Flying vehicles of the future: Companies racing to develop eVTOL "air taxis"

Anderson Cooper reports on eVTOLs, flying vehicles that may one day be the answer to bumper-to-bumper traffic.
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[@samsonroland7895]

[@beckyvet5270]

Is her trading service in Europe ?

[@Katherine-pp6js]

It was a bit tough for me too to entrust my investment to another trader after losing the last one, i had to give it another try again with a deposit of $2000 and when i got my payout i was not only excited but Exp Mrs Tasia Miller earned my trust that day

[@Freddyjoh16]

I doubted her before I gave it a try and it was of no regret

[@emeribebenjamin4018]

How much exactly does she make of you in every trade don't mind me asking

[@confidencestephen4116]

@Muriel siebert Yeah, I attended her webinar some weeks ago....

[@jenspn00]

I grew up in the sixties. Back then flying cars was just around the corner , too

[@theobserver9131]

Back then it was just talk. Now we have the vehicles. They are 95% ready. I was excited about this back in the 60s! Looks like I might have a chance to at least get a ride on one before I die.

[@Joyfux]

George Jetson would be appalled at your scorn

[@willzsportscards]

uh, no dude. this is coming and coming soon.

[@jenspn00]

May come, but not anytime soon. It will be years before FAA can approve that find of aircraft in urban areas.

[@theobserver9131]

@@jenspn00 about two years. Is that a long time to you?

[@sooraj1104]

Only 15 minutes of flight time? That's totally unsafe.

[@photonbeams80]

lol. the Wright Brothers' first flight was 12 seconds.

[@BlueEyed888]

That thing is a toy. The JOBY is the real thing to watch. Also the only stock that opened green today!

[@Shtofman]

That limited endurance for LIFT, is a factor of the certification to keep the weight down and classified as an ultralight. The platform is likely capable of longer endurance meaning more and heavier battery, different class of aircraft but longer flight time. Energy density will need to improved in batteries, but it will happen.

[@Angry.General1461]

@@BlueEyed888 We already have flying vehicles. They're called helicopters. They just have a more simple design instead of a bunch of extra propellers and moving parts.

[@photonbeams80]

@@Angry.General1461 LOL. A helicopter is a lot more complicated and expensive to maintain, than an oversized electric drone. That's why all those copters we left in Afghanistan were practically useless, the Afghans don't have the $$ and experience maintaining and fixing them.

[@AlexDeFronzo]

Could we please just get reliable, well funded public transit?

[@juliahello6673]

It’s so funny how people stick with the solutions of the past when there are so many better exciting solutions looming around the corner. Cheaper, safer, faster, lower carbon. Open your mind!

[@mustafasahidmahamoud4942]

I want the eVTOL that The Jetsons flew in!

[@rngalston]

that's the next level for Aptera!

[@JohnWick-qr4yc]

If you can live until the 22nd or 23rd centuries then it’s all yours

[@maynunal]

why not just make tunnels for transport, flood water distribution and housing?? it would save lots of trees and raw materials and even AC power!!

[@g.o.a.t9276]

Good QUESTION

[@maynunal]

@@g.o.a.t9276 I dream of a world with more trees, less highways..... more stuff on rails (in tunnels) and in the air flown by robots..... owning a car will be obsolete since public transport is way cheaper than owning a robot car....

[@innerDialectic]

Tunnels are much more expensive to make than transporting the same stuff on land

[@charlesmcneiljr5170]

Their is no money in it. These guys are in it for the money.. This is not a government project

[@3613jeremy]

There's no Future money in that all these inventions that improve transportation and quality of living still have the primary investment ingredient future profits

[@apollothirteen9236]

This would be wonderful for rich people who live in large cities. They could get from their Manhattan apartment to Wall Street to within minutes and avoid ever having to lay eyes on the riffraff.

[@letitbeenow]

More capitalist horrors beyond my comprehension.

[@chrisn7847]

Don't you realize that the mid to upper-middle class, and even the regular poor peasants of the world, want what the rich have? That's why we Uber (our personal drivers), First Class (Our private jet experience), Mercedes and Tesla (our Lambo), etc... Joby is building our version of private helicopter flight that we can't afford.... This is another reason why it will succeed..

[@frankwood11]

the batteries last "up to" 15 minutes - enough said.

