Smart Megawatt Stack Fuel Cell Systems is a new offshoot from hydrogen-powered aircraft developer Electric Aviation Group. The megawatt-class powertrain it is tasked with producing is intended for EAG's proposed 90-seat hybrid-electric airliner but could also find other transportation uses such as powering trucks, ships, and trains.

AutoFlight says its newly rebranded Prosperity I eVTOL aircraft will complete EASA type certification by 2025, and to support that objective the China-based group has established a subsidiary company in Germany. The aircraft, which will carry three passengers and a pilot on trips of up to around 155 miles, is expected to step up its flight test program during 2022.

Fresh funding from Lockheed Martin Ventures will support Electra's efforts to start flight testing a full-scale technology demonstrator of its planned eSTOL aircraft during 2022. The hybrid-electric aircraft is expected to be able to carry seven to nine passengers, or a 1,800-pound freight payload, up to 500 miles.

Airflow considers blown-wing technology—which accelerates the movement of air over the wing to generate more lift at lower airspeeds—a game-changer in efforts to bring to market electric aircraft like its planned eSTOL models. The company has already logged multiple provisional orders and expects to achieve its first deliveries in 2025.

Recent trademark applications confirm that Embraer is pressing ahead with its plans to bring a family of nine- to 50-seat aircraft to market that would be powered by a mix of propulsion systems, including hydrogen, electric, hybrid electric, and a combination of jet-A and sustainable aviation fuel. The Energia family would include models designated as the E50-H2GT (50 seats), E19-HSFC (19 seats), and the E9-HE and -FE (both nine seats).

Secure Parking has signed an agreement with advanced air mobility infrastructure group Skyportz to release access to up to 400 parking lots across Australia that could be used as landing sites for eVTOL aircraft once government authorities have agreed on safety standards and regulations. The sites are in city-center and suburban locations and the plan mainly entails the use of parking lot rooftops.

Propulsion technology start-up Blainjett Aviation claims that its patented Dynamic Variable Pitch technology gives eVTOL aircraft developers a compelling alternative to tilt-rotor and ducted fan systems. Company founder Cary Zachary says that the concept avoids the need to change the angle of attack of an aircraft’s rotors to support the forward thrust required for cruise flight and can be configured for various aircraft architectures.

Zeva’s Zero personal eVTOL vehicle is one of the most eye-catching in a highly competitive field for innovative design, with its disc-shaped fuselage that tilts as it transitions from hover to cruise mode. On January 9, the U.S. start-up conducted a first hover flight with the Zero prototype, beginning a test program that it aims to lead to first deliveries by 2025. The single-occupant, all-electric aircraft is expected to have a range of 50 miles and an impressive cruise speed of 160 mph. Video footage of the inaugural takeoff shows the Zero with a person onboard completing short hover maneuvers at low altitude. Later in the test program, the Zeva team will be evaluating the critical transition to cruise flight.

Since unveiling its two-seat V600 eVTOL prototype in April 2019, AutoFlight has expanded the scope of its plans for the advanced air mobility sector. In addition to a pair of smaller cargo-carrying vehicles designated the V50 and V400, it is now advancing plans to certify a four-seat eVTOL air taxi platform called Prosperity I (formerly V1500M) by 2025.