FutureFlight

To be viable in scaled-up commercial operations, the batteries of electric aircraft will need to be recharged quickly and efficiently. The U.S. Air Force is investing to support Jaunt Air Mobility and its partners to tap the latest Extreme Fast Charging technology to ensure that its capability can be delivered for new eVTOL aircraft.

WiBotic has developed its Commander software to help vehicle operators manage how batteries in their fleet are recharged by the company's wireless units. The software can help make the process more efficient by allowing adjustments to take account of when the vehicles are needed.

United Airlines and its partner Mesa Airlines have committed to spending up to $1.5 billion on 200 of Archer's eVTOL aircraft, subject to it completing type certification and meeting other requirements. Archer estimates that through its SPAC flotation, the startup will be valued as high as $2.7 billion.

​​​​​​​Joby Aviation has selected Garmin to provide the G3000 integrated flight deck for Joby’s electric eVTOL aircraft, which is expected to enter service in 2024. Garmin’s work on autonomous products such as its Autoland automatic emergency landing system suggests that it may be preparing to supply avionics for aircraft that will eventually fly without a human pilot on board.

SkyGate is offering eVTOL aircraft developers and other technology start-ups space in which to advance their projects in a supportive and collaborative environment. The Italian company is seeking to attract further investment in the site as part of wider plans to establish an air mobility network across the country.

Joby Aviation's path to completing type certification for its four-passenger eVTOL aircraft is now clear, with confirmation that the FAA has assigned it to use the G1 requirements under existing Part 23 Amendment 64 rules. Meanwhile, the company's bottom line has been boosted by its first-ever revenues, which have been generated by its work under contract to the U.S. Air Force Agility Prime program.

its all-electric eVTOL aircraft

Airports and infrastructure group Ferrovial believes demand for passenger transportation services will be sufficient to support a network of vertiports ac=oss Spain. It has filed an application for funding from the European Recovery Funds and is already working with program partners IDOM and DatActionS.

Speaking at the recent Vertical Flight Society Electric VTOL Symposium, Airflow CEO Marc Ausmus described the runway needs of his proposed hybrid-electric aircraft as being 150 feet of ground roll with an overall requirement of 300 feet in length, roughly three times the length of the currently proscribed touchdown-and-liftoff (TLOF) area plus safety zone, for a helipad.

A consortium of 13 industry partners, including Frequentis and EHang, will evaluate how drones and piloted eVTOL aircraft can operate beyond visual line of sight alongside existing aircraft in urban airspace. EHang also will be flying its eVTOL aircraft in the European Safe and Flexible Integration of Advanced U-Space Services for Medical Air Mobility project.

With the successful conclusion of a month-long route test and reliability program in Hawaii for its five-seat, hybrid-electric powered EEL, a retrofit of the Cessna 337 Skymaster, Los Angeles-based Ampaire is moving ahead with its next projects, which include models called the Eco Otter SX and the Tailwind.