eVTOL

XPeng Inc. held its fifth annual Tech Day 2023 event in Guangzhou, China today, showcasing some of its latest milestones across a plethora of EV adjacent technologies. The keynote included full-autonomous driving, an AI-powered driving feature that will learn specific routes and take over for drivers, new software, an EV with an aircraft in the back, and even a new humanoid robot.

Wisk Aero, Boeing’s electric flying taxi company, held the first public eVTOL demonstration flights in LA this week. The company accomplished the feat at the 100th anniversary of the Long Beach Airport. A video from the event shows the record-setting flight.

With initial production at its new manufacturing facility underway, electric aircraft developer BETA Technologies has begun setting up charging infrastructure to support its ongoing interstate flights. The company held a groundbreaking ceremony in North Carolina today, where it will install the first electric aircraft charging station in the entire state.

One month after securing a fresh seed round worth $15 million, personal eVTOL developer Jetson has achieved certification for flights in uncontrolled airspace in Italy, the first ultra-light aircraft manufacturer to do so. With operational authorization also in place, Jetson’s ONE “flying cars” could be taking to the skies of Italy soon.

A mere few months after receiving FAA certification to begin eVTOL test flights in the US, Archer Aviation has found its first international launch partner for all-electric air taxi services in the United Arab Emirates. Through a recently signed MOU, Archer will work to implement the necessary infrastructure to enable commercial services on the wings (or rotors, rather) of incentives from Abu Dhabi.

Urban Air Mobility specialist EHang has announced a major milestone in bringing its all-electric aerial solutions to the sky. Today, the company shared it has received certification from the aviation administration in China, paving the way for commercial eVTOL operations.

Light eVTOL developer Opener.aero has announced it has changed its company name to Pivotal, following the debut of first scalable production aircraft, Helix. Despite the new nomenclature, Pivotal will continue business as usual as it looks to open order for the Helix eVTOLs very soon.

eVTOL developer Joby Aviation continues to deliver key milestones in bringing its all-electric aircraft into commercial operations. Today, Joby confirmed it has completed multiple eVTOL test flights in California with a pilot onboard, with the video footage to back it up. See for yourself below.

All-electric aircraft developer BETA Technologies is putting the finishing touches on a new assembly facility in its native Vermont we learned about earlier this year. With two impressive electric aircraft in its arsenal working to get certified for commercial flights, BETA is already assembling eVTOLs at its new home. Here’s the latest.

eVTOL developer Joby Aviation is starting to make good on a massive contract signed with the US Department of Defense this year. The company is not only celebrating its delivery of Joby aircraft to the US Air Force, but it is also claiming to be the first company to deliver an all-electric air taxi to a customer in the entire country… and it did so ahead of schedule.

eVTOL developer Joby Aviation continues to make headway in becoming a fully certified scaled aircraft manufacturer in the US. This morning the company shared details of the new place it will call home – which also happens to be where the Wright brothers first took flight 120 years ago. With the state on its side, Joby could begin scaled eVTOL production fairly soon.

Japanese eVTOL developer SkyDrive continues to line up customers for its passenger aircraft by the same name after a busy summer of progress. Today, the company has announced its latest pre-order – this time from South Korea, for up to 50 SKYDRIVE eVTOLs.

eVTOL developer Archer Aviation shared an exciting Q2 2023 financial results call complete with three signification updates, including airworthiness certification from the FAA and a fresh round of investments from some big names like Stellantis and United.

eVTOL developer Archer Aviation continues to build and expand upon existing relationships with its partners and customers. Today’s news includes an expanded partnership with the United States Department of Defense in which the Air Force is planning to acquire a number of Midnight eVTOLs from Archer Aviation.

Just a few months after setting a world record for the longest flight by an electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft, AutoFlight has delivered another world first. The company just shared footage of it showing off not one but three of its Prosperity I prototypes flying at once, and it looks awesome. Check out the full video below.

Light eVTOL developer Opener has announced a unique opportunity as it looks to achieve market commercialization of its BlackFly aircraft. The company unveiled an Early Access Program today in which a dozen early eVTOL customers will not only get to experience Opener’s training and aerial technology first hand, but will report back about their entire customer experience.

It’s been a busy week for Japanese eVTOL developer SkyDrive, who has announced its second pre-order agreement in two days, its latest coming from CT UAV in Vietnam. That puts pre-orders for the company’s new SKYDRIVE eVTOL up to 200 in Vietnam alone.

Japanese eVTOL developer SkyDrive has announced a pre-order for up to five aircraft from South Carolina-based aerial charter service Austin Aviation. The news comes as SkyDrive looks to enter the US market, make the Palmetto State its new home, and create an entire network in advanced air mobility (AAM).

Flying cars are becoming closer to reality than what sci-fi movies may lead you to believe. Another electric flying car “took flight” this week in the US. CEO Doron Merdinger of Miami-based Doroni Aerospace successfully piloted a two-seater personal vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft that fits in your garage.

eVTOL developer Joby Aviation has completed building the first aircraft off its pilot production line in California. The Joby aircraft is expected to become the “first ever eVTOL to be delivered to a customer” next year, but it will need to complete flight testing before then. Luckily, the FAA has already issued certification.

A fully electric car you can drive on public roads and fly to skip traffic may sound like something out of a sci-fi movie, but Alef Aeronautics is making it a reality. The company revealed Tuesday that its flying car, “Model A,” became the first of its kind to receive legal approval to fly from the US government.