Electric Air Taxis Will Soon Dominate The Skies?
Jetsons fans, your real-life dream is about to come true. Several aviation companies are developing electric air taxis to make commuting to airports more convenient and faster for customers. Last month Delta airlines invested $60 million into electric aviation technology, focusing on electric air taxis.
They have a five-year partnership with Joby Aviation, which is developing a line of electrical vertical take-off and landing aircraft. When Joby announced their new electric aircraft, they were met with some skepticism on whether they will be able to develop a technology so fresh and unique by the launch date they specified.
Along with Delta, United Airlines has also invested in electric taxi aircraft. They have partnered with Heart Aerospace to develop electric aircraft by 2030. American Airlines is also following suit with an order for 50 aircraft from Vertical Aerospace. They have invested $25 million into the company to develop their own line of electric air taxis.
While all the major global airlines have started investing in the new future of aviation, these partnerships are conditional. Once the technology is developed, the aircraft must be certified and mass-produced before they start carrying passengers.
Once all this is completed, and companies can get the aircraft to where consumers need them, this new technology can be ground-breaking and will change aviation forever. The general idea of these electric taxis is that they will replace cars and be better for the environment, but that depends on where customers are based.
They will use existing infrastructure, such as building rooftops as “vertistops” to collect passengers or charge their batteries or “vertiports,” which they will utilize for longer charging times. These hubs will need to be based near potential consumers.
While companies are focusing on a launch by 2025, it is likely that the total fleet of electric taxis will be up and running after 2030. A small number could be ready by 2025 as a soft launch to ensure the consumer interest is there.
Airlines are being put under pressure by global governments to become more environmentally friendly and sustainable. One way they can complete this is to invest heavily in new electric aircraft. This will take away any carbon emissions produced by the thousands of flights completed every day.
At the moment, the one move aviation can make to become more sustainable is using sustainable fuel. Last year, one out of every thousand gallons used was from a sustainable source, which is something that could be improved.
This is why they are now heavily investing in electric technology, as it makes flights more environmentally friendly. It will also take away some travelers’ long commute to the airport in a gas-powered car.
It is incredible to think that the time is finally upon us when the technology we saw in sci-fi movies as a child is actually becoming real. Small electric taxis will fly through the air, just like in the Jetsons, within the next decade: what a mind-blowing thought and an exciting time to live.
