Forget Uber or Lyft, Merlin Batchelor’s Tank Taxi is the ultimate way to travel around England. This is a real-life armored personnel carrier that he purchased for $35,000 originally and then reconditioned it back to working condition.
Joby Aviation has spent the past decade developing an all-electric, vertical take-off and landing aircraft that is set to operate as a commercial passenger aircraft beginning in 2024. Performing over 1,000 test flights in the last 10 years, the company became the first to agree to a certification basis for an electric vertical takeoff and landing (“eVTOL”) aircraft with the Federal Aviation Administration (“FAA”) in 2020 and it also received the U.S. Air Force’s first ever airworthiness approval for an eVTOL aircraft.
Bell has officially unveiled the 4EX at CES 2020, and just in case you are wondering, the name comes from its “4” ducted fans, “E” for electric, and “X” for experimental. This 7,000-pound electric air taxi can safely transport 4-5 passengers up to 60 miles at a cruise speed of about 150 mph. It’s designed to be an electric aircraft, but a hybrid model could be in the works and extend the range to beyond 150 miles.
Hyundai has partnered with Uber to develop a Personal air Vehicle (PAV), called the S-A1. It’s designed for vertical take off and landing, thus negating the need for a runway, and can reach a top speed of 180 mph and a cruising altitude between 1,000 feet – 2,000 feet. The aircraft is fully electric and has a multi-rotor / propellers design to decrease a single point of failure and noise pollution.