Multibillion Race for Commercial VTOL Air Taxis

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eHang, Volocopter and Archer Aviation are each billion-dollar or multi-billion valuation companies that are racing to establish the commercial VTOL air taxi industry in the 2021-2024 timeframes.

Flying super-sized drone taxis are using electric engines and should become lower cost than helicopters. Multiple engines should be safer as one or two engines could fail and there would not be a crash. The unfortunate example of the risk with helicopters was the Kobe Bryant helicopter crash last year.

eHang VTOL for Passengers and Packages

eHang is expanding into Europe in France, Spain and Austria. eHang is operating in China.

eHang is working on launching package delivery with DHL.

eHang has a valuation of $2.7 billion.

eHang is flying in 40 cities in China and could get the permit for air taxi operation this year. They expect this to be in common usage within 3 years.

Volocopter

Volocopter has raised €200 million in additional capital and in total has raised €322 million. They are targeting to have a commercial air taxi service in Singapore and Paris by 2023.

They are the first and only electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) company to receive Design Organisation Approval (DOA) by the European Union Aviation Safety Agency. They have scaled up the eight-engine hobby drone to carry a pilot and a passenger.

Archer Aviation

Archer Aviation is targeting commercial air taxi operation by 2024. Archer has a $3.8 billion valuation after a SPAC deal and have a $1 billion order from United Airlines.

SOURCES- Volocopter, eHang, Archer Aviation
Written By Brian Wang, Nextbigfuture.com

9 thoughts on “Multibillion Race for Commercial VTOL Air Taxis”

  1. Yes. I meant an AI autopilot might have prevented that chopper's failure mode since it was human err and not engine failure.

  6. No, it isn't. In America, where the right to bear arms is the right to be free, I expect them to be blasted out of the skies – no jury would convict. Over here, we'll just strangle them with red tape.

  8. The pilot violated flight rules by flying into the clouds, where he became disoriented and lost control of the helicopter, the National Transportation Safety Board said.

    No indication that motor failure occured.

  9. Multiple engines should be safer as one or two engines could fail and there would not be a crash. The unfortunate example of the risk with helicopters was the Kobe Bryant helicopter crash last year.

    Multiple engines doesn't prevent that failure mode.
    Perhaps if Waymo cross trained their auto pilot, people tend to refer to assorted choppers as "flying cars".

    —Drake

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