Looking at some of the bold projections for world domination made by leading players in the advanced air mobility (AAM) sector, it could be tempting for some to come away with the view that the arrival of new eVTOL aircraft will signal the extinction of today’s helicopters. Some prospective eVTOL operators certainly view the electric-powered vehicles heading to market in various configurations including lift-and-cruise as alternatives to traditional rotorcraft but the relationship between the old and new waves is, in fact, more complex.
Front runners in the AAM gold rush say they are now just two years away from having eVTOL aircraft certified and starting commercial services in various early adopter cities expected to include Los Angeles, Miami, Dallas, and New York. Those companies include Archer (Booth B5058), Joby, Lilium, Eve, Vertical Aerospace, and Volocopter, with China’s EHang potentially beating them all to market, domestically at least, with its two-passenger EH216 autonomous vehicle.
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