The World is in an 'Air Taxi' Development Boom... Korea, 10 Years Behind, is Rapidly Catching Up [Reading Science]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Bong-su] Over 300 companies, including global aircraft manufacturers, automobile manufacturers, and ICT giants, are fiercely competing in the development of Urban Air Mobility (UAM).

The fastest among them is considered to be the German startup Volocopter. The ‘Volocity’ developed by Volocopter is equipped with 18 rotors, can fly 35 km on a single charge, and can reach speeds of 110 km/h. Earlier this year, it already conducted urban flight tests in Dubai and Singapore and received commercial operation approval from the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA).

Another German startup, Lilium, is developing the ‘Lilium Jet,’ a 5-seater electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft that can operate for about an hour at speeds of 300 km/h. It succeeded in test flights in 2019 and is preparing for 5-seater air taxi certification with EASA. The company plans to establish a hub airport in Orlando, Florida, USA, and start operation services from 2025.

Bell Textron, a U.S. company that developed the world’s first vertical takeoff and landing tiltrotor aircraft ‘V-22 Osprey,’ is also targeting commercial UAM service by 2023. Last year at CES, they showcased the full-scale 5-seater Bell Nexus 4EX. Using four ducted fans, it can cruise at 241 km/h and fly 97 km (241 km for the hybrid version).

Global automobile makers are also actively developing UAM. Japanese automaker Toyota invested in a domestic venture company, Cartivator, aiming to start a 2-seater manned operation service around 2023. Toyota also invested $394 million in the U.S. startup ‘Joby Aviation.’ General Motors (GM), the largest U.S. automaker, has also unveiled a 2-seater electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) concept.

Fiat Chrysler is planning to start passenger air taxi services from 2024 by developing eVTOLs through cooperation with U.S. startups. Among Chinese companies, ‘EHang Holdings,’ which has been involved in contract controversies, is considered one of the leaders in autonomous flight air taxi business. In June, the air taxi EH216 successfully completed its first flight in Japan, and in July, the firefighting equipment ‘EH216F AAV’ passed quality inspection conducted by the China National Fire Equipment Quality Supervision and Testing Center (NFFE).

Hwang Chang-jeon, head of the Personal Air Vehicle Business Unit at the Korea Aerospace Research Institute, said, "ICT giants such as Google, Intel, and Tencent are also entering the UAM business through investments in startups," adding, "Although the introduction timeline may be slightly delayed due to the recent COVID-19 pandemic, full-scale services are expected worldwide starting from 2030."