Reflecting back on the past year, we took a look at the 10 most popular eVTOL stories of 2023, measured by pageviews. (Click on the story titles to read the original articles.)
10. Airbus, Boeing work toward autonomous eVTOL operations
During the Vertical Flight Society’s (VFS) annual eVTOL symposium in Mesa, Arizona, in January, Airbus and Boeing reiterated their belief in autonomous air taxi service, asserting pilotless eVTOL aircraft will be more predictable, safer and less costly to operate. Vertical contributor Aaron Karp covered the panel session in this report that made to the top 10 list.
9. Beta Technologies: Building a Beta Future
There’s a lot of engineering that goes on behind the doors of Vermont-based Beta Technologies. The eVTOL developer has started a new chapter this year as it moved from R&D to manufacturing. Managing editor Jen Nevans tells us more about one of the eVTOL frontrunners in a feature story published in August.
8. Vertical’s VX4 eVTOL prototype crashes during test flight
In August 2023, U.K.-based Vertical Aerospace’s experimental prototype aircraft crashed during a test flight at Cotswold Airport — home to Vertical’s flight test center. The company confirmed the aircraft was remotely piloted and there were no injuries during the accident. Vertical is planning to build a second full-scale VX4 prototype expected to have “greater capabilities than our first prototype, including improved range and higher performance, particularly in hover,” the company said.
7. A milestone year for the eVTOL sector
Sitting as the seventh most read eVTOL story of 2023 is a feature story recapping some of the key milestones the sector was seen over the previous year. This included flight test milestones, companies securing investments, and infrastructure developments.
6. Vertical Aerospace and Rolls-Royce to lead battery and hydrogen technology development projects
Earlier this year, Vertical Aerospace and Rolls-Royce announced a new £113-million (US$136-million) investment through the U.K.’s Aerospace Technology Institute (ATI) Programme, aimed at supporting battery and hydrogen technology development for future electric aircraft. Vertical is tasked with leading a £30.8-million (US$37-million) project to develop a prototype propulsion battery system that can be used for aerospace applications, including its own eVTOL aircraft. Meanwhile, the remaining £82.8 million (US$99.4 million) is earmarked for projects led by Rolls-Royce to develop a zero-emission liquid hydrogen combusting jet engine.
5. Lilium reaches speed milestone, work continues to achieve crewed flight in 2024
As the Lilium Phoenix eVTOL demonstrator reached its maximum speed in a flight test over rural Spain in March 2023, the crew piloting it remotely from the ground savored the moment. This was the first time Phoenix achieved its target maximum speed of 136 knots (155 miles per hour or 250 kilometres per hour), and it marks a crucial milestone as Lilium works toward the first crewed flight of the Lilium Jet production aircraft in late 2024.
4. Wisk Aero CEO Brian Yutko on the transition to becoming a fully owned Boeing subsidiary
In May 2023, Boeing announced it had acquired the remaining shares of Wisk Aero from Kittyhawk, making the eVTOL developer a wholly owned subsidiary of the aerospace giant. Vertical contributor Alex Scerri reached out to Wisk CEO Brian Yutko for his thoughts on how this new chapter will shape the company’s course into advanced air mobility.
3. Archer, Joby remain confident in launching eVTOL air taxi services in 2025
Earlier this year, Joby and Archer took to the stage at VFS’s eVTOL symposium in Mesa, Arizona, to reiterate their ambitious schedules for bringing their eVTOL aircraft to market, but also acknowledge challenges to achieving plans to enter air taxi service in 2025. Vertical contributor Aaron Karp covered the event.
2. Founder of Joby-backed H2Fly shares vision for hydrogen fuel cells in aircraft development
For eVTOL companies, hydrogen technology could offer an alternative energy source to its current battery technology, opening up new markets for regional air mobility or other applications. California-based Joby Aviation sees potential in the technology, reportedly acquiring German startup H2Fly in April 2021. Vertical contributor Alex Scerri reached out to Josef Kallo, founder and CEO of H2Fly, to discuss the company’s progress and how it can contribute to advanced air mobility (AAM).
1. Joby Aviation to accelerate early eVTOL production after new $180M investment
The most read eVTOL story of 2023 falls to Joby Aviation. Vertical senior online editor Ben Forrest writes about the company’s $180-million equity investment led by Baillie Gifford, allowing the eVTOL developer to accelerate early production of its first electric aircraft. This new investment allows Joby to capitalize on a recent contract extension with the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) and generate revenue as it pursues type certification with the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).
