Australian aircraft builder AMSL Aero has cut the tether on its Vertiia eVTOL, unleashing a new generation of taxis that can fly.
The craft, an electric vertical takeoff and landing design, has successfully completed its first "free" flight following 50 tests using a safety cord. But more impressively, the box-winged flyer runs on cleaner hydrogen fuel, according to a story by New Atlas.
Vertiia has a "uniquely Australian design," as AMSL describes on the company website. A torpedo-shaped cabin is surrounded by eight tiltable propellers, which are connected by a box-shaped rigging.
The propellers are powered by a hydrogen fuel cell, which produces only electricity, water vapor, and heat. That's right, no planet-warming fumes. Vertiia's power is "buffered through a battery system," according to New Atlas and hydrogen facts from the U.S. Department of Energy.
The craft can travel 620 miles at a maximum speed of 186 mph. It has the "ability to carry a pilot and four passengers at 30% of the cost of a conventional helicopter," New Atlas's David Szondy wrote.
The performance is partly thanks to its compact carbon composite material and unique design. Wing tilt reduces drag, maximizing speed. The V-tail shape provides higher speeds and better safety. What's more, a modular concept allows for variety in configuration, all per AMSL.
The craft is billed as a taxi of the future. But photos on the AMSL website showed it serving as an apparent emergency medical transport, as well. The interior looks clean, comfortable, and high-tech, matching the exterior.
It's a similar concept to California-based Joby Aviation's eVTOL. Joby is working with Toyota to bring its flying taxi to market, with successful test flights already completed. Beta Technologies is developing similar vehicles in Vermont.
The technology is developing at a fast pace, evidenced by Federal Aviation Administration action in the sector. The agency is preparing for eVTOLs to be in the skies "at scale at one or more sites" by 2028, according to a fact sheet.
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In addition to faster travel, the cleaner rides can help to cut air pollution when replacing fuel-burning trips in the air and on the ground. Air travel generates around 2.5% of planet-warming carbon dioxide emissions, contributing "around 4% to global warming to date," according to Our World in Data. The flyers could also prevent the use of gas-burning cars on certain trips. The average gas vehicle spews more than 12,000 pounds of heat-trapping fumes each year, per government data.
There are plenty of human health benefits realized by curbing the warming gases in our air. And if the flyers ever become a form of public transportation, they could provide significant travel cost savings, as well.
For its part, Vertiia first went airborne in 2023 with a tethered flight powered by a battery. Using hydrogen in a fuel cell addresses some of the criticism about the gas raised by the Sierra Club. The watchdog noted that hydrogen produces nitrogen oxide when combusted, which can impact human lung health.
While most hydrogen in the United States is made with a process using dirty fuels, cleaner gas can be created by leveraging electrolysis to split it from water molecules. Best-case systems use renewable energy to power the setups, all per the Energy Information Administration.
At AMSL, "hydrogen-powered flights will begin next year and commercial flights are slated to begin after full regulatory approval by 2027," Szondy wrote.
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