Flying e-taxis are on the news horizon again, with claims from one British e-VTOL (electric vertical take-off and landing vehicle) manufacturer that when the tech hits the skies, the journeys could be as cheap as taking an Uber.
Bristol’s Vertical Aerospace are working towards first commercial flights in 2027 for so-called “premium airline passengers”. However, the firm expects prices to come down to the “very affordable” range once production is scaled up to produce thousands of vehicles.
Regulatory approval for e-VTOLs is not expected to be granted until 2026, roughly in line with a “Future of Flying” plan created by the UK’s former Conservative government. Under the roadmap, the government included a target for pilotless flights by 2030 and noted that the public could be won over by the craft serving communities with medical drops for example. It is not yet known whether the new Labour administration will look at those plans again or adjust them.
For the time being however, ground testing is under way on the manufacturer’s latest VX4 prototype, and in a bid to whet potential passengers’ appetite, Michael Cervenka, Vertical Aerospace’s chief commercial officer, has told press: “The potential is for this aircraft to be about the same cost as hiring an Uber.” What’s more, the development of the new technology is the path to “quicker and cleaner journeys” than road or rail transport.
Piloted, all-electric flight. ⚡️
— Vertical Aerospace (@VerticalAero) August 5, 2024
Flight testing of the new, advanced VX4 prototype is underway.
As we work through the test schedule, we're excited to show off the aircraft's full capabilities. Keep tuned!#eVTOL #VX4 #Aviation pic.twitter.com/TBNSASzqr3
Cervenka predicts the e-VTOLs will mostly fly relatively short journeys of less than 160 km (100 miles) and focus on three types of transport need: shuttling between airports, serving journeys where there are “gaps in ground transportation”, and tourism and sightseeing.
The leap from prices at a “premium” to everyday affordability can be made, Cervenka claims, once thousands of e-VTOLs are in the marketplace, thanks to the craft’s relative simplicity. “We have this amazing ability with electrification, to replace a very complex, expensive, mechanical system – that has lots of single point failures – with a series of electric motors and batteries. That enables us to completely change how you design the aircraft,” he said.
The culmination of a big journey, but the start of the next one.
— Vertical Aerospace (@VerticalAero) August 2, 2024
Thousands of hours of work led to the moment last week when Jif piloted the new #VX4 prototype for the first time. From here we’re focused on progressing safely, and efficiently up to crewed transition.#eVTOL pic.twitter.com/hfkWT79gee
The other factors that will help keep prices down, according to Cervenka, are the craft’s low upkeep requirements and efficiency: “Where it starts to become affordable is, we’ve got a vehicle that can fly lots of times a day, can carry lots of passengers, needs very little maintenance, is very efficient to operate.”
While he made claims about journeys as cheap as Uber taxis in the future, it’s important to note, Vertical Aerospace will sell business-to-business and therefore will not be public-facing or determining journey costs. “We’re selling the aircraft. Our customers will set the prices (for journeys),” he clarified.
