The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) just released a report outlining how and when eVTOL and other electric aircraft will populate the skies.
Its 36-page “Innovate28” plan says air taxis and flying cars will be traveling over urban areas in sizable numbers by 2028. The federal agency expects the first will fly commercially in 2025.
“The Innovate28 plan includes various components and the sequence they will occur in for operations to be at scale at one or more sites by 2028,” the FAA said in a statement. “The plan will serve as a foundation for making entry into service routine and predictable, by maximizing the use of existing procedures and infrastructure.”
Joby Aviation expects to have its aircraft flying commercially by 2025.
Courtesy Joby Aviation
The FAA faces the challenge of certifying these new designs, which include both passenger and cargo aircraft, while also making sure they will be safe to operate in cities and other areas. The scenario involves more than just aircraft developers in the Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) sector, but also the energy industry, labor groups, NASA, states and cities, and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
The first phase, from 2025 through 2028, will most likely find the electric aircraft flying from existing airports and heliports, which will be fitted with charging stations. After that period, “vertiports,” or specialized transportation hubs developed in different areas, will be used to expand the networks.
The report said that the FAA is now working with more than “two dozen manufacturers” of eVTOL and other electric aircraft. A number of manufacturers, such as Joby Aviation, Archer Aviation, Lilium, and others, have said they plan to be flying commercially by 2025. Air taxis will fly along pre-determined routes.
Lilium has designed its electric jet to carry six passengers.
Courtesy Lilium
“Nearly half of the companies have reached a level of maturity and development to have manufactured flying testbed prototypes,” the report said. “Their progress reflects positively on readiness to advance in the type certification process.”
The FAA expects the aircraft to have a 4,000-foot ceiling, which will require pilots to have air-traffic-control clearance. The agency has been working closely with eVTOL groups and other parties over the last five years to be able to certify an entirely new class of aircraft entering the country’s airspace.
“This plan shows how all the pieces will come together allowing the industry to scale with safety,” said FAA deputy administrator Katie Thomson in a statement.