For frontrunners in the race to bring eVTOL aircraft to market in 2025, the next 12 months are likely to see frantic activity as they scramble to accelerate type certification and preparations for mass manufacturing and commercial operations. Opinions vary as to whether the tight timelines are viable, but few doubt that the overall direction of travel is heading to a new era for air transportation.

EHang has carried groups of local officials and other guests in demonstration flights of its pilotless EH216-S aircraft in the Chinese cities of Guangzhou and Hefei. Working with partners, it is preparing to launch fare-paying services. Meanwhile, U.S. law firm Hagens Berman is readying a class action lawsuit against the company, alleging it misled investors.

To help eVTOL developers and air safety regulators analyze and predict aircraft battery performance, Seattle-based start-up Astrolabe Analytics is creating a software system that combines data management techniques with artificial intelligence. It uses voltage data supplied by an aircraft’s onboard battery management system to analyze each battery pack’s performance down to a cell level, allowing operators to identify weak cells before they begin to compromise the battery’s performance and safety. 

The purpose of a joint simulation exercise at NASA’s Ames Research Center was to establish how eVTOL air taxi operations can be safely integrated into public airspace. Joby and NASA demonstrated their proposed approach to representatives from the FAA and the National Air Traffic Controllers Association.

A new round of testing at Rolls-Royce's Solihull facility in the UK is focused on the engineering challenges associated with taking low-pressure liquid hydrogen, chilled to below minus -250 degrees C (-418 degrees F), and then pressurizing it so that it can be pumped into an aircraft engine to be combusted. It is expected to lead to a ground test run of hydrogen fuel in the Pearl 700 turbofan engine Rolls-Royce developed for business jets.

Venice, the historic Italian port city, will host a new amphibious aviation conference in March; Eve secures a $100 million green credit line for its eVTOL aircraft program; Horizon appoints board of directors ahead of merger/IPO; Unifly completes drone traffic management cybersecurity project for the FAA; and Navos and Anra join forces to develop a vertiport management system.

Who wouldn't want a bird's eye view of the beautiful Swiss Alps? Switzerland-based electric aviation pioneer Dufour Aerospace recently posted this video showing its Aero1 prototype aircraft flying near Visp. The footage was shot by the company's head of flight physics, Felix Rubin. The company sees the Aero1 as a potential aerobatics aircraft. It is also developing the Aero2 model as an uncrewed logistics platform and the Aero3 as a larger eVTOL vehicle.