The UK is doing its part to make sure air taxis are no longer just the dreams.
Earlier this week, the UK government approved Hyundai and Urban Air Port to build the world’s first eVTOL hub. The institution will launch later this year, and will not only serve as a haven for eVTOL crafts and autonomous delivery bumblebees, but also to showcase the full potential of sustainable urban air mobility in the UK and beyond.
While the development of eVTOL has progressed far over the past decade, there is still no real aircraft infrastructure. But thanks to a £ 1.2 million (approximately $ 1.65 million) grant from the UK Research and Innovation’s Future Flight Challenge, Hyundai and Urban Air Port will now proceed with plans to build a temporary airport in Coventry city center , in central England, to build. According to Reuters, from November this year, the Air-One Center will host live demonstrations intended to show how eVTOLs can be used for passenger transport, autonomous logistics and disaster management.
The site also takes up less space and uses fewer resources than a traditional helicopter farm or airport, according to a press release. Because there is no runway, Hyundai says its physical footprint will be 60 percent smaller. It will also emit no carbon emissions and may also be completely inoperative if needed.
Urban Air Port praised the decision of the United Kingdom and said that it moves the beauty of urban air mobility so much closer to reality. Cars need roads. Trains need rails. Airplanes need airports. eVTOLs require Urban Air Ports. “More than a hundred years ago, the world’s first commercial flight took off, creating the modern connected world,” founder Ricky Sandhu said in a statement. “Urban Air Port will improve connectivity in our cities, increase productivity and help the UK take the lead in a new, clean world economy.”
Urban Air Port sees the Coventry hub as just the beginning of a much bigger and more ambitious project. The company says it hopes to develop another 200 eVTOL ports over the next five years, both in the UK and abroad. The era of the air taxi is about to begin.