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There were plenty of noteworthy announcements about electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft developments leading up to the 2020 Consumer Electronics Show (CES), the world’s largest consumer products trade show, held Jan. 7-10 in Las Vegas, Nevada (see for example, “The First Electric VTOL Unicorn: Joby Aviation,” Vertiflite Magazine, Mar/Apr 2020, pg. 48).
The Transformative Vertical Flight 2020 event in San Jose, California, in mid-January, featured a wide range of sessions and panel discussions that covered the breadth and depth of electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) progress and capabilities (see “Transformative Vertical Flight 2020,” pg. 38). One such panel covered the use of eVTOL technology for cargo.
In the seven years since 100 invited visionaries gathered in Arlington, Virginia, for the first annual VFS Transformative Vertical Flight (TVF) Workshop, the dream of electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft has progressed from something perceived as a wild-eyed fantasy promoted by secretive companies to a diverse and full-fledged industry.
For the past 11 years, Joby Aviation has been on a quest to develop the ultimate electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft, but few details of the company’s aircraft and progress have been shared with the public.
That changed in January when Joby stepped out of the shadows and released images of the production version of its all-electric, five-seat tiltrotor in conjunction with the announcement of a $590M Series C financing that brought the company’s total funding, including previous rounds, to $720M.
VFS members are well aware of the “Electric VTOL Revolution” that has been underway for several years, with more than 250 electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft concepts on the VFS website, www.eVTOL.news. Most of the helicopter OEMs, most visibly Airbus Helicopters and Bell, have been considering eVTOL and urban air mobility (UAM) options for the future.
Anaheim, California, Jan. 24, 2020 — The Vertical Flight Society, the world’s leading non-profit organization working to advance vertical flight, announces today its activities at Heli-Expo to highlight advanced new military and civil vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) aircraft. Heli-Expo 2020 is hosted by the Helicopter Association International (HAI) and is being held Jan. 28–30, 2020, in the Anaheim Convention Center, in Anaheim, California.
The Vertical Flight Society recently added several eVTOL video interviews to its YouTube Channel:
As reported previously, South Korean industrial giant Hanwha is investing $25M in a spin-off from Karem Aircraft, Inc. dedicated to bringing Butterfly, its all-electric air taxi vehicle, to market. The spin-off entity is to be named “Overair, Inc.,” though was identified as K4 Aeronautics in initial press releases. The Butterfly uses Karem’s patented high efficiency VTOL technology, and is being developed for Uber’s Elevate Initiative.
Like the bright blue frames of his trendy spectacles, Dr. Matthias Bittner is cheery. And why not? As chief operating officer of Gilching, Germany-based startup AutoFlightX — a position the 34-year-old aeronautical engineer calls his “first real job in industry” — Bittner is part of a team of fewer than 10 trying to help their company’s Chinese entrepreneur founder, electric aircraft pioneer Tian Yu, change the world through urban air mobility (UAM).
Fairfax, Virginia — The Vertical Flight Society (VFS) recently added the 200th electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft concept to its online World eVTOL Aircraft Directory. The Directory, launched in 2017, is the world’s most comprehensive compendium of electric and hybrid/electric-powered VTOL aircraft in development by aerospace companies, entrepreneurs and inventors around the globe.
