Working to bring commuting to the sky above every major city in the world, United has announced a $15 million investment and purchase agreement for 200 four-seater electric flying taxis.
The future is now…okay, it will be in a few years, with the first delivery of air-born taxis to hit the skies! No runway is needed either, as the four-seater flying taxis have vertical lift-off capabilities.
These taxis have been in development for a while. Known as ‘eVTOLs’ (electric vertical take-off and landing vehicle), United say they have the potential to be implemented in the transportation market.
United is expecting the first deliveries as early as 2026 and has shared that they may order an additional 200 units if all goes well. Michael Leskinen, President of United Airlines Ventures stated: “United has made early investments in several cutting-edge technologies at all levels of the supply chain.”
Leskinen continued, “Today, United is making history again, by becoming the first major airline to publicly invest in two eVTOL companies. Our agreement with Eve highlights our confidence in the urban air mobility market and serves as another important benchmark toward our goal of net zero carbon emissions by 2050 without using traditional offsets.”
He concluded: “It will take time for consumers to adopt this. People are going to have some hesitancy at first. It will feel a lot similar to a helicopter ride, it might be scary for some, but this is going to change the way we work and live.”
The aircraft is envisioned to have a range of 65 to 100 kilometres. Future designs might be slightly bigger than the currently planned four-seater, but they would not replace any planes that United flies from one airport to another, so they won’t reduce carbon emissions produced by the airline’s regular fleet.
No word yet on fare, or if it’s as easy as booking an Uber, but we’ll keep you posted!
