Mexican Media Brands
U.K. Startup Targets Flying Taxi Launch by 2022
Bristol, England-based Vertical Aerospace says it completed testing of a prototype all-electric aircraft this summer and aims to launch inter-city flying taxi services within four years.
Share
Bristol, England-based Vertical Aerospace says it completed testing of a prototype all-electric aircraft this summer and aims to launch inter-city flying taxi services within four years.
The vertical-takeoff-and-landing aircraft is designed to hold a pilot and two passengers and travel at a top speed of 50 mph for as far as 500 miles. The unmanned prototype flew for about five minutes.
Vertical Aerospace was founded in 2016 by CEO Stephen Fitzpatrick, who also heads Britain energy supplier Ovo Energy Ltd. and purchased the Manor Marussia Formula One race team in 2015. The startup has about 30 employees, including former Airbus and Boeing engineers.
Fitzpatrick says the company is applying F1 technologies—including advanced aerodynamics, lightweight materials and electrical systems—to the flying taxis. He envisions such vehicles quickly transporting passengers from London to Madrid in the future without using an airport.
To date, Fitzpatrick has funded Vertical Aerospace himself. But he now is talking with potential investors to help accelerate research and development and eventual commercialization.RELATED CONTENT
-
Cobots: 14 Things You Need to Know
What jobs do cobots do well? How is a cobot programmed? What’s the ROI? We asked these questions and more to four of the leading suppliers of cobots.
-
Multiple Choices for Light, High-Performance Chassis
How carbon fiber is utilized is as different as the vehicles on which it is used. From full carbon tubs to partial panels to welded steel tube sandwich structures, the only limitation is imagination.
-
On Fuel Cells, Battery Enclosures, and Lucid Air
A skateboard for fuel cells, building a better battery enclosure, what ADAS does, a big engine for boats, the curious case of lean production, what drivers think, and why Lucid is remarkable