[@JP71165]

I like how he said battery last Up to 15 minutes, instead of Only 15 minutes.

[@stant7122]

How far could you possibly go with safety buffer?

[@donnacsuti4980]

That's a scary thought also

[@jaymesnin]

15 minutes. Dangerous

[@donchivazo6566]

I was about to post the same thing. 15 min its not enough. To make a reliable commute you need at least 40 minutes with some reserve. Otherwise too risky and on top of that this things are going to cost way too much money.

[@bobbritches846]

Ya, this is CNN after all.

[@ryan49805]

It’s all fun and games until a family of 5 having a picnic gets decapitated.

[@Stigmaru]

I've never seen Anderson Cooper smile. This must've been awesome

[@golkor9879]

He was actually laughing a little. It must have been a blast.

[@Its-j]

Yeah that is the first I seen cooper smile now that’s revolutionary!

[@davidgirard5840]

my brother paid "LYFT" for introductory fights for both him and myself. its been a few years now. no contact, no updates, nothing. at $250 per person, i wonder how many people have been ignored?

[@michaeledwards4715]

My friend Alex built a homemade type flying rotor chopper ...he flew right into a high voltage power line ! Fried him completely ! No insurance either.

[@DrJohnnyJ]

Good candidate for a Darwin award.

[@ListenSilent121]

Dead End !

[@waynelingenfelter5617]

That’s electric bro 😎

[@delroyjohnson8308]

These can be used in the tourism industry for sightseeing adventures. They can be marketed to them.

[@achernar2724]

Exciting to be alive to see these stuff come to market

[@alexnguyen1284]

you'll never ride one. Only for the rich when it does come out.

[@donnacsuti4980]

Just picture all the cars up in the air flying wherever they want going all crossed directions. Remember no roads also no way to police or regulate, no air traffic control. You have to be nuts to think there won't be tons of serious accidents. And oh yes they are up in the air so will come crashing down hundreds of feet on top of people, our homes etc etc

[@dantespeak138]

People can't even drive properly on the ground no less the air, you are totally right.

[@henrey3759]

Fascinating....why I love this show so much

[@googlegoogle9712]

UFO sightings increasing with this. 15 min battery is ridiculous though.

[@nicholasn.2883]

15 minutes at 60 is like 15 miles. 15 miles across is about as large as most cities. Charging and storing these things would be a pain tho. And where would you land? Would need dedicated infrastructure. Also 1 gust and 1 crash and this thing gets shelved.

[@socaliguy81]

Archer is the best-positioned and best-run company IMO.

[@chongxina8288]

Imagine this on a mega windy and rainy day.

[@justjokinntokin5474]

O this is just great!!....can't wait till collisions happen then I gotta run for cover from parts coming down from the air!

[@CalamitousJonathan]

His market is actually less practical then the eVTOLs that are already being sold for 59,000. Octocopters rather than 18 perpellor copter

[@gulfair-cavalry-tango1011]

My helicycle, a single seat turbine engine helicopter weighs about 515 pounds empty, and flies at about 875 pounds gross. 26' long total including forward main rotor reach and aft tail rotor reach, it has VTOL capability, cruise speed of 100 mph, and a fuel endurance of about 1.8 hours. I fly it from my backyard heliport. It is an FAA Part 61 licensed and registered Experimental Category helicopter. The greatest altitude to which I've taken it is 3500' msl, which isn't significant. A similar model has been test flown to 17,950' msl at a density altitude of 20,972'.

[@DIDYOUSEETHAT172]

The 2 catch words are license and fuel. Right now most Electric VTOL are being developed under FFA ultralight specifications. No license required, which is what most people are getting excited over. However as you elude, people don't realize they cannot use the current EVTOL being developed for commuting, landing at an airport, or using over any populated areas. They are all just expensive toys for amusing the wildlife. A whole lot of FFA regulations will need to be written before anyone uses one to go anywhere but across the acres on a 7.5 minute trip to milk a cow that ran away. If they want to save enough power to get home again that is. 😁

[@marktwain5399]

lower air density is not a real advantage for these aero toys :) lower air density is good for capable wing / rocket speeds

[@PuddingXXL]

Why? Massive energy usage. No parking space saved and a highly dangerous mode of transportation for only 2 people max. I don't see this becoming widely spread anytime in the near future.

