Remember when flying cars were the stuff of sci-fi dreams, typically involving someone in a chrome jumpsuit? Well, hold onto your jetpacks, because air taxis could be ferrying people around U.S. cities as early as this year. Yes, this year.
Two companies, Archer Aviation and Joby Aviation, are leading the charge, both deeply entwined with the FAA's eVTOL Integration Pilot Program. That's the government's way of saying, "Let's figure out how to get these fancy flying contraptions into our crowded skies without causing chaos."
Archer Aviation's CEO, Adam Goldstein, isn't shy about his ambitions. He envisions half a million people in major cities ditching traffic for air commutes daily. Because apparently that's where we are now: solving traffic with… more traffic, but in the sky.
We're a new kind of news feed.
Regular news is designed to drain you. We're a non-profit built to restore you. Every story we publish is scored for impact, progress, and hope.
Start Your News DetoxReady for Boarding (Almost)
Archer has already submitted its wish list to the FAA, requesting initial air taxi deployments in about a dozen cities across Southern California, Texas, and Florida. Goldstein is eagerly awaiting the U.S. Department of Transportation's final decision, after which Archer will roll up its sleeves with the chosen cities to get everything ready. Public flights could kick off by the second half of this year.
Not to be outdone, Joby Aviation recently showed off its chops with demonstration flights right over New York City. CEO JoeBen Bevirt announced they're busy installing charging stations at two Manhattan heliports – because even flying vehicles need a pit stop. Joby is also collaborating with Orlando International Airport to build a dedicated "vertiport." No word yet on whether they'll have duty-free.
Meanwhile, Boeing's Wisk Aero, another player in the FAA's program, is taking a slightly different approach. While Archer and Joby are putting pilots in their futuristic cockpits, Wisk is aiming for full autonomy. Their latest pilotless aircraft just aced its tests in Hollister, California, with a commercial launch projected for 2030. Because nothing says "relaxing commute" like a robot flying your plane.
Then there's Supernal, Hyundai's air mobility division, which just appointed a new Chief Technology Officer, Farhan Gandhi. This news comes after reports earlier this year that Supernal had trimmed a rather significant 80% of its staff. The company claims Gandhi's arrival marks a "new phase of focused technical execution," which, if you think about it, is both impressive and slightly terrifying given the prior headcount reduction. One can only imagine the pressure.
So, while we're not quite at The Jetsons level yet, it seems the future of getting around might just involve a whole lot less asphalt and a whole lot more sky.
