Vertical Aerospace, a British start-up developing ‘flying taxis’, has claimed that it is within just 4 years of being able to offer commuting services of up to 100 miles. The company this week revealed the commercial plan for its winged taxi prototype VA-1X, an electric-powered aircraft with a 15-metre wingspan, 8 rotors and cruising speed of 150 mph. The flying taxi’s capacity is 4 passengers plus pilot.

The VA-1X will run on lithium-ion batteries and will be able to make the 47-mile Brighton to London commute in just 30 minutes – half the time of the train journey. Initial test flights are planned for next year.

Bristol-based Vertical Aerospace (VA) is competing in an increasingly crowded space of multiple start-ups competing to design commercially viable eVTOL (electrical vertical take-off and landing) aircraft. The vehicles are zero emission and launch like a drone from a standing position. Smaller start-ups such as VA face tough competition in the form of the US air force and Uber, whose Elevate unit, which is designing eVTOL models, is comprised of ex-NASA engineers. Uber’s aircraft are being designed to take-off from the top of car parks.

Despite the well-funded competition, VA hopes to steal a march on other start-ups by becoming the first company to have an eVTOL certified by the European Aviation Safety Agency and UK Civil Aviation Authority. If certification is achieved, it will be under a new framework of regulations that has been developed specifically for the new generation of eVTOL aircraft currently in design and prototype stages of development.

The certification framework is, however, onerous and demands eVTOL aircraft have the same safety standards as commercial planes and prove themselves at least 100 times safer than light aircraft or helicopters. Vertical Aerospace has already conducted two test flights of models which preceded the VA-1X, with the approval of the Civil Aviation Authority.

VA chief executive Michael Cervenka stated confidently:

“There’s a lot of hype in this space, but the reality is, we’ll be one of, if not the first, globally [to get approval]. There’s a real opportunity for us to have an impact in spearheading the UK’s renaissance into this exciting new sustainable aviation world.”

The start-ups funding has, in the majority, come from the personal wealth of founder Stephen Fitzpatrick, who made his money through Bristol-based energy supply chain company Ovo Energy. However, he now hopes to raise a further £150 million in development finance from outside investors.

CEO Mr Cervenka is well qualified to lead VA having previously worked on a flying taxi concept for engineering giant Rolls-Royce. The start-up plans to partner with other companies to provide its aircraft as an upmarket taxi service. Initially, flights are expected to cost £10 per mile per person, eventually being brought down to £5.

That would mean the journey from Brighton to London costing around £470 per passenger. Probably out of reach of most for the daily commute! Individual aircraft are also expected to be sold to high net worth individuals. Trips are expected to be significantly shorter than the VA-1X’s 100 mile range and mainly carrying passengers who wish to avoid congestions. As Mr Cervenka explains:

“I think there are lots of opportunities for doing 15 to 25 miles. When I was in Bangalore last year, it took me three hours to travel just 30 miles due to traffic. There are lots of those kinds of examples where actually you don’t have to fly very far, but the fact you’re getting up and off the ground and flying direct at 150 miles an hour, you’re offering a huge time saving.”

In terms of its design, the VA-1X differs from other eVTOL designs in that it has wings as well as propellers. That means it can fly faster and can also take off or land like a plane, as well as vertically. The downside is the wingspan means it will have to launch from either helipads or airports.

For the foreseeable future, flying taxis are expected to be a premium service only affordable for the wealthy. The big hurdle to bringing down the cost of trips is the cost of the pilot, which start-ups in the space hope can eventually be replaced by automation technology. But will passengers be willing to fly in a small aircraft completely controlled by technology?

It will probably be another couple of decades before driverless flying taxis are affordable to a mass market.