Image Credit: Joby Aviation/ Archer Aviation/ Captain Electro.
Every World's Fair, every sci-fi movie, every fever dream of a tech billionaire dangles this glorious vision in front of us: a world where we can fly over the masses stuck in traffic below. And what have we got so far? Absolutely nothing. Nada.
So when I heard two companies were showing off their "flying taxis" at an airshow, my sarcasm meter went into overdrive. I packed my trusty notebook and headed to Monterey, fully expecting to see something that would barely get off the ground before needing a stern talking-to from the laws of physics.
Image Credit: Joby Aviation.
What I saw - and more importantly, what I didn't hear - was something else entirely. Out on the tarmac were the latest creations from two California hopefuls, Joby Aviation and Archer Aviation. They call them eVTOLs, which stands for electric vertical takeoff and landing. You can call them what they are: the first credible attempt at the flying taxi. As Joby's machine took to the air, the announcer's voice crackled over the PA system. "This is the future," he declared. "Try to listen to it. It will be a challenge."
He wasn't kidding. At an event filled with the deafening roar of jet engines and turbines of traditional helicopters, this thing was practically a ghost. It went up with a smidgen more than a gentle, futuristic "whoosh" that was quickly swallowed by the chatter of the crowd. No more eardrum-shattering racket of a chopper landing on a skyscraper. This was more like the sound of a very ambitious, and very large, ceiling fan. And right there, I realized this might actually have a chance. You see, you can't fill the skies above a city with vehicles that sound like a heavy metal concert. But something that just whooshes? Now you're talking.
Image Credit: Joby Aviation.
Joby, which has been plugging away at this since 2009, put on a rather impressive show. Its aircraft was a sleek pod with six tilting propellers, and it flew 8 miles to the event. It lifted off vertically during its demo, transitioned to forward flight, and then, just to show off, hovered in place as it went for a 540-degree spin. This kind of maneuverability makes you realize this isn't a concept anymore.
They claim it can hit a range of 150 miles on a single charge, which is more than enough for its intended purpose. Joby isn't trying to replace your flight to Florida. They want to perfect the soul-destroying 20 to 30-mile urban commute. One of their executives told about a recent trip to Japan, where a slog from the airport to an expo took him an hour and a half by car. In their eVTOL? Eight minutes...
Image Credit: Joby Aviation.
The secret to this library-like demeanor is, of course, electricity. The high torque from the electric motors means the propellers don't need to spin at a million RPMs to get the job done. That, combined with some clever blade design, is what produces that gentle hum instead of a headache-inducing roar. A lot of thought went into this, and it shows. It's all very sensible. Which is a word I never thought I'd use for a flying taxi.
Then there's the cockpit. Apparently, the flight control system is based on an F-35 fighter jet. It sounds terrifyingly complex, but Joby swears they've simplified it to the point of being almost intuitive. They claim a total novice can get the hang of it in a simulator in about 20 minutes. I have kitchen gadgets that take me longer to figure out. For that reason alone, I remain gently skeptical, but the idea of making these things easy to fly is critical if you ever want to scale up a "taxi" service.
Image Credit: Archer Aviation.
Not to be outdone, Archer Aviation brought out its own contender, the aptly named "Midnight." While Joby's machine is a six-propeller affair, Archer decided that more is more and bolted on a whopping twelve of them - six that tilt for lift and forward thrust, and six that are fixed just for lift. For its demo, the Midnight performed a more conventional takeoff from the runway, but the end goal is the same: whisper-quiet urban transport.
Archer has already inked a dream deal by partnering with the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics to ferry VIPs and fans around the city. Instead of spending three hours on the 405 to get to the stadium, they will just hop in an electric air taxi. What a brilliant way to showcase the technology. They also love to tout the possibility of a trip from Newark airport to downtown Manhattan taking less than 10 minutes. For anyone who has ever made that journey, that promise is more alluring than a winning lottery ticket.
Image Credit: Archer Aviation.
But before you rush out to sell your car and clear a landing pad in your backyard, let's inject a dose of reality. This isn't happening next week. Both companies are staring down a mountain of regulatory obstacles from the Federal Aviation Administration. Certifying a completely new type of aircraft for passenger flight is an arduous process, but it needs to be safe, and proving that takes time and an obscene amount of money.
After years of writing about electric cars, boats, and bikes, I have to say, this is different. This finally feels like an engineering problem that someone is solving as we speak, and not a wild fantasy anymore. Sure, the future we were promised does not look like The Jetsons, at least not yet. But it's already looking to be a whole lot quieter. And that's even better.