[@frankthefkintank]

Nobody creating these things actually cares if they will be widely used. They know that their target audience will use it. That target audience can afford the technology, and would rather escape us plebs on terra firma whenever possible.

[@samc5794]

To have something for rich people to do/buy before they all get eaten by everyone else.

[@tombuglewicz8020]

Exactly! Well said. It’s a total waste.

[@charlesmcneiljr5170]

Accidents are waiting to happen. But it is the future

[@MD-gt6xw]

High cycle battery density needs to improve by at least 33% before eVTOL will be possible. Right now, we are at around 300 wh/kg. They need to hit at least 400 wh/kg to make eVTOL feasible. There are some low cycle batteries that have been developed with high density like the Amprius cells with energy density, holding 450 Wh/kg or the NIMS (Japan) lithium-air battery with an energy density over 500 wh/kg that was published a few months back, but you would still need to replace it after a few hundred cycles. Need batteries with high energy density that can be recharged over 1,200 times to be useful in aircraft.

[@the_mowron]

But it's got 15 minutes of battery life! What do you mean, not enough energy density?

[@marktwain5399]

new energy stuff is just next corner...H2 can be used tooo

[@AxxinTheSupernova]

When u have a mechanical failure, or run out of battery juice, will they fall down onto middle of highway/interstate? Needs a whole new set of "traffic lanes"

[@kamuelalee]

I wonder if, like modern consumer drones, the motors on these things are independent of each other so failure of one motor won't compromise the flight or its safety. .

[@AxxinTheSupernova]

@@kamuelalee Yeah the Joby crashed as they said in the video. I cant see a million of these things flying above roads. Accident or failure would be catastrophic. I think these would be great, just not flying over me, en mass, while Im on the road

[@AxxinTheSupernova]

@@kamuelalee Have you seen this one? kzbin.info/www/bejne/fKvLg3iPhLBjpdE

[@ronbennett7885]

@@kamuelalee Until the computer fails or power inexplicably cuts out, then down it goes. That's already an issue with consumer drones. Not overly common, but happens. In theory, the wing design may allow for glide, but not sure if it's stable. Even if it is, separate emergency backup power will be essential to better maintain control and to land. I believe these issues can be worked out, but likely won't until after many crashes and deaths. Hope it doesn't play out that way.

[@kamuelalee]

@@AxxinTheSupernova Well, as they said in the video, they're flying these over unpopulated areas. It will take time but eVTOL will happen eventually.

[@EdwardKeefe]

Given the weight and energy density of current battery technology. This will never be a thing... FUD

[@willcookmakeup]

That's the best answer he could have given. He won't give a date because it's when the FAA decides. He made his legal team reallllll happy with that one haha. Great episode!

[@dtrfgr]

Surveillance and control buzzing everywhere. Great.

[@Malouco]

U hv more balls than me!! I DONT THINK I WOULD GO UP IN ONE 🚁

[@madisonapiaries5933]

I’d be happier still being able to autorotate. Seems as if this measure is completely overlooked in EVTOL designs.

[@ibelieveyou2066]

Hilarious,taxi drivers cannot even operate a car,very well,never indicating,assuming other road users have telepathy switched on,etc.I personally,would never let them fly me anywhere.

[@jaysmail]

My favorite is Boston based Terrafugia which was bought by Chinese car company Geely. They all are very cool.

[@rexcowan9209]

Two possible problems, 1 weather, either high winds or fog could ground the air taxi. 2, congestion, the only way forward is for designated traffic channels eg say in bound 1000 feet, out bound 2000 feet. And this would require all traffic to be networked. Imagine if cruise control worked like this in a car, and you were kept a safe distance and at the same speed as other vehicles. Would require clunkers off the road however. Air taxis might also be best to follow roads, so as not flying so much over people's homes.

[@xstensl8823]

drone traffic signals too.

[@xploration1437]

You’ve obviously never flown a drone.

[@jackwilliams7738]

@@nohandlehere55 sky rage…

[@jackwilliams7738]

The US doesn’t really have the right infrastructure for flying cars right now. Like we have huge parking lots which in theory would work… but only if they were empty or at limited capacity.

[@johnathandavis3693]

@@nohandlehere55 Like the first automobiles were for the wealthy...

[@Parnell50]

Congested roads leads to congested skies

[@manchuratt8900]

Technology is impressive without a doubt, but I wonder how effective it would at solving the solution it was built for. A subway would be magnitudes more efficient in terms of transportation; especially a high speed rail. Japan has them. Its like these guys are imagining people are going to be lining up to pay in range of ~250 for a short trip. I don't see how they intend to make back the money. I would think maintenance of these things would be expensive. Financially, I can't make the numbers work. But as it always happens with technology, it always ends up being used in ways most can't imagine. Love the technology, but efficiency of transportation still in question.

[@nicholasn.2883]

Answer: rich people

[@midniterose7193]

@@nicholasn.2883 Exactly.

[@frankthefkintank]

I mean to be fair that's what they said about air travel in the early days of airplanes, too.

[@Yomi4D]

The rich would pay upfront but eventually more people will have access just like air travel.

[@Angry.General1461]

@@frankthefkintank We already have flying vehicles. They're called helicopters. They just have a more simple design instead of a bunch of extra propellers and moving parts.

[@RJ-df2kr]

What a waste.

[@KazenoniKakuremi]

15 min battery life is a huge issue

[@TheRedStateBlue]

not without a huge leap forward in energy storage technology.

[@jackied962]

I've seen prototype crafts like this for 20 years now.

[@SimonAmazingClarke]

Battery technology is coming along so fast that over the next few years flights of over an hour will be routine.

[@chesstictacs3107]

I also like German Startup Lilium’s jet

[@CarbonGlassMan]

Something with quadcopters is that the larger the prop, the more efficient it is. You get longer flight times and the motors spin slower. So I'm wondering why these are using small props with many motors when they can build a self flying helicopter and it will probably be more efficient.

[@theobserver9131]

Safety. You can lose several props or motors and still fly. I think the efficiency factors are changing as well with AI assisted design.

[@charlesnichols8738]

Look up NASA’s DEP “Distributed Electric Propulsion” work by Mark Moore on this. Surprisingly, it’s more efficient to have many small rotors than one big one.

[@theobserver9131]

I guess the safety factor is not necessarily true with a Quadra copter. You could only lose one (or two depending on which ones you lose) and still fly, but with six or more props, your safety improves

[@CarbonGlassMan]

@@charlesnichols8738 That may be true. I guess I was only thinking about a quadcopter with 5 inch props compared to a quadcopter with 7 inch props. I wasn't thinking about the more motors and that more motors with smaller props can be smaller motors.

[@Marc816]

When they figure out the link between electromagnetism and gravity, then we'll have flying cars.

[@bwuh]

"The batteries last for up to 15 minutes." He meant hours, right? Right?!?

[@Snakebite2109]

No minutes so hope you ain't to high up when it runs out.😅🤣

[@ryanmcgowan3061]

Battery technology is a long, long way off from making electric flight feasible and competitive with fuels. Like, it's not that we need batteries to double in capability. Not even 4x better. More like 15x-45x better energy density. In fact, it's HIGHLY UNLIKELY that zero-emissions aircraft will be battery powered at all.

[@perry4207]

Joby’s aircraft has a range of 150 miles on a single charge. Once passengers are dropped off at one location, the aircraft is charged for the next flight. I don’t see a problem here.

[@ryanmcgowan3061]

@@perry4207 Can it do that flight carrying a load? Most long flights with electric have been unmanned or sparsely loaded. To be competitive with general aviation, you need to be able haul 1000 pounds 700 miles or so. The very, very best batteries in the world right now are 0.3 J/Kg. Fossil fuels are 45 J/Kg, and the weight goes down as fuel is burned, whereas batteries must be hauled from point A to point B as well. Electric will be a great way to fly someday, but it's not going to happen by building better planes. It will happen when companies make a better, lighter energy storage device. You can make the coolest horse drawn carriage in the world, but without a horse you're not going to get very far.

[@perry4207]

@@ryanmcgowan3061 Joby’s market is for an air taxi service for people wanting to skip over congested traffic. The majority of flights would be similar to how people use Uber. I’m guessing there will be lots of trips to airports which would require luggage though. Testing with extra weight has not been released yet. The typical flight is probably in the range of 20-50 miles, so it should not be a problem to add luggage for 4 people.

