Flying taxis may finally arrive this year, thanks to the development of a new breed of electric aircraft that are much quieter than helicopters 鈥� and potentially greener as well.
These electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) models aren鈥檛 simply a new spin on helicopters. Rather than relying on one large set of rotor blades for lift, these vehicles use multiple smaller propellers, similar to remote-controlled drones. The propellers face upwards like helicopter rotors during vertical take-off or landing, but can also tilt forward to better enable horizontal flight like a fixed-wing aircraft 鈥� providing more versatility and efficiency than conventional helicopters.
The first eVTOLs are already rolling off test production lines as air taxi companies, such as Joby Aviation and Archer Aviation, say they could start commercial passenger services before the end of the coming year. Joby has announced plans to begin a service in Dubai in the United Arab Emirates as soon as late 2025, with New York City and Los Angeles to follow. EHang, a Chinese firm, has also been demonstrating its pilotless eVTOL aircraft in multiple countries and could also begin for commercial tourism in 2025.
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鈥�2025 should be the year where the eVTOL aircraft first start flying and carrying passengers and demonstrating what they actually can do,鈥� says at the Vertical Flight Society, a nonprofit organisation in Virginia.
These craft offer multiple benefits. They could be 100 times quieter than helicopters, making them more acceptable for use over neighbourhoods, says Hirschberg. Their battery-powered engines also offer the possibility of zero carbon emissions if recharged using clean energy sources, whereas most helicopters still run on leaded petrol (gasoline). And while most helicopters still rely on manual controls, the eVTOL aircraft use more sophisticated computer-aided systems to reduce the risk of pilot error. 鈥淭he goal is to get them to be as safe as flying on an airliner,鈥� says Hirschberg.
One downside is that current eVTOL batteries can only sustain a maximum flight range of 185 to 370 kilometres compared with 400 to 800 kilometres for conventional helicopters, which is partly why manufacturers are targeting a market for short hops rather than extended flights.
This isn鈥檛 the first time people have tried to get air taxi operations up and running. The startup Kitty Hawk, backed by Google co-founder Larry Page, shut in 2022, while the German firm Lilium disclosed that its subsidiary companies were filing for in late 2024.
The key difference for Joby and Archer is that each holds military contracts worth up to $131 million and $142 million, respectively, from the US Air Force鈥檚 Agility Prime programme, which was designed to help the US keep pace with advances in China. 鈥淭hat really gave them a leg up and it really helped them to get to where they are today in developing their aircraft,鈥� says Hirschberg.
But ultimately, it is unlikely these craft will see military use. 鈥淔undamentally, eVTOL aircraft have short range and limited weight capacity [and] don鈥檛 have any weapon bays, stealth or other features that might be attractive to the air force,鈥� says at the RAND Corporation, a think tank in California.
Instead, the challenge is for firms to demonstrate that enough demand exists for air taxis beyond the trial flights expected to launch next year. 鈥淭he whole business plan for these aircraft is to provide a compelling transportation service for the public,鈥� says Hirschberg. 鈥淚t鈥檚 not 鈥榳e just want to have a rich-person shuttle so they can fly over traffic and thumb their noses at the proletariat.鈥欌��
