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We Are Catching Up With the Jetsons - United Makes Another Air Mobility Move

The year was 1962 when the American public was introduced to The Jetsons; an animated sitcom where residents lived in a comical future world, in adjustable high-rises, and zipping about the sky in aero-cars.
Eve EVTOL 6 photos
Photo: Eveairmobility.com/Hanna-Barbera
EVE EVTOLEVE EVTOLEVE EVTOLEVE EVTOLEVE EVTOL
It's anybody's guess as to whether or not the creators of The Jetsons at Hanna-Barbera Productions were out of their minds or way ahead of their time regarding commuter air travel. Here we are, sixty years after the first episode aired in the U.S., we find ourselves on the cusp of commuter air travel in cities around the world.

United Airlines has been at the forefront of envisioning a future where commuters will hop aboard electric vertical take-off and landing vehicles (eVTOLs) and head to work, out to eat, or to the shopping mall.

United announced yesterday its second big investment in commuter air mobility by entering into a purchase agreement for up to 400 four-seat eVTOL vehicles from Eve Air Mobility. The $15 million conditional agreement includes the purchase of 200 electric aircraft with an option for an additional 200 and could begin taking delivery in 2026. The agreement includes details of the collaboration between the two companies on developing an urban air mobility (UAM) utilizing Eve Mobility aircraft.

The airline's corporate venture fund, United Airlines Ventures (UAV), an industry-first, is tasked with carrying out United's plan to create a 100% green commitment to reach net zero emissions by 2050 without any offsets. Just last month, UAV entered into a similar agreement to purchase 100 eVTOL from California-based Archer by laying down a $10 million deposit. The Archer Maker is a two-seat eVTOL that is expected to be operational in 2024.

Deals of this nature are typically conditional based on safety and other regulatory benchmarks the manufacturer must meet.

I can only hope that we continue to move in this direction and soon get a one-hour workday two days a week, just as George Jetson enjoyed in the series.
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