[@ryanmcgowan3061]

@@perry4207 By the time you get to a port and load up a plane, travel, deplane, and get on your way again, you could have drove those 50 miles. And that's without a reserve. You really need something like 400 miles to be practical. At 50 mile range, you're competing with mopeds, not cars. Currently, if you have a 2-seat Cessna with 2 adults on board and enough fuel to go only 200 miles, you need about 130 pounds of fuel, without any reserve. The equivalent amount of LiPo battery is *19,500 pounds.* That is a problem that needs to be solved no matter what.

[@perry4207]

@@ryanmcgowan3061 It is going to depend on where passengers are located in relation to the vertiports. It should be the same convenience as a helicopter but cost much less money. A Cessna would certainly be too expensive to be practical. Deplaning would only take a couple of minutes since there are only 4 seats. It’s not like unloading a 200 seat airliner. I believe this can be a niche market that many people will use. Everyone will have to decide for themselves if the price is worth it. $3-$4 per mile seems like a fair price if you can save a lot of driving.

[@buccianti]

Disappointing that Lilium, the most promising of the bunch, was not highlighted

[@MandoDando]

I didn't know that an electric battery didn't use energy to charge? They say a gas guzzling helicopter is bad. Green energy is good but not at all it is CRACKED UP TO BE.

[@theylied1776]

This is a pure pipedream. There isn't a single one of these vehicles/flying platforms that can maintain flight for more than 25 minutes. Until there is a breakthrough technology on a power source that can power this vehicle for more than an hour, this thing is nothing more than a thought experiment. And at best, a toy.

[@xstensl8823]

fussion power

[@theylied1776]

@@xstensl8823 No, fusion power for a civilian vehicle would never be approved by the FAA. If it crashes, that would have the same effect as a dirty bomb.

[@RealMTBAddict]

@@xstensl8823 grow up

[@xstensl8823]

@@RealMTBAddict i am rich, don't have to

[@RealMTBAddict]

@@xstensl8823 no you're not

[@AT-jm4dl]

Wait until we get air rage occurring with these air taxis, LOL. These contraptions are large. There's no way multiple of these things with regular people behind the controls will be flying these things all over the cities.

[@dgetzin]

It is amusing to me that when (correctly) people attribute accidents to human error, they think that replying the human with something made BY humans that is faster and less smart than a human will somehow be MAGIC of no errors.

[@geofflewis8599]

..petroleum has 10-times the energy density of lithium-ion batteries..

[@azzaloard]

why do they not do a hybrid version have a small petrol electric generator installed for longer flight times ??

[@tdro123]

This is awesome, drones for people

[@astonmartin4360]

1:14.Rotors not propellers.

[@tristanmoore9653]

How about we cut down on transportation time by investing in smart civil engineering and public transit?

[@danielchavez7343]

250 lmaooo I jus took a helicopter ride for 140 in Vegas

[@jojothetasmaniansassmonkey8866]

the average person can not be trusted to navigate congested airspace...this would be a nightmare for commercial aviation safety. imagine trying to land a Boeing 777 at LAX with a bunch of idiots buzzing around in these things

[@jamessunday8915]

DISASTERS waiting to happen.

[@Atticus6557]

But if the average person keeps getting poorer, the people will not be able to afford the taxis.

[@oneheart1soulmediaeventszi139]

I really need one

[@greco2189]

Can you even imagine the sky being crowded with these things? Running into each other, and then of course all the drunks.

[@itzshft]

Isn't this called... airplanes?

[@VikingsFan-sy2vc]

I love evtols but I want private owner ship of one.

[@forgotenzxcforgoten4238]

Great , now my pizza will arrive hot.

[@thdgcfx]

This is all cool and everything but where are you supposed to land these things? I dont see it happening

[@randolfaquino9998]

now!!?!? even hobbyist drones are restricted in the US...

[@BIGGSPEVs]

I'm scared of hights but I would actually try this

[@chrisn7847]

Finally someone here who has an open mind. This will happen and Joby has been at this for over a decade.

[@AnyTwoWillD0]

FAA is trash. They need to be updated. FAA with currently procedures is standing in the way of progress!

[@Discohit]

That’s all we need, bad enough the roads are overcrowded, now the sky will be also, air vehicles crashing into each other, falling down on to ppl below. Who’s going to regulate them. Air traffic lights, signs, air police?

[@harrison00xXx]

Totally nonsense.... this is just a transportation vehicle for the rich and famous. Its about MASS transportation nowadays... not a 1 or 2 seater at best!

