The air taxi revolution that has been taking shape in recent years could, in the next few decades, bring us very close to the world long imagined by science fiction writers and filmmakers, where the skies of cities are filled with a wide variety of passenger vehicles. But as the era of the ‘flying car’ takes shape before our eyes, it may have left a bitter taste in the mouths of many, as Volocopter, Lilium, Airbus and other companies have started to unveil their plans, it has become increasingly clear that the serious manufacturers are all thinking of ride-sharing services, so-called air taxis, which will not be available for purchase like a conventional car.

If you’ve always wished that you could have a flying car like this parked in your garage instead of your own car, you may have seen a glimmer of hope in recent days, as two concepts have been revealed that could bring the era of not only rentable but ownable air taxis into the near future – although not so much for cheaper cars as for Bentley or Rolls-Royce owners.
Of the two eVTOL (i.e. electrically powered, local take-off and landing) multicopters, the Jetson One is based on a much simpler concept, which relates to the more serious air taxis in much the same way that, say, an Ariel Atom relates to a conventional car. Developed by the Swedish company Jetson, the air taxi is little more than a roll cage made of carbon fibre and aluminium, with two or three propellers at the front and two at the back, making a total of eight propellers, just like a drone. The 118-horsepower vehicle has a top speed of 102 km/h and, according to the video released, will be perfectly suited to give owners the thrill of flight.
The Jetson One will be less practical for urban transport, as according to the factory, a person weighing 85 kilograms will only be able to fly it for about 20 minutes at a time, and it is not yet clear exactly where and under what conditions it will be used. Although the Jetson One takes up little more space than a motorbike thanks to its folding rotor arms and can land on any flat surface, it seems unlikely that it will be able to fly freely over cities, but even if it does, it will require at least a small aircraft pilot’s licence.
The manufacturer has placed great emphasis on safety, which is ensured by a number of features in addition to the roll cage: the multicopter has a triple redundant on-board computer that allows the aircraft to automatically hover or land in one place if the pilot releases the stick. The One also features LIDAR, familiar from self-driving cars, which allows the machine to map its surroundings and automatically avoid obstacles. According to Jetson, the eVTOL will also remain operational even if one of its engines fails, and is equipped with a parachute in case of an emergency.

The Jetson One will start to be delivered to customers next year, who will receive a semi-assembled machine, so the concept is a bit similar to the Tetra Mk-5, which customers have to assemble at home, like kit planes. However, those who order the $92,000 aircraft now will have plenty of time to prepare for the technical challenges, as the 12 Jetson One aircraft scheduled for 2022 have already been reserved for $22,000 each, so the earliest that new customers will be able to get their own air taxi is 2023.
While Jetson’s plane will mainly be used for fun, Air One is much closer to a “traditional” air taxi, as the two-seater eVTOL designed by the Israeli startup can fly at speeds of up to 250 km/h and has a range of up to 180 kilometres. The eight rotors that power Air One are here again located at the front and back of the plane, and as the wings can be folded up, the vehicle takes up about the same space as a normal car.

Like other manufacturers, Air has of course put a lot of effort into ensuring that their aircraft is safe for everyone to fly, and in the case of Air One, this is made possible by software solutions that manage navigation and complex tasks, as well as an artificial intelligence-based safety system that checks from time to time that the functions of the aircraft are working properly.

