With air taxis paving the way, a future of a sky filled with flying cars and technology seems more realistic than science fiction.
Joby Aviation Inc., a 14-year-old company, has been a forerunner in creating electrical aerial ridesharing and is now making its way into the public landscape. Joby’s aerial taxis are electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) vehicles, designed for major metropolitan areas. Each of Joby’s aircraft will carry four passengers and a pilot, traveling at speeds up to 200 miles per hour with a maximum travel distance of 100 miles.
The company made headlines when it announced its partnership with the state of Ohio to create a production site at Dayton International Airport. This partnership was influenced by Ohio’s long history in the aviation industry and its manufacturing workforce.
Joby plans to bring a wide range of taxi services in major cities by 2025. Some of these cities include Los Angeles, Miami, Houston, Orlando and Pittsburgh. Joby will also be partnering with Uber to utilize their ridesharing technology to facilitate travel to and from the eVTOL landing sights. Current cost predictions for an eVTOL ride range from $2.25 to $11 per passenger, per mile.
When working to create these aircraft, Joby engineered the majority of their technology “from the ground up.” They have taken technology from both helicopters and airplanes to create the best aviation possible. In a Forbes article, Skyryse, a competing company, claimed that “There really is no need to wait for better electric batteries, new airframes or fully autonomous flight…We have the infrastructure today to make flight easier and safer for personal transportation or an air taxi service.”
With this differing opinion, questions begin to arise about the role competing companies will play in the future. Along with that, it is uncertain how eVTOL crafts will affect the aviation industry as a whole. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) regulations will have to change as these crafts become more popular and are more widely used.
In the same Forbes article, it’s reported that there are 735,000 airplane pilots who have active licenses in the U.S. and only 3% of them are able to fly fixed-wing crafts due to their complexity. Joby hopes that pilot licenses will become more standardized as technology advances and as the popularity of eVTOLs increases.
A major concern with the rise of the eVTOL industry is its environmental impact. To show dedication to environmental health, Joby has decreased their carbon footprint by regulating their office and production emissions. They have also focused on noise pollution. The decibels from aircraft are 65 dBA during takeoff and landing, and 45 dBA during flight, which is quieter than the average household vacuum. With the noise reduction, aircrafts can be used in large, urban cities without adding to the noise pollution.
Another concern is the safety of this mode of transportation. Small aircraft accidents are extremely common due to their susceptibility to weather patterns. During Skyryse’s three-month trial period in Los Angeles, 25% of their flights were canceled due to weather concerns.
Although this new technology could relieve the traffic problems in crowded urban centers of the world, there is still a lot left to learn about the functionality of these crafts. The FAA will need to create a new system to regulate air traffic at lower altitudes, especially as more companies enter the market.
While creating a new system is good and necessary, more questions arise like what will happen when these aircraft enter the private sector? Will wildlife patterns and drone usage be affected? How long before sky traffic becomes just as congested as our roadways? There is a future of flying vehicles, however, time will tell how soon it will happen.