Air taxis: the latest on the flying electric cars bringing the Jetsons dream to life

Look at the two air taxi designs above. Look similar? The company that designed the one on the left sure thinks so, which is why it’s accusing the firm that designed the one on the right of patent infringement.

On Monday, Archer Aviation filed a complaint in the US District Court Eastern District of Texas accusing rival Vertical Aerospace of copying its “Midnight” aircraft design for its own “Valo” vehicle. Archer wants to block Vertical from using the allegedly copied designs, as well as several other patents the company claims have been infringed upon.

Last month, Joby Aviation purchased Blade Air Mobility’s helicopter taxi business for $125 million, with the goal of eventually replacing those noisy, polluting helicopters with its more quiet, battery-powered air taxis. But while it waits for FAA certification, Joby is teaming up with Uber to get more passengers in its newly acquired fleet of helicopters.

Joby announced today that Uber customers will soon be able to reserve a helicopter ride on the ridehailing company’s app. The integration will launch “as soon as next year,” at which point Uber customers will be able to book helicopter trips from any of Blade’s Manhattan-based landing pads to a short list of destinations, including JFK and Newark airports as well as the Hamptons. Blade also serves several locales along the French Riviera, including Cannes, Saint-Tropez, Nice, and Monaco.

Joby Aviation is getting ready to take flight.

The electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) company has delivered its first production aircraft to Dubai, where it plans to launch a commercial air taxi service in early 2026. Joby, which has successfully completed multiple flight tests with a pilot onboard, says it has begun in-market testing ahead of the anticipated launch of commercial operations.

Archer says it will launch an air taxi service in New York City with United Airlines, which will include routes between Manhattan and major airports like JFK, LaGuardia, and Newark. The aviation company aims to replace hourlong taxi rides along congested roads with breezy flights lasting between 5-15 minutes.

Archer and United would utilize preexisting helipads at East 34th Street, West 30th Street, and Lower Manhattan to launch its all-electric Midnight aircraft, which has space for four passengers and a pilot. Passengers would be able to travel from the helipads to all three major airports, as well as three smaller, regional hubs at Westchester County Airport, Teterboro Airport, and Republic Airport.

Virgin Atlantic announced a partnership with California-based Joby Aviation to launch an air taxi service in the UK, becoming the latest airline to bet on a new class of electric aircraft vying to become taxis in the sky.

Joby’s all-electric aircraft has six rotors and seats five, including the pilot. The vehicle can take off vertically, like a helicopter, and then shift into forward flight using tilt rotors. Joby says it can reach a top speed of 200mph, travel 150 miles on a single battery charge, and is 100 times quieter than a conventional aircraft.

Electric aviation startup Archer Aviation signed an exclusive deal with Palmer Luckey’s defense contractor, Anduril Industries, to jointly develop next-generation aircraft for the military. Archer also announced a new funding round of $450 million to help propel its defense ambitions.

The first product will be a hybrid propulsion vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) aircraft that will serve as the basis for the companies’ bid for a contract with the US Department of Defense. Archer is also formalizing its efforts to be an aircraft supplier to the military through the creation of a new internal division called Archer Defense.

Archer Aviation, a leading electric flight company based in San Jose, California, is bringing its futuristic air taxis to Japan. The company will sell 100 of its Midnight battery-powered aircraft to Soracle, a joint venture between Japan Airlines and Sumitomo Corporation, in a deal valued approximately at $500 million.

Archer says that Soracle plans on deploying its aircraft — which look like a cross between a drone and a helicopter — “in cities where existing ground transportation is constrained by traffic or geographic barriers,” the company said. Still, Archer will need to achieve “certain milestones in advanced aircraft delivery” before Soracle approves pre-delivery payments.

Two years before German air taxi manufacturer Lilium promised to deliver its first two aircraft to customers, the air taxi pioneer has run out of money and may be forced to stop making them. We’ve been covering the company continually since 2017, when it successfully took its first flight in Germany.

In a filing to the US SEC, Lilium says it cannot acquire the funding to continue operations in its subsidiaries (Lilium GmbH and Lilium eAircraft GmbH), and is going into insolvency, though a spokesperson tells us it’s continuing development and looking for new funding as that process continues.

The Federal Aviation Administration published highly anticipated final regulations for electric vertical takeoff and landing vehicles that it says will chart the path for the “air travel of the future.”

The FAA says these “powered-lift” vehicles will be the first completely new category of aircraft since helicopters were introduced in 1940. These aircraft will be used for a variety of services, including air taxis, cargo delivery, and rescue and retrieval operations. The final rules published today contain guidelines for pilot training as well as operational requirements regarding minimum safe altitudes and visibility.

Toyota is investing another $500 million in Joby Aviation to support the air taxi startup’s certification and commercial production of eVTOL (electric vertical takeoff and landing) aircraft for use in a ridehailing service. The automaker has now invested a total of $894 million since 2018.

Toyota’s investment will come in the form of two $250 million tranches, the first of which will be completed this year and the second in 2025. The automaker will also establish a manufacturing alliance with Joby for the first commercialization phase. The companies had signed an agreement in 2023 to let Toyota make powertrain components for Joby’s air taxi.

Lilium, an electric aviation company based in Germany, says it has secured a binding sales agreement for up to 100 electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft with Saudia Group, which operates the largest airline carrier in Saudi Arabia and is wholly owned by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

The agreement is a “firm order” for 50 Lilium jets, with an option to purchase up to 50 more, the company said. The deal follows a 2022 memorandum of understanding between Lilium and Saudia to explore ways in which battery-powered multi-rotor aircraft can address the region’s transportation challenges.

Today, Southwest Airlines became the latest major carrier to join forces with a so-called urban air mobility startup. The Dallas-based airline signed a memorandum of understanding with Archer Aviation to draw up plans for an air taxi service.

The service will operate using Archer’s battery-powered, four-passenger, tilt-rotor Midnight aircraft, which are designed to take off and land vertically from a landing strip like a helicopter. As part of the deal, the aircraft will get access to 14 California airports where Southwest operates.

Archer Aviation, a leading electric aviation company based in San Jose, California, announced that it has received a Part 135 air carrier certification from the Federal Aviation Administration, which the company will need to operate an on-demand air taxi service.

That puts Archer on the cusp of launching a fully-fledged commercial service using its electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) vehicle. The company has also received Part 145 certification, which authorizes it to conduct specialized aircraft repair services. The FAA also recently issued the final airworthiness criteria for the Midnight aircraft. Archer is only the second eVTOL company to receive Part 135 certification, after Joby Aviation in 2022.

Leading electric aviation company Joby Aviation said it has acquired the autonomy division from Xwing, an aviation startup that’s been working on pilotless flight projects for several years. The terms of the deal, which involve an amount of Joby stock, were not disclosed.

Joby’s electric air taxis are still a couple years away from launch, but the company says it wants to position itself to take advantage of autonomous flight when the technology is ready for commercial application.