTOL) Prosperity I aircraft undergoing a new battery of test flights.
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A drone has been factored into Renault’s all-electric delivery solution alongside a battery-powered van and e-bike to permit companies to transport goods to bustling city centers without leaving a measurable carbon footprint.
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Renault’s new 100%-electric Mégane E-Tech is the French company’s non-hedged bet it can convince drivers they’ve nothing to lose in swapping their traditional ICE rides for modern a EV – and gain considerable performance, cost, and flair advantages in the bargain. A day test driving the car on the roads of southern Spain suggests the company stands a good chance of winning that wager and setting some standards for European EV development as it does.
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Though still young, 2022 is shaping up to be monumental for Swedish flying car developer Jetson, which plans to deliver the first series of its one-passenger personal electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) vehicle later this year, then turn to outside investors to help scale activity.
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In wrapping up the 60th anniversary celebration of its iconic old-school 4L car, French automaker Renault has unveiled a redesign of the model as the AIR4 electric takeoff and landing (eVTOL) vehicle.
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South Korean transportation giant Hyundai has announced the creation of an advanced air mobility (AAM) company, Supernal LLC. The company will pursue the development of next-generation passenger electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) vehicles, and aims to conduct its first commercial flight in 2028.
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A village in southwest France had a problem: too few remaining local shops providing for the needs of its 130 aging and decreasingly mobile residents. To break the resulting isolation, the hamlet set itself up with a solar-recharging Renault Zoe EV that villagers take turns using to run errands in outlying towns, and voilà – affordable, safe, and carbon-free transportation available to all.
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One thing seems certain these days: If you’re a legacy car sector company wanting to give your stock price a serious goosing, find some way to thrust yourself into the EV news cycle.
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The government of Belgium’s Flemish region is reportedly preparing to introduce legislation to ban the sale of new, non-EV vehicles by 2027, nearly a decade before the European Union’s ICE phase-out date.
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US President Joe Biden has spent weeks battling opposition to his sweeping Build Back Better spending bill from Just Say No Republicans, and even some self-promoting sellouts in his own party. Now he’s also getting blowback to proposed rebates on US- and union-built EVs from foreign ambassadors and several domestic automakers.
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The French oil mastodon TotalEnergies is making amends – and doubtless seeking to make a buck from renewables as well – by installing fast-charging stands for EV cars at its gas stations along France’s highway system.
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In case people to the left of, say, Mitt Romney (Republican, UT) or Susan Collins (Republican, ME) needed an additional reason to despise coal-addict Joe Manchin (For Rent, WV), the most dependably conservative-abetting senator gave it to them this week in comments mocking sustainable and clean air proposals while defending billionaires from higher taxes to fund those proposals.
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Enterprising officials from the Minnesota town of Warren are using drones equipped with thermal sensors to gauge heat seepage from local buildings and houses as part of a public service to help homeowners cut spending on energy.
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The Detroit Free Press just may have been looking to stir the pot a bit over the weekend with its article on a study’s contrarian finding that driving an electric vehicle (EV) costs more than a standard gas-burning car. What the paper apparently got was a Wagnerian choir of “WTF?” because, on Tuesday, it ran what reads like a back-away-slowly follow-up to the original piece it demurely says “generated debate and inspired reader questions.”
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A group of airports in Italy and France are banding together to create electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) veliport infrastructure to speed the deployment of quicker, carbon-free air taxi transportation between their respective city centers and passenger terminals.
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