This year was a watershed for the electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) industry, marked by billion-dollar exits, huge venture deals and more partnerships. But in many ways, the past year should be thought of as the setting of a chess board before a match: the pieces are in place. Now it is time to […]
The eVTOL take-off: Four trends that shaped 2021
Billions of dollars, dozens of deals and one legal battle: The year in eVTOL was an unforgettable one, with developers picking up the pace even as the larger aviation sector was busy slowly recovering from the fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic. Below, we catch up with leading analysts and investors to identify the top trends […]
The Station: Inside the Rivian R1T and its IPO filing
Hello readers: Welcome to The Station, your central hub for all past, present and future means of moving people and packages from Point A to Point B. Welp, it was an EV heavy week, starting with the Polestar SPAC and ending with the Rivian IPO filing (curses to the late Friday regulatory filing). Oh, and […]
HyPoint and Piasecki reach $6.5M deal to develop hydrogen fuel cells systems for eVTOLs
A quick survey of many of the most highly valued electric vertical take-off and landing companies shows one thing in common: All of them are developing aircraft powered by batteries. But a growing suite of aviation companies, turned off by what they see as the energy density limitations of lithium-ion batteries, are turning instead to […]
Archer Aviation is seeking $1B in damages from Wisk Aero as legal dispute escalates
Archer Aviation is seeking $1 billion in damages from Wisk Aero, according to court filings Tuesday, significantly escalating the ongoing legal battle between the two air taxi rivals. Wisk “deployed a knowingly false extra-judicial smear campaign that projected stand-alone defamatory statements about Archer to the world,” the filing says. On this basis, Archer claims that […]
Lilium in talks with Brazilian airline for $1B order
German electric aircraft startup Lilium is negotiating the terms for a 220-aircraft, $1 billion order with one of Brazil’s largest domestic airlines, the companies said Monday. Should the deal with Azul move forward, it would mark the largest order in Lilium’s history and its first foray into South American markets. “A term sheet has been […]
The Lilium electric Jet will use batteries manufactured by Germany’s Customcells
Electric air taxi startup Lilium has tapped German manufacturer Customcell to supply batteries for its flagship 7-seater Lilium Jet. The battery IP is the result of “multiple players,” a Lilium spokesperson told TechCrunch, but the manufacturing will be the sole job of Customcells. While Lilium declined to specify the number of battery systems as part […]
Joby Aviation, aiming to go to market in 2024, completes 154 mile test flight
Santa Cruz, California-based Joby Aviation has completed the longest test flight of an eVTOL to date, as its unnamed full-sized prototype aircraft concluded a trip of over 150 miles on a single charge, the company said Monday. The test was completed at Joby’s Electric Flight Base in Big Sur, California earlier this month. It’s the […]
Judge denies Wisk Aero’s request for preliminary injunction against Archer Aviation
Electric aviation startup Wisk Aero’s request for a preliminary injunction against rival Archer Aviation was denied by a federal judge Thursday, the latest in an ongoing legal battle over whether Archer stole trade secrets in developing its flagship Maker aircraft. A full written opinion has not yet been published. In a tentative ruling filed earlier […]