Air Taxis? Not Quite But They’re Closer Than You Think
Research in 2018 revealed that the average London driver spends around 227 hours each year stuck in traffic thanks to congestion. This equates to just over 9 days and places London sixth on a global ranking of the worlds most congested cities! Other UK cities fair better, but drivers are still losing days thanks to congestion: Edinburgh, 4 days & 5 hours; Cardiff, 2 days & 9 hours; Dublin, 2 days & 1 hour and Manchester, 2 days.
While flying cars have been a staple feature of sci-fi tv and film for well over half a century but these types of vehicles could soon become a reality! The companies developing these electric vertical takeoff and landing vehicles (helpfully shortened to eVTOLs) claim that they are the solution to the ever-increasing congestion we experience in our cities. Rapid advances in technology mean that, as outlandish as this claim may seem, eVTOLS could soon become a primary mode of transport within our urban centres.
The eVTOL industry has recently seen an explosion in activity, largely thanks to developments in battery technology. Advances in battery life has made the prospect of flying vehicles a practical reality rather than the stuff of fiction. The newfound potential for eVTOLs has led to huge investments in the start-ups designing these vehicles, further accelerating the proposed timeline for when we might see them appearing in urban areas.
Most manufacturers are estimating a deliverable service by 2025, but one start-up is trying to deliver them even sooner. Joby Aviation have been working closely with the Federal Aviation Authority in the US and believe they could be certified to produce their eVTOLs for market as early as 2023. In Europe, German manufacturer, Volcopter, are working alongside the French Civil Aviation Authority to deliver a working network of eVTOLS for the Paris Olympics in 2024.
The companies developing these vehicles all share similar sentiments when it comes to their mission statement. Generally, they argue that VTOLS can help lessen congestion, provide a greener, more sustainable way to travel, whilst also shortening journey times. But despite the clear benefits of this sort of travel, there plenty of critics out there.
Director of infrastructure policy at the Center for American Progress, Kevin DeGood, stated in a recent article that air taxis pose a threat to equality and democracy. In his article, he wrote, “Flying cars represent a political danger because they will allow wealthy elites to further opt out of common institutions and everyday experiences, deepening social segregation,”.
He also points out that there is a real environmental threat as well. If the distance from home to work becomes less of an issue, property development in more isolated locations could become the norm. The further expansion of urban areas could undermine the very sustainability that eVTOL developers claim as a benefit of their products.
Whatever your opinion on eVTOLs, it seems that we won’t have to wait too much longer to see them in action. Most industry experts don’t believe they will have much of an impact on the wider transportation sector for the first few years but there is definitely potential for them to revolutionise how we get around for both work and our social lives.