Amazon Customers in Texas and California Will Begin Receiving Packages via Prime Air Drones Later This Year

Online retailer Amazon released a new video showing its latest electrically-powered delivery drone in flight and shared some new information on how the aircraft are being tested. The e-commerce giant aims to start the first U.S. drone deliveries of customer packages in Lockeford, CA and College Station, TX later this year.

Eric Walz2022-09-16 11:30 PT

Volkswagen Group China Unveils its ‘Flying Tiger’ Electric Vertical Take-Off and Landing (eVTOL) Passenger Aircraft Prototype

Volkswagen Group China (VGC), the joint venture of Germany-based Volkswagen Group, unveiled its first electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) passenger drone prototype nicknamed "Flying Tiger". The eVTOL aircraft is part of the automaker’s strategy to explore and break new ground in fully electric and sustainable mobility concepts. The prototype is based on VGC’s existing autonomous driving and EV battery technology.

FutureCar Staff 2022-09-02 13:15 PT

FedEx to Test Autonomous Drone Deliveries in 2023 with San Francisco-based eVTOL Startup Elroy Air

FedEx Express, a subsidiary of the world’s largest express shipping company FedEx Corp, is teaming up with San Francisco-based aviation startup Elroy Air to build the first autonomous vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) aerial cargo system. The first version of the eVTOL aircraft will be able to transport 300 to 500 lbs. of cargo a range of up to 300 miles.

FutureCar Staff 2022-05-06 15:00 PT

Xpeng-backed eVTOL Startup HT Aero Plans to Debut its Two-Seat X2 'Flying Car' in Europe

HT Aero, an aviation startup backed by Chinese electric vehicle startup Xpeng Inc and its CEO and co-founder He Xiaopeng, will officially introduce its X2 “flying car” at an upcoming launch event in Europe. According to Chinese media, HT Aero shipped the X2 aircraft to the Netherlands on March 10 in preparation for its European debut.

Eric Walz2022-04-23 13:30 PT

Swedish Aviation Startup Jetson is Building a $92K ‘Flying Car’ That’s Already Sold Out for 2022

The growing number of electric vertical-take-off-and-landing (eVTOL) aviation startups including Joby Aviation, Volocopter, Lilium and others are betting on a future where drivers can take to the skies in electric flying cars leaving traffic behind on the ground. This new crop of startups includes Swedish startup Jetson, a company that wants to turn ordinary driveways into personal airports.

Eric Walz2022-03-16 15:15 PT

XPeng’s Urban Air Mobility Affiliate HT Aero to Raise $500+ Million in Series A Funding Round

HT Aero, an urban air mobility (UAM) company and an affiliate of Chinese electric vehicle startup XPeng Inc., announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement with a consortium of investors to raise over US$500 million in Series A funding. It will be the largest single-tranche fundraising to date in Asia’s electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) sector.

Eric Walz2021-11-25 10:45 PT

Aviation Startup Lilium and ABB Announce Plans to Build a MegaWatt eVTOL Charging Network

To support its fleet of eVTOL aircraft and a regional high-speed air network, aviation startup Lilium is teaming up with Swiss technology company ABB to build out a charging network for the its veriports. The locations for the network will be in Florida, Brazil and Germany where Lilium plans to launch its air taxi service.

Eric Walz2021-11-19 06:30 PT

HT Aero, an Aviation Company Backed by Chinese EV Startup XPeng, Details its Latest ‘Flying Vehicle’ Named the X2

Aviation company HT Aero, which is backed by Chinese electric automaker XPeng Inc, has unveiled future urban usage scenarios for its fifth-generation eVTOL flying vehicle dubbed the “XPeng X2." The X2 will be presented at the 13th China International Aviation & Aerospace Exhibition (Airshow China 2021) beginning Sept 28 to showcase its abilities.

Eric Walz2021-10-31 14:40 PT

Hyundai Forms a New Urban Air Mobility Division, Hires Former NASA Engineer

South Korean automaker Hyundai Motor Corp announced today it formed a new Urban Air Mobility Division to develop what the automaker calls “smart mobility products” within the aviation industry and Hyundai hired a renowned former NASA engineer to lead it.

Eric Walz2019-11-06 11:00 PT