While Joby Aviation's war chest for bringing its four-passenger eVTOL aircraft to market stands at $1.2 billion, rival Vertical Aerospace has around 1/10th of that total and expects to spend most of it over the next 12 months. On Wednesday, Vertical confirmed that its VX4 eVTOL prototype aircraft was involved in an incident during flight testing at Cotswold Airport in the UK.

The U.S. company is chasing civil and military applications for a turbine-powered tiltwing aircraft that it says will trump the performance of both helicopters and eVTOL vehicles regarding range, payload, and speed. Transcend is eschewing electric propulsion as being not fit for its purpose, pinning its hopes instead on GE's CT-7-8 turboshaft engine and the longer-term green promise of new synthetic, zero-carbon fuel from partner Prometheus.

Electric aircraft developer Eviation has outsourced the design work for its nine-seat, all-electric Alice commuter airplane to TLG Aerospace, a Seattle-based engineering firm. As a subcontractor, TLG will develop the production configuration of Eviation’s Alice.

Battery manufacturer Amprius Technologies says it has achieved a breakthrough in battery technology for electric aircraft and road vehicles with its creation of an ultra-high-power, high-energy lithium-ion battery that the company claims will provide “unmatched propulsion power and energy.” The new battery packs an energy density of 400 Wh/kg while simultaneously touting an impressively high discharge rate of 10C.

Singapore-based Heron AirBridge is seeking to unlock the potential for both passenger-carrying, piloted eVTOL aircraft and uncrewed drones across Asia by deploying its new approach to air traffic management. The start-up is already engaged in preparatory work as far afield as Bangladesh, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, and Thailand.

The flight test campaign of Aska's four-seat eVTOL aircraft is now in full swing, with a full-scale prototype making several tethered hover flights every day at an airfield in California. Since its first successful hover tests in June, the A5 prototype has been flying about five times per day, Aska co-founder and chief operating officer Maki Kaplinsky told AIN. The A5 vehicle, which Aska refers to as a “flying SUV,” is designed to operate both in the air and on public roads, and the company plans to begin delivering the vehicle to customers in 2026. 

Volocopter takes delivery of a Diamond DA-62 aircraft as it steps up preparations to be an eVTOL air taxi operator. Plus, six small airports in the UK are getting charging stations for electric aircraft; Deutsche Aircraft is working with partners in Norway to make power-to-liquid synthetic aviation fuel available for carbon-neutral regional aircraft services; Baker Hughes and Avports want to develop low-carbon airports; and Dronamics and Pyka expand their uncrewed aircraft operations.

Lilium’s electric vertical takeoff and landing vehicle will carry between four and six passengers on flights of up to 155 miles. To help passengers get a feel for flights in the Lilium Jet, the European company unveiled a mock-up of the cabin and welcomed visitors who want to see what electric flight is all about. AIN's video team was on hand to take a closer look at how the design has come together.