For the first time, an electric air taxi flew in New York City, as reported by Interesting Engineering.
(Photo : by JUSTIN TALLIS/AFP via Getty Images)
A Royal Air Force (RAF) KC2 Voyager plane taxis before take off at RAF Brize Norton, southern England, on August 17, 2021. - Britain is sending 900 soldiers back to Afghanistan over the coming days to help with repatriations and evacuations following the rapid Taliban takeover of the country. Officials are aiming to take 1,200 to 1,500 people from Afghanistan a day, with the first flight having landed at a British air force base on the night of August 15.
The electric air taxi is by Blade Air Mobility and BETA Technologies. This marks their first-ever electric air taxi to fly successfully in the greater NYC area.
The Air Taxi
The BETA Air Taxi, ALIA-250 EVA has been in production for almost three years. Influenced by the Arctic tern that migrates further than any type of bird and visits every corner of the planet, the BETA team was able to build an efficient flying method for passengers to go anywhere.
There are two versions of the air taxi: one is for cargo and the other is for passengers.
Blade also plans to launch 20 state-of-the-art electric Vertical takeoff and Landing (eVTOL)aircraft over US routes this April. It will have an extremely powerful, distributed direct drive propulsion system that can reach 250 NM in only 50 minutes of charge time.
On the other hand, the special cargo version comes loaded with 200 Ft ^3 storage space. They also plan to install the charging infrastructure to facilitate the full transition into operation.
It can be recalled that Blade initially introduced it could purchase as much as 20 of BETA's first ALIA-250 passenger eVTOL in April 2021.
Also read: CES 2022: SkyDrive Air Taxi Flying Car Flaunts Emission-Free Technology
The Demonstration
The successful demo of the air taxi in New York is a significant milestone as Blade transitions from helicopters to electric vertical plane. It has also showed a properly-designed plan that can be used in their key markets.
Revolutionizing Air Travel
Both companies are popular in the aviation industry with a common a goal to revolutionize air travel by making flying taxis that can fly like a plane and ascend like a helicopter for commercial use.
Additionally, Blade also connects passengers with resort destinations and arranges organ transport flights. The successful demo of the air taxi in New York is a major step towards achieving the goal of revolutionizing air travel. It has demonstrated the potential of electric vertical planes, which are quieter, more efficient and environmentally friendly. The technology could potentially reduce travel time, reduce cost and increase convenience. It could also lead to the development of more efficient air mobility solutions.
By introducing electric vertical planes, Blade is paving the way for the future of air travel. The technology has the potential to revolutionize the way people get from one place to another, and make air travel more accessible and sustainable. The successful demo of the air taxi in New York is a positive sign for the future of air travel.
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