Vertical Aerospace debuts "electric flying taxi" in New York

British tech company Vertical Aerospace has debuted its electric flying aircraft in New York City, which is designed to transport customers short distances around a city "in near silence, with zero emissions".

On 22 January, Vertical Aerospace showcased its electric "taxi" powered by a large, grey rechargeable battery that bolts to the belly of the aircraft and "slides off", according to Vertical Aerospace CEO Stuart Simpson.

The Valo aircraft reportedly reaches speeds of 150 miles per hour and will cost as much as an Uber Black to book and, according to the company, may be rolled out in cities as early as 2029.

The company sees the aircraft as a "mass transportation solution", spurred by experiences of gridlock around airports.

"We designed this to be mass transport," said Simpson. "Together, we have created an aircraft that can fly 100 miles and 150 miles an hour in near silence, with zero emissions."

The company intends to transport customers to and from airports, similar to a limousine service.

With the service, the trip to Manhattan from JFK airport in Queens would take around seven minutes.

"When you fly from Manhattan out to JFK, it will take about seven minutes to do the flight," Simpson told Dezeen. "Then, when you land, a pilot jumps out, plugs in a charger, and [Valo] will recharge in seven to 10 minutes."

Iterations of the Valo aircraft have been in testing since 2018 by Vertical Aerospace, which is based out of Bristol, England, and regulatory approval for the aircraft is expected in 2028.

According to Simpson, Valo's design, safety, and silence have distinguished it from a host of other electric aircraft jostling to provide a similar "mass transport" service in major cities.

"There were, depending on how you count it, three or 400 companies trying to do this electric flying taxi, transforming urban transport," Simpson told Dezeen. "About five years ago, most of them fell by the wayside, and now we're down to a handful that are going to make it, and we're one of those."

"The reason for that is, this is a real aircraft. My team has designed and certified over 30 different aircraft over their careers, so we know how to bring it to life."

Valo, weighing 3,000 tonnes, sends electric currents up to its two rows of propellers.

Contrary to traditional helicopters, the fins are "very short" and "very fat", which ultimately cuts down on the noise produced by the aircraft, which has been a major barrier in receiving official approval.

"The reason helicopters are noisy, and no city lets them fly, is that the rotor is very long and very thin," said Simpson. "The tip of that is going just under the speed of sound, so it's incredibly noisy."

"If you look [at Valo's rotors], they're very short, fat rotors, very complex curves, and they spin at a much lower speed. You don't have the very high tip speed, so you have a very low voice signature."

The company also consulted with airlines such as American Airlines and Japan Airlines, which requested adequate luggage space.

Valo's frame can reportedly fit six seats, although the company is launching with four for now, something which further defines the aircraft.

"We launch with four luxury business class seats," said Simpson. "But actually, the frame is designed to take six helicopter seats. No one else in the world can do this with six seats."

Vertical Aerospace will sell the aircraft to airlines primarily, which will then offer rides to and from airports.

According to Simpson, a major airline has already purchased 350 models.

The company plans to showcase the aircraft around major US cities in the coming year. Other proposed use cases for Valo include event travel, sightseeing, leisure travel and emergency services.

Chairman of the Board of Vertical Aerospace Dómhnal Slattery insisted that the aircraft should not be considered experimental.

"We are not flying experimental aircraft in the desert," he said. "We are working methodically, under regulatory oversight, towards full certification."

Other electric aircraft that are currently being developed and tested include an electric flying car by Alef Aeronautics and the largest airplane powered by hydrogen-electric engine to date.

The photography is courtesy of Vertical Aerospace

The post Vertical Aerospace debuts "electric flying taxi" in New York appeared first on Dezeen.