United Airlines is upping the ante in its bet on electric air taxis by pouring $15 million into an order for 200 such vehicles from startup Eve Air Mobility.
The airline believes that in the coming years, many residents of traffic-clogged cities will fork over $100 to $150 for a one-way ride to the airport inside a four-seat air taxi that’s powered by electricity.
United’s agreement includes an initial order of 200 air taxis – which take off and land like helicopters – with the option to buy 200 more after that.
‘Our agreement with Eve highlights our confidence in the urban air mobility market and serves as another important benchmark toward our goal of net zero carbon emissions by 2050 – without using traditional offsets,’ said Michael Leskinen, president of United Airlines Ventures, in a statement.
United Airlines expects to receive the first taxis from Eve as soon as 2026. However, the electric aircraft have yet to receive approval from the Federal Aviation Administration to fly passengers.
United Airlines is upping the ante in its bet on electric air taxis by pouring $15 into an order for 200 such vehicles from startup Eve Air Mobility (above, a rendering of the aircraft)
‘It will take time for consumers to adopt this. People are going to have some hesitancy at first,’ Leskinen said. ‘It will feel a lot similar to a helicopter ride, it might be scary for some, but this is going to change the way we work and live.’
United also says that the air taxi rides will be faster than regular taxis or ride-shares and produce fewer emissions.
‘Together, we believe our suite of clean energy technologies will revolutionize air travel as we know it and serve as the catalyst for the aviation industry to move toward a sustainable future,’ Leskinen added.
Eve’s design for the air taxis uses conventional fixed wings, rotors and pushers, giving it a practical and intuitive lift-plus-cruise design, which favors safety, efficiency, reliability and certifiability.
Unlike traditional combustion engines, eVTOL (electric vertical take-off and landing vehicle) aircraft are designed to use electric motors, providing carbon-free flights as ‘air taxis’ in urban markets.
The airline believes that in the coming years, many residents of traffic-clogged cities will fork over $100 to $150 for a one-way ride to the airport inside a four-seat air taxi that’s powered by electricity
United put down a $10 million deposit for 100 electric flying taxis in August from Archer Aviation. Archer is also developing electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft (rendered above) for use in urban air mobility networks
This is the second significant investment for United in flying taxis, as the company put down a $10 million deposit for 100 electric flying taxis in August from Archer Aviation. Archer is also developing electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft for use in urban air mobility networks.
Adam Goldstein, Archer’s CEO, said: ‘We’re thankful to United for their continued partnership as we usher in this new era in air travel.’
The Federal Aviation Administration has been examining the taxis and looking at how to properly integrate them into the airspace.
The Eve aircraft is envisioned to have a range of 40 to 60 miles (65 to 100 kilometers). Future designs might be slightly bigger than the currently planned four-seater, but they would not replace any planes that United flies from one airport to another, so they won’t reduce carbon emissions produced by the airline’s regular fleet.
Electric aircraft, like the one seen above by Archer, have yet to receive approval to fly passengers. The Federal Aviation Administration has been examining the taxis and looking at how to properly integrate them into the airspace
Adam Goldstein, Archer’s CEO, said: ‘We’re thankful to United for their continued partnership as we usher in this new era in air travel’