Like the Jetson One, the Air One is available for pre-order now, but customers will certainly have to wait longer, as the company is still testing the prototype and will also need to obtain G1 certification from the Federal Aviation Administration, which is essential before an aircraft can be used for commercial purposes. The company will not announce the final price of the aircraft until early next year, but based on other air taxis, it is almost certain to be in the six figures in dollar terms.
Source: Jetsonaero, thebrighterside.new
Recent article
Electric airplane News & Articles
The Hungarian solar-powered airplane plan has hit the world press
Electric airplane News & Articles
NASA’s first electric aircraft to take off soon
Drones News & Articles
An Australian drone can plant 40,000 trees in a day
EVTOL & VTOL News & Articles
Airbus and ITA Airways jointly develop Italian urban air transport
EVTOL & VTOL News & Articles
Airbus and ITA Airways jointly develop Italian urban air transport
Air taxi News & Articles
The first air taxi airport opens in Britain
Electric airplane News & Articles
Slovenian Pipistrel becomes part of Textron’s electric aviation business
Additional aircraft News & Articles
Another aircraft: the air yacht
EVTOL & VTOL News & Articles
Testing Volocopter’s eVTOL
News & Articles Propulsion-Fuel
A solar-powered device on Mars could make rocket fuel from waste water
EVTOL & VTOL News & Articles
Suzuki promises to launch flying taxis by 2025
Drones News & Articles
Amazon drone delivery is far from taking off
EVTOL & VTOL News & Articles
CycloTech and Yamato reveal innovative cargo eVTOLconcept with CycloRotors
EVTOL & VTOL News & Articles
EHang Receives Pre-Order for 100 Units of EH216 AAVs from Indonesian Aviation Company Prestige Aviation
Drones News & Articles
A Hungarian company is developing an agricultural drone with a French partner
Additional aircraft News & Articles
A futuristic, electric rival to the rocket backpack is already in operation
EVTOL & VTOL News & Articles
FedEx puts drones to work
Additional aircraft News & Articles
British paramedics to start testing rocket backpack rescue in the summer
Air taxi News & Articles
Air Greenland acquires VX4 Air Greenlands from
Air taxi News & Articles
Japanese flying taxis now almost have a timetable
Flying Cars News & Articles
French startup to launch hydrogen-powered flying race car
Drones News & Articles
The silent spy drone designed for the Pentagon is ready
Flying Cars News & Articles
Bruno Senna joins Airspeeder as pilot and ambassador
EVTOL & VTOL News & Articles
EHang Receives Pre-order for 60 Units of Passenger-grade AAVs from AEROTREE, Malaysia’s Leading Aviation Company, under Strategic Partnership
Additional aircraft News & Articles
NASA may launch inflatable stingray drones to Venus
Drones News & Articles
The Gambit combat drone opens a new era in air warfare
Drones News & Articles
Hydraulic drone that will have a much longer range than its electric counterpart
News & Articles Propulsion-Fuel
Swiss buys solar-powered sustainable kerosene
EVTOL & VTOL News & Articles
Minor accident at Joby Aviation
News & Articles Propulsion-Fuel
Airbus tests hydrogen propulsion on its A380 prototype
EVTOL & VTOL News & Articles
CAAC Formally Adopts Special Conditions for EH216-S AAV Type Certification
EVTOL & VTOL News & Articles
A Chinese company has shown how their eVTOL can cope with the most critical part of flying
EVTOL & VTOL News & Articles
World’s first electric air taxis to be launched in Japan
News & Articles Propulsion-Fuel
Hungarian engineers develop unique parallel hybrid-electric aircraft propulsion system
Air taxi News & Articles
Startup Natilus is set to revolutionise air freight transport
Drones News & Articles
Drones go on duty at the giant Singapore seaport
News & Articles Points of interest
Hydrogen-powered, hypersonic aircraft
Flying Cars News & Articles
Why don’t we use flying cars ?
Additional aircraft News & Articles
MIT’s miniature robots fly using artificial muscles
EVTOL & VTOL News & Articles
eVTOLs could revolutionise air rescue
More articles you may be interested in...
Air taxi News & Articles
The EU is testing robotic pilots of air taxis
News & Articles Propulsion-Fuel
A Boeing 747 flies with sustainable fuel
EVTOL & VTOL News & Articles
Even more Toyota SkyDrive
Drones News & Articles
Hellmann cargo drone
Drones News & Articles
Rules for marking drones in Europe
Electric airplane News & Articles
Airbus solar plane can fly for six months without landing
Drones News & Articles
The evolution of the capabilities of autonomous drones
Flying Cars News & Articles
The flying car was given a free pass in the Union
Drones News & Articles
Loyal Wingman drone
Flying Cars News & Articles
Flying cars could be on the road from 2024
Drones News & Articles
Volocopter’s two hundred kilogram capacity transport drone unveiled (full article)
Drones News & Articles
UPS is developing its drone fleet
Drones News & Articles
Germany closer to drone transport
Drones News & Articles
Wing drones take off in Dallas
Air taxi News & Articles
Air Greenland acquires VX4 Air Greenlands from
Drones News & Articles
New type of Czech military drone
Flying Cars News & Articles
AeroMobil 5.0 flying car
Air taxi News & Articles
European air taxi regulation could come in 2023
Air taxi News & Articles
Flying cars could revolutionise urban transport.
Flying Cars News & Articles
Flying car from AirCar
Air taxi News & Articles
There will be no brakes on the flying taxi
EVTOL & VTOL News & Articles
Volocopter launches pilot training
Flying Cars News & Articles
A flying car is cheaper than a Rolls Royce
EVTOL & VTOL News & Articles
How EHang Pioneers the Future of Urban Air Mobility
Additional aircraft News & Articles
Testing the Phoenix hydrogen-powered aircraft
Flying Cars News & Articles
French startup to launch hydrogen-powered flying race car
Flying Cars News & Articles
Flying car available
Drones News & Articles
Loyal Wingman drone
News & Articles Propulsion-Fuel
A planned hydrogen-powered plane could fly halfway around the Earth
Electric airplane News & Articles
Airbus tests auxiliary electric drive