Photo: Airbus
Around this time last year, Airbus introduced its eVTOL (electric vertical take-off and landing) prototype, the CityAirbus NextGen. Since then, it’s taken several steps towards expanding the development of the CityAirbus. One of the latest is an agreement for future urban air mobility (UAM) services in multiple countries in Latin America.
Ecocopter already operates Airbus helicopters to conduct highly-complex aerial work missions in South America for different industry sectors, from firefighting to mining supports. Its fleet is comprised of 21 rotorcraft, including the H125, the H135, and the H145, all operating across South America.
But the company that’s been around for two decades also has several years of drone operations under its belt. This is why it sees UAM operations as the next natural step, with Airbus as the best potential partner. The two have announced the beginning of a collaboration specifically aimed at launching this type of service in several countries in the region, specifically Ecuador, Chile, and Peru.
This is just one of the many initiatives for air taxi services launched over the past two years all over the world. However, it’s still going to take a while before air taxis become a common sight in urban centers. As advanced as the eVTOLs themselves may be, it also takes a strong infrastructure and accurate legislation to make UAM a reality. And both of these factors take a long time to figure out.
In the meantime, Airbus has also established similar collaborations in Italy and Germany, and it’s building a dedicated test center for the CityAirbus NextGen in Donauworth, Germany.
The future air taxi promises a range of 50 miles (80 km) on a single charge and cruises at speeds of up to 75 mph (120 kph) while still being remarkably quiet. It also seems that the electric four-seater will be powered by a motor made in California – MAGicALL will provide a custom version of its high-torque (up to 50 Nm/kg) brushless motor, MAGiDRIVE.
But the company that’s been around for two decades also has several years of drone operations under its belt. This is why it sees UAM operations as the next natural step, with Airbus as the best potential partner. The two have announced the beginning of a collaboration specifically aimed at launching this type of service in several countries in the region, specifically Ecuador, Chile, and Peru.
This is just one of the many initiatives for air taxi services launched over the past two years all over the world. However, it’s still going to take a while before air taxis become a common sight in urban centers. As advanced as the eVTOLs themselves may be, it also takes a strong infrastructure and accurate legislation to make UAM a reality. And both of these factors take a long time to figure out.
In the meantime, Airbus has also established similar collaborations in Italy and Germany, and it’s building a dedicated test center for the CityAirbus NextGen in Donauworth, Germany.
The future air taxi promises a range of 50 miles (80 km) on a single charge and cruises at speeds of up to 75 mph (120 kph) while still being remarkably quiet. It also seems that the electric four-seater will be powered by a motor made in California – MAGicALL will provide a custom version of its high-torque (up to 50 Nm/kg) brushless motor, MAGiDRIVE.
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