New York intends to have electric air taxis by 2025

[Cal Jeffrey]

Meet George Jetson: Cartoons lied to us. Weren't we supposed to have flying cars zipping us to work by now? Well, better late than never. New York announced plans to upgrade its electric vehicle infrastructure, including charging stations for air taxis. At least one company plans to take to Manhattan skies by 2025.

On Monday, transportation startup Joby Aviation conducted a demo flight of its six-prop electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft in New York City. The exhibition was part of a press conference held by NYC Mayor Eric Adams.

Joby's air taxis are not currently autonomous. Veteran pilot James "Buddy" Denham performed the demo flight. Denham is Joby's chief test pilot for its onboard testing phase, which started in early October. Up until then, Joby conducted test flights remotely from the ground. The startup is currently in the third of five stages of FAA certification.

Currently, the Manhattan heliport does not have the infrastructure to support electric flights. However, Mayor Adams promised the city was working on this.

"Today, we are taking sustainability to the sky and our streets, and New Yorkers can feel the electricity in the air in our city as we electrify our heliport infrastructure," Adams said. "Our vision for the Downtown Manhattan Heliport will create the world's first heliport with infrastructure for electric-powered aircraft and put this public asset to work for New Yorkers as a hub for sustainable transportation and local deliveries."

If everything goes accordingly, Joby plans to offer commercial flights to and from the Downtown Manhattan Heliport to JFK Airport by 2025. The trip should only take about seven minutes, with a five-minute pause to recharge the eVTOL at the heliport.

However, its plans partly depend on city officials selecting it as its official eVTOL provider. Rival air taxi startup Volocopter is also in the running to offer commercial flights in New York. It has an 18-prop two-seater fully autonomous eVTOL that has logged over 2,000 test flights. However, whether the public and city officials are ready for autonomous air vehicles is debatable.

Level 5 ground vehicles have struggled to gain public and government trust for several years. Unfortunately, every time there is a mishap, it seems to set the test programs back years.

Whether the public is ready or not, Mayor Adams has dreams of the New York skyline filled with autonomous and piloted eVTOLs – even ones flown by everyday civilians.

"You know, within our lifetime, many of you are going own your own personal electric helicopter," Adams predicted.

However, he also indirectly acknowledged that fear might be the biggest hurdle facing these dreams.

"I can't thank Andrew, EDC, and our amazing deputy mayor enough for realizing that we cannot be afraid of the future," the mayor said. "This must be a city of yes where we lean into the possibilities of not only what we do on the ground, but what we do in our skies."

Permalink to story.

https://www.techspot.com/news/100842-new-york-intends-have-first-commercial-electric-air.html

 

[m4a4]

"You know, within our lifetime, many of you are going own your own personal electric helicopter," Adams predicted.

Must be talking to the millionaires. There's no way that the average person will be able to afford their own air vehicle, especially in NY.

 

[NicktheWVAHick]

Back on the ground, I’ll be waiting to read about the first “fly-by shooting”.

 

[Cal Jeffrey]

Must be talking to the millionaires. There's no way that the average person will be able to afford their own air vehicle, especially in NY.

Honestly, I don't see "air cars" becoming a thing in our lifetime no matter how easy a company makes them to fly. I'd put Vegas money on it.

 

[Theinsanegamer]

Honestly, I don't see "air cars" becoming a thing in our lifetime no matter how easy a company makes them to fly. I'd put Vegas money on it.

People can't handle 2D driving today! Something as simple as "leave room to merge" is too complicated for most. There's a reason we require commercial licensing for pilots. Hundreds of thousands of air cars, with all the maintenance and care of cars today, would be.......

 

[Trapped Nowhere]

Why don't politicians ever put this kind of energy into furthering educational standards and maintaining healthy lifestyles and communities to boost morale. Do voters not like that kind of stuff or something? I'll never understand politics

 

[BuckarooBonzaii]

With all the pressing issues and problems NY has I would think the money and time would be spent more wisely.

 

[OortCloud]

Madness. The noise these things make.
Another toy for rich businessmen to flex and skip the traffic on the office commute. They need to be banned.

 

[Gars]

Good news for the mass shooters

 

[FaTaL]

Social media will never let us leave the ground. If airplanes became commercialized 5 years ago instead of 50, there'd be 3 airports in the world and about 30 people using em.

 

[TomSEA]

You first...

 

[Gastec]

Gov. Eric Adams: "Within our lifetime, many of you are going [to] own your own personal electric helicopter".
To be read: Within your lifetime, many of us are going [to] own our own personal electric helicopter.

 

[RudyBob]

I already have ten.

 

[masaaya4]

Why don't politicians ever put this kind of energy into furthering educational standards and maintaining healthy lifestyles and communities to boost morale. Do voters not like that kind of stuff or something? I'll never understand politics

fixing the problems you mentioned would cost an obscene amount of money and incur alot if criticism for why the problems are not getting fixed as promised.

talking about taxi helicopters and how everyone will own a personal helicopter doesn't cost nearly as much, it's not a concrete promiss yet and it distracts people from the real problems that the politicians can't or won't fix.

