Germany's Volocopter had been expected to go public through a share flotation-merger with a special purpose acquisition company. Instead, it has drawn fresh investment from fund managers and venture capitalists to complete what it says is the "final sprint" to begin commercial operations with its two-seat, all-electric VoloCity aircraft before the end of 2023.

German start-up Baaz is working on a novel eVTOL aircraft featuring five sets of ducted propellers and a folding wing that it says will increase operational flexibility and safety, while also reducing noise. The company claims that it will deliver a significant range advantage over other eVTOL aircraft by overcoming the dilemma of how to accommodate a wing in tightly spaced urban environments.

HyPoint is one of several companies developing fuel cell technology to support hydrogen propulsion systems for aircraft. It claims that its air-cooled system will deliver specific power and energy density that are superior to what rival technologies offer.

Hydrogen supply and fuel cell specialist Plug Power has invested in its partner Universal Hydrogen, which is close to completing the construction of a subscale hydrogen powertrain it is developing to retrofit regional airliners. The companies also agreed on a hydrogen fuel supply agreement to support operators of the technology, which should be ready for commercial service by 2025.

Bye Aerospace is edging closer to being able to start deliveries of its eFlyer 2 two-seat, electric fixed-wing aircraft, with the first fuselage now in serial production and FAA type certification nearing. The U.S. company is reporting a sales backlog of 717 units, also including the larger eFlyer 4 and Envoy models.

Advanced air mobility ground infrastructure experts Rex Alexander and Yolanka Wulff urged companies seeking to pioneer the launch of eVTOL aircraft operations to start early and leave no detail to chance regarding the preparation of the required ground infrastructure. They point to myriad technical and planning issues, relating to matters such as how land is zoned for use and getting electrical supplies approved and installed.

Europe-based emergency response and healthcare group Falck is partnering with Kitty Hawk to convert its single-seat Heaviside eVTOL aircraft into a flying ambulance. The company says it wants to start using eVTOL aircraft to take paramedics to accident scenes by 2025, but it remains unclear when Kitty Hawk will complete the development of the Heaviside.

Varon Vehicles has enlisted U.S.-based architecture and engineering group PS&S to develop plans and designs for vertiports and other infrastructure needed to support eVTOL aircraft operations in urban areas. PS&S has set up an Urban Air Mobility Task Force to focus on this sector.

The noisy dispute between Chinese eVTOL aircraft developer EHang and its short-selling critic Wolfpack Research quieted down this week, or at least moved into lawyers' offices. Among several bones of contention is the exact relationship between EHang and a company called Shanghai Kunxiang Intelligent Technology. The firm, which goes by the shortened name Kunxiang, is one of several customers to which EHang has delivered early examples of its EH216 Autonomous Aerial Vehicle. In the past, EHang has characterized the recipients of these pre-certification deliveries as "partners," begging the question as to the foundation for these partnerships. It subsequently transpires that Kunxiang also invested in EHang, and Wolfpack continues to stand by its assertion that this relationship was one that muddied the waters as to the actual state of EHang's business. That now seems likely to get resolved in a U.S. court, since EHang has a listing on New York's Nasdaq market. What we do know from this video is that Kunxiang has been actively involved in promoting the EH216 with a series of public flight demonstrations in cities across China. In the meantime, EHang's stock remains significantly down from the $129.80 peak it reached before Wolfpack published its bombshell report on February 16. On March 2, the shares closed at $45.70.

A small, privately funded German start-up claims it has found a way to have the best of both worlds, by combining the range delivered by a fixed wing, with a new approach to eVTOL propulsion. It remains to be seen whether the technology risks associated with this approach can be overcome, or at least mitigated.