Aircraft
FAA Greenlights Honda eVTOL Flight Tests
Honda's secretive eVTOL program picks up steam
A digital rendering of Honda's eVTOL aircraft
An FAA exemption clears Honda Research Institute USA to begin flying a subscale prototype of an eVTOL aircraft. © Honda Motor

Three years after Honda announced its plans to produce an eVTOL aircraft for intercity travel, the Japanese carmaker is apparently preparing to fly its first prototype.

While Honda has kept its eVTOL program under tight wraps, FAA records indicate that the U.S. air safety regulator recently granted an exemption to Honda Research Institute (HRI) that would allow the company to fly a subscale prototype experimentally for research and development purposes. 

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