 

[toooooot]

I am curious to know if they will have routs rather than free flying. I don't think these should be allowed in some areas, most actually. If they fly along the roads, they would probably have a better chance to land and not hurt anyone else.

 

[toooooot]

Back on the ground, I’ll be waiting to read about the first “fly-by shooting”.

There is no way these machines will not be overly regulated thus making them inaccessible for select individuals.

This still another problem brewing. With easier piloting, less security, these are another tool for terrorist attacks.

 

[3volv3d]

fixing the problems you mentioned would cost an obscene amount of money and incur alot if criticism for why the problems are not getting fixed as promised.

talking about taxi helicopters and how everyone will own a personal helicopter doesn't cost nearly as much, it's not a concrete promiss yet and it distracts people from the real problems that the politicians can't or won't fix.

Because they could fix it with money, but they want the money, because being able to keep it for yourself for a mansion, bugatti, is far more amazing than actually being a hero and saving lives.
Plus you don't save cattle, you farm them. You are farmed for production and taxes.
Read my new book " Know your place! " from all good retail outlets. And don't forget its 20% tax

 

[pizzacat]

Heyyy im walkin.....heyy im flyin here!!

 

[winjer]

They misplaced a number. It's 2205.

 

[WhoCaresAnymore]

This is the funniest article I have read in a while. Just wait till they drop someone off in the hood. That thing won't leave the ground. It will be looted for every part until it sits there with a dangling battery cable.

 

[Theinsanegamer]

Why don't politicians ever put this kind of energy into furthering educational standards and maintaining healthy lifestyles and communities to boost morale. Do voters not like that kind of stuff or something? I'll never understand politics

Because actually fixing the problems you have mentioned entails telling people they are doing it wrong. That they need to stop embracing hedonistic lifestyles; stop eating obscene amounts of fast food, stop drinking soda alcohol, ece; start moving your body. Stop sitting inside playing videogames or watching TV.

Start taking care of your neighborhoods, start being responsible with your money, stop having kids without being married, stop embracing single motherhood and stop embracing criminal ideology of "I deserve, therefore I take" that plagues bad neighborhoods. Stop raising your children to be victims; stop blaming your situation on everyone else. Take an active role in your childs education and actually RAISE them.

I could go on. All these things would fix a majority of society's problems. The issue is, most of this would coincide with a drop in pointless consumer luxury spending, which drives entire industries (the entertainment industry and its tendrils, fast food, designer clothes, ece) which would wreck tax revenue for the government and the incomes of the 1%. It would also lead people to noticing how terribly their governments are run, demanding all the taxes they pay to be used on fixing street sand sidewalks, repair crumbling infrastructure, and make noticeable improvements rather then fund politicians pork projects.

It also, crucially, would require governments to punish criminals and actually ENFORCE punishments for criminal activity, which is not only very expensive, but flies in the face of modern religious dogma, which would cause major societal tears if questioned.

Better to simply allow the system to rot so they can make more money and gain more power while not actually fixing anything. As Masaaya4 said, its a lot easier to promote something that will never happen like flying cars

 

[WhoCaresAnymore]

Because actually fixing the problems you have mentioned entails telling people they are doing it wrong. That they need to stop embracing hedonistic lifestyles; stop eating obscene amounts of fast food, stop drinking soda alcohol, ece; start moving your body. Stop sitting inside playing videogames or watching TV.

Start taking care of your neighborhoods, start being responsible with your money, stop having kids without being married, stop embracing single motherhood and stop embracing criminal ideology of "I deserve, therefore I take" that plagues bad neighborhoods. Stop raising your children to be victims; stop blaming your situation on everyone else. Take an active role in your childs education and actually RAISE them.

Damn. Nailed it!

 

[wiyosaya]

Because actually fixing the problems you have mentioned entails telling people they are doing it wrong. That they need to stop embracing hedonistic lifestyles; stop eating obscene amounts of fast food, stop drinking soda alcohol, ece; start moving your body. Stop sitting inside playing videogames or watching TV.

Start taking care of your neighborhoods, start being responsible with your money, stop having kids without being married, stop embracing single motherhood and stop embracing criminal ideology of "I deserve, therefore I take" that plagues bad neighborhoods. Stop raising your children to be victims; stop blaming your situation on everyone else. Take an active role in your childs education and actually RAISE them.

I could go on. All these things would fix a majority of society's problems. The issue is, most of this would coincide with a drop in pointless consumer luxury spending, which drives entire industries (the entertainment industry and its tendrils, fast food, designer clothes, ece) which would wreck tax revenue for the government and the incomes of the 1%. It would also lead people to noticing how terribly their governments are run, demanding all the taxes they pay to be used on fixing street sand sidewalks, repair crumbling infrastructure, and make noticeable improvements rather then fund politicians pork projects.

It also, crucially, would require governments to punish criminals and actually ENFORCE