Until 2022, the race to be first to market with new forms of air transportation, including eVTOL air taxi services, had been pointing towards a  finish line in 2024, only to then quietly shift to 2025. With significant challenges to meet around type certification of new aircraft, establishing high-volume production capacity, and extensive infrastructure needs, some contenders in the new sector may now view the contest as more of a marathon than a sprint.

ZeroAvia and Universal Hydrogen are developing hydrogen-electric powertrains to convert existing twin turboprop regional airliners such as the Dornier 228, the Dash 8, and the ATR 72. Flight testing technology demonstrators will allow them to complete the designs and specifications for planned supplemental type certificates.

Scientists with the National Institute for Aviation Research, together with eVTOL aircraft developer Beta Technologies, have performed the first-ever drop test of a battery to study the safety of the vehicle in the event of an emergency landing. The study, which was sponsored by the FAA, is part of an ongoing crashworthiness evaluation program focused on occupant safety.

As part of its ongoing efforts to study the safety of new and novel eVTOL aircraft concepts, NASA recently smashed a mockup eVTOL cabin full of crash-test dummies into the ground to find out what might happen to the occupants in an emergency landing.

The Qingdao West Coast New Area, one of China's government-backed "national new areas," is to invest up to $20 million in EHang, which will establish its new Northeast Asia regional headquarters in the city. Separately, Brazil’s National Development Bank will bolster Eve Air Mobility's cash flow with $92.5 million in new credit.

The FAA has approved Reliable Robotics to proceed to the next stage of work needed to secure a supplemental type certificate to convert Cessna Caravan aircraft to be operated remotely with an autopilot engaged for all phases of flight. The agency has cleared the company to advance to Stage 3 of the G-2 issue paper process covering how its navigation and autoflight system will meet the performance-based safety requirements.

With the CORUS-XUAM air traffic management project set to conclude early in 2023, Volocopter and other advanced air mobility stakeholders will continue work to define and develop the ecosystem needed to support crewed eVTOL and drone operations in airspace shared with existing aircraft. Part of this work will be conducted by the SESAR 3 ATM research consortium as the German eVTOL aircraft developer and partners prepare for early use cases, such as the Paris Olympic Games in 2024.

With the start of 2023, it's fast approaching crunch time for developers of eVTOL aircraft that have made bold promises about completing type certification in time to start commercial air services in 2025. But getting approval from aviation safety regulators like the FAA and EASA is a tall order and in this FutureFlight video we consider what it will take to get the job done. 

During the course of 2022, the start-up embarked on flight testing with its prototype for a two-seat personal eVTOL aircraft called the Air One. It has also signed agreements with distributors for the vehicle in Australia and the U.S.