[@Crangaso]

The Joe B looks like the Osprey

[@lordhelmet9066]

250 dollars for 15 mins of fun fly time just isnt worth it

[@bigfoottoo2841]

Great, now we will have drones crashing on our houses and moving shadows on our lawns.

[@Jen-n]

Future news: "Texting and flying has become the leading cause of death in the United States..."

[@mikev2116]

Can you imagine when people who drive BMWs get there hands on one of those!?

[@spankflaps1365]

My bike can do the same speed as this contraption. It’s 40 year old, steel framed and only 9kg. (I mention it’s age, because it’s much older than the modern ‘conservative’ movement, who have decided push-bikes are the enemy). 🥱

[@kcidical8209]

Does your bike drive itself, land on buildings, and cross lakes? Does it come autonomously at the push of a button?

[@johnlafrance2692]

There’s no way the faa lets people just fly these things in cities there’s gotta be a registered pilots

[@donemigholzjr.7344]

Modern airline jets are flown by Computers. A simple PC checks in with a main frame computer in a flight tower, in the city for a flight plan ... push the button

[@DrJohnnyJ]

No thanks. I want a computer. On the ground, automated is tough but in the air there are no pedestrians or dogs or potholes.

[@johnlafrance2692]

@@donemigholzjr.7344 if it’s automated sure but there’s a joystick in there like there’s no shot for the foreseeable future that the faa allows this

[@jaymesnin]

Only for the rich

[@richarnold5323]

Inherently less safe because if it malfunctions, you lose the vehicle, the passenger, and cause damage to whatever it falls on. I can see private firms using these to for execs to go between major hubs and factories, but the Average Joe isn't going to be using them. One person in the video quotes a usage fee comparable to UBER. Not happening - UBER uses conventional vehicles that have a whole infrastructure and cities build around using them = easy access & operation. In no multi-verse will a totally new vehicle show up and be just as cheap in the same space. It might find a niche, but that's not the same.

[@rifledepot6067]

We already have $hitty drivers cause traffic and pile ups. The last thing we need is to have to watch out for idiots in the air!

[@dominiccooper2753]

So what do you expect us to do genius??????

[@rifledepot6067]

@@dominiccooper2753 only allow certain companies to operate them similar to taxis. I don’t think allowing the general public to buy these would ever be a good idea! 90% of the public is mentally challenged.

[@mlep257]

It is going to be autonomous. Look up Ehang, they are on the market already.

[@Nicholas-ze5vv]

@@dominiccooper2753 Everybody is looking for something epic, when bio-fuels are right in front of us.

[@marktwain5399]

aero-idiots will fall like apples from the trees..many of them for sure :)

[@functionalcurve]

Lol. Tesla can’t even do a fully automated car yet.. cars which only have to account for two dimensions, and these cowboys are talking about thousands of fully automated drones operating in three dimensions over populated areas. I’ll check back in 2040 when this idea is approaching viability.

[@chrisn7847]

hahahahah.... what????? You're comparing autonomy in the air where you only have to navigate open space and maybe avoid some other aircraft here and there as opposed to autonomy on the ground where there are endless obstacles like other cars, pedestrians, bike riders, motorcycles, stop lights and signs, highway systems, low visibility from weather, debris, etc. etc.......

[@functionalcurve]

@@chrisn7847 I don’t even know where to start with your ridiculously juvenile assessment of the coding challenges involved in low altitude metropolitan flight. In addition to figuring out avoidance AI for other aircraft, which itself is no small feat, you have tall buildings, radio and cell towers, flocks of birds, low visibility from weather, lightning etc. During takeoff and landing you have trees, light poles, telephone lines etc. any accident in the air is way more life threatening than a car accident. These things don’t have wings like planes where they can glide into a hard landing. These things will fall right out of the sky when something catastrophic happens. Streetlights and roads actually help autonomous cars get their bearings. Lines in the road help the cars computer know where it should be. You have none of that in the air. Those computers will rely on GPS and ground facing cameras to navigate.. but even that is challenging as the seasons change. Even today there are human air traffic controllers monitoring every single commercial flight to make sure they don’t crash into each other. So no, it’s not easy. You have all of the challenges listed above, and it’s all in three dimensions… not two… which means there are logarithmically more possible scenarios that have to be accounted for.

