Electric air taxi startup completes first flight test at 70kph

Vertical Aerospace Ltd’s electric flying taxi has successfully completed its fully detached maiden flight, bringing the UK startup one step closer to carrying out a piloted test outing.

A prototype of the VX4, an electric vertical take-off and landing craft, flew at about 70 kilometres per hour during the test. The flight, which took place at Cotswold Airport in southwest England, was controlled remotely and powered by electric batteries, Vertical said in a statement.

The flight marks another milestone for Vertical, which completed a smaller tethered hover test with the VX4 in September last year. Vertical said it will continue to test the aircraft with the intention of performing a piloted flight in the future. The company previously said it would achieve certification by 2025 but pushed this back to the end of 2026 after reviewing the program’s timeline.

As the aviation industry attempts to decarbonise, eVTOL startups are proposing to transport passengers in battery-powered aircraft which produce zero emissions. But the technology and infrastructure for eVTOLs have yet to receive often complex regulatory approval, meaning it could potentially take years before any enter commercial service.

Aerospace firms including Rolls-Royce Holdings, Honeywell and GKN Ltd are working with Vertical to create the eight-propeller VX4. Vertical has raked in more than 1 400 pre-orders with customers such as Virgin Atlantic Airways Ltd, American Airlines Group Inc., and Avolon Holdings Ltd.

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