FLYING drone taxis that can hit speeds of 115mph could take to the skies by next year.
Engineers at Eve Air Mobility are hoping to launch sleek, silent aircraft that take off vertically and glide over city streets.
Eve Air Mobility hopes to launch its eVTOL in 2026[/caption]
The aircraft can hold up to four passengers[/caption]
It will also fit a pilot before the company moves on to autonomous aircraft[/caption]
At the helm of the project is Johann Bordais, who told The Sun about the future of flying taxis – and how Eve is preparing for a world where they could transform the way we live, work, and commute.
Eve has already racked up 30 customers – building an order book of 2,900 eVTOL vehicles – the largest pre-order tally in the industry.
Bordais told the Sun: “We have the biggest pre-order book in the industry, with a total of 2,900 vehicles pre-sold.
“But the roadblock will be ecosystem readiness, not technology.”
While the vehicles – known as eVTOLs – are advancing rapidly, there’s a longer journey ahead to build the infrastructure to support the new form of travel.
This includes a new air traffic management system, vertical take-off and landing ports and also charging ports for the electric flying taxis.
“We’ll have to find a new air traffic management solution so we can scale up,” Bordais explained.
He said that while the tech is there, the world is still figuring out how to integrate these futuristic vehicles into our skies.
Bordais is confident that Eve Air Mobility is on track to achieve its key milestone – hitting the skies by 2026.
“If everything goes right, then we’re aiming for a 2026 certification,” Bordais said.
“It’s not a matter of if it’s going to happen, it’s a matter of how fast.”
Some reports suggest the flying taxis could take flight as early as next year – and finally begin commercial operations.
Eve’s early eVTOL models will have a range of 60 miles – designed to meet the needs of urban commuters looking for quick hops across congested cities.
They will also fly at a speed of approximately 115mph.
Bordais said the “sweet spot” of the aircraft is 20 miles – the length of the trips he expects most customers to take.
“That range of 20 miles, the sweet spot, will cover 99 per cent of the needs of urban air mobility,” he said.
AUTONOMOUS FLIGHT
While piloted eVTOLs will likely be the first to enter the market, the long-term dream of companies like Eve is to see fully autonomous flying vehicles become the norm.
Bordais believes this is not just science fiction – it’s a future that can happen within our lifetime.
“It is possible to fly a fully autonomous aircraft today,” he said.
“It’s proven.”
But he also acknowledged that public acceptance is a major hurdle.
“You want to go gradually… you’ll have a mix of totally autonomous vehicles and still piloted vehicles,” Bordais said.
The gradual introduction of autonomous flight is likely to start with cargo – where the stakes are lower – and then progress to passenger flights.
By the time the public is ready to fly without a pilot at the controls, Eve’s vehicles will have evolved significantly, Bordais claims.
He said: “Public acceptance is important.
“We’ll start gradually, maybe with cargo, then one pilot, and eventually go to fully autonomous vehicles.”
A model of what Eve’s eVTOL will look like once it’s operating[/caption]
The aircraft has multiple propellers to stabilise the flight[/caption]
THE MANUFACTURING PUSH
To meet the high demand for its vehicles, Eve has already selected a manufacturing plant in Brazil capable of producing 500 flying taxis per year.
This factory, built with Embraer’s aerospace expertise, is essential for Eve to ramp up production as soon as certification is in place.
“We’ve selected a plant in Brazil with the capacity to build roughly 500 vehicles per year,” Bordais said.
But manufacturing capacity is just one piece of the puzzle.
As Bordais emphasised, eVTOLs will only fly on a large scale when the supporting infrastructure is ready.
And they will only fly when the public is confident that these aircraft can safely share the skies with drones, helicopters, and conventional airplanes.
Although the CEO admits he is navigating unchartered waters, he remains optimistic.
He said: “It’s not a matter of if; it’s a matter of when.”
With 2026 just around the corner, Eve’s journey to redefine urban air travel is accelerating at full throttle.
While it may take time to see an eVTOL whizzing above your city, it’s clear that Eve Air Mobility is betting big on this vision.
The eVTOL flying over London in a 3D rendering[/caption]