[@88cameras]

Not sure why working from home is still such a unattractive idea to people. The market for this is going to dip and surge in demand, forcing these companies to invest much more than what they thought it would take to get a steady income to come in. There will be high demand at the start then the roads will get much better in traffic then people will just drive again and the cycle will continue until the ageing infrastructure literally collapses and then the only why to get any place is to fly. It's already been proven that the infrastructure bill won't pass so this is basically the solution to charge the masses to travel.

[@RAdams]

The Joby aircraft looks well thought out and I'd definitely want a human piloting the thing and in control.

[@rideoregonfirst]

I see the market being good for tourist rides into noise sensitive areas. The Joby and Wisk appear the most viable.

[@stant7122]

maybe they can team up and share resources and what they have collectively learned.

[@tibora13]

@@stant7122 I wonder how much that partnership would cost☕😶📰

[@GizzyDillespee]

Didn't you hear the Joby crashed and was totalled. That will push their time frame back.

[@richarnold5323]

...maybe a sight-seeing trip into a wild area with unique jurrasic-era animals frolicking about....nothing could possibly go wrong there

[@kamuelalee]

This is exciting stuff, wish these companies all the best of luck.

[@joby7655]

행운이 있을겁니다 감사합니다!

[@tonywilson4713]

I get where you are coming from, BUT as an aerospace engineer with a pilots license and qualifications in engineering safety I'd like to see these companies be a lot more realistic and STOP blowing smoke up peoples butts. Just stop and consider how stupid most people are with cars including taxi drivers and then imagine those same people flying overhead at 150mph. Do I want to see new technology that benefits humanity? *ABSOLUTELY YES,* but this stuff isn't what we need right now. Sure there's some novel stuff, but we don't need flying cars and we don't need fantasy garbage like another Theranos. We actually need a lot of other things before this stuff starting with clean energy production. Way too many people think batteries are an answer an they aren't. They are just part Way too many people think electric vehicles will save the planet, while at the same time totally ignoring where the energy comes from. Even if they do think about that they dismiss the concerns with solar and wind but they just don't have the capacity for what modern society needs. In stead they get a feelgood from fantasy technologies like these. *From an engineering standpoint the attitude of society in general is infuriating.*

[@Balthorium]

It’s definitely possible but totalitarian government won’t let us have this freedom.

[@teenytinytoons]

@@tonywilson4713 only way this works is if it's autonomous.

[@ianbauer4703]

@@teenytinytoons Agreed! One day (and hopefully in the 21st century), pilotless aircraft safely carrying passengers will be as commonplace as manned aircraft carrying passengers today.

[@airheart1]

I’m a helicopter pilot.. 20 years.. i have more trust in the autonomous version of these aircraft, then the piloted. You don’t have to trust me… but the autonomous version is the way to go, imo. At the expense of my own career and future aspirational pilots.. autonomy will save many lives. Not saying no accidents will happen and no one will die. But the autonomous version will be a substantial improvement in safety, assuming it’s built well and to a set standard from the FAA. I’ve seen how good autonomous drones already are.. and I know exactly how good human pilots can be. The consistency of an autonomous piloted aircraft, is more necessary than the adaptive and creative capabilities of a human pilot in 99% of situations. My 2 cents

[@vrygon0]

the pilots could be used as people who check that nothing is wrong and take control if anything does. Sooo air taxi only imo

[@egillis214]

faa type certification? Air traffic regulations? Pilots or Not, integrated with TFA's and NOTAM's ?

[@egillis214]

​@@vrygon0 real-time video links are limited to a few hundred feet?

[@adibasdas]

Joby seems pretty solid and confident in comparison to other projects. Best of luck to all of them.

[@BillAnt]

That's why I bought some of their stocks which is still relatively cheap. Hopefully they make it big. ;)

[@tibora13]

@@BillAnt smart future investment idea, if I were joby I'd start off small you know just to make sure passenger transportation is spot on safe for men, women, kids, idiots and crazy people not to mention the weight of the customers.

[@videoinformer]

Multiple independent blade systems, with their own motors and power sources, are the biggest improvement on historic helicopter designs, without which eVOTLs could never possibly be safe enough. The new designs bring redundancy and eliminate single points of failure. The 18-blade design, for example, should be able to safely land after losing one or even a few engines. If the blade systems are indeed independent, there should never be more than one blade ever going out before a safe "emergency" landing is undertaken expeditiously as a matter of protocol. Not needing a runway or an airport, just a small patch of land, is a big help in always having a safe place to land underneath and close by.

[@fwang3695]

yet Joby still manage to destroy their only test vehicle

[@mlep257]

Ehang actually have a video where they simulate one(a few) of their 16 blades failure and still fly amd land safely. Saw this on youtube.

[@TheArtOfRevolution]

Sorta like having a tire blow out on the highway. Calmly pulling over is the safest way to handle it.

[@david_dor]

I would still like a parachute available, just in case. Lol.

[@marktwain5399]

this is questionable.... one prototype was totaled already... lets wait and see

[@PeanutButterAndJellyBros]

There should’ve been subway trains that allows people to travel from one city to multiple cities. Forget about air taxi

[@leepham650]

What happen cities do not have subway???? You will be a dinosaur soon.

[@classwarhooligan923]

China built that in a day

[@kenhanson1819]

I love how he thinks he's flying it, as the camera cuts to the ground crew and the dude with the remote control transmitter who is actually flying it.

[@mspark400smith2]

You could even see him put in the yaw input lol

[@ChiralSpirals]

Looks like a waist of time and money. traffic on the ground is hard enough to deal with....could you imagine the chaos?

[@cosmicwanderer4306]

If I can get into an autonomous car, autonomous rail, even a ''rollercoaster'', a day will come when I'll fly in one of these new inventions. It is a matter of safety first. The stakes would be better compared to flying in ordinary jets. Wish them best. BTW, took a long-term CALL position in JOBY today because its backing by Toyota and other funds. The CALLs are really cheap...whow knows...

[@stephenwitwick3926]

There definitely aren't any potential problems with large spinning blades in a crowded city environment...

[@rifledepot6067]

With people who eat tide pods operating them, I don’t see a issue😆

[@fglatzel]

The problem is that someone starts with an inefficient and ineffective design and every wannabe Engineer copies it. But hey, let's not tell them that a ducted fan is more efficient than an open design and of course, also less of a safety hazard.

[@jaffacalling53]

@@fglatzel Ducted fans are not more efficient than open propellers.

[@fglatzel]

@@jaffacalling53 OH yes. They are at least twice as efficient.

[@DeeCarli]

What about air traffic control?

[@3monsterbeast]

A lot of confidence in this video… reminds me of big short scene: wow a lot of people seem motivated in this neighborhood

[@edbond2302]

These aircraft should have parachute installed to deploy in case of trouble. They do to deploy tanks to combat zones. Should work.

[@elgracko]

heck yes!

[@filmonberhane8338]

Adding a mini airship(zeppelin) can also help by reducing the weight of the batteries .

[@theodorehaskins3756]

So chutes would add additional weight, and we still need better batteries that can be rapidly charged or easily swapped out and have longer range per kWh, so I don’t see people manually flying these crafts, that kinda flying would be an option where some rich guy who wants to go flying around using a manual joystick like we’re seeing here, but practically, manual flying is probably not something that would be recommended, as most people wouldn’t have navigation, and piloting skills! Cheers!

[@marktwain5399]

its beyond ballistic parachutes....they help yes but in not all conditions

[@scottielambert9312]

A real rail system in the states.( microphone drop)

[@johnpost]

The batteries last 15 minutes - and this is why electric motorcycles, electric cars and electric evtols still need a lot of research and development. I’m 58 years old. I still don’t expect flying cars in my lifetime.

[@nguxurr9667]

Hmmm maybe You still have a long way to go my friend.

[@innerDialectic]

This is technically a flying car isn't it? It's just very impractical

[@jti107]

av gas has 40x the fuel density of current lithium ion batteries so you're right. eventually it might be viable as training aircraft with 30-60 min flight times and super low cost

[@akosnemeth]

Flying car… the biggest bs ever. You can either use a car or a helicopter :D

[@frankthefkintank]

Not just a lot more research development, we need a lot more digging in the ground too! And it's probably not going to happen in places with environmental and social protections, it will occur and continue to grow in areas where people are impoverished and have little to no rights and protections for the environment are practically non-existent

[@Jacmac1]

These things will only become practical when full flying automation is achieved and they can be mass produced via automation.

[@mojoriden]

maybe a driver is a good idea. I mean, youve seen people drive, can you imagine them flying? Most people can't even get airspace correct with a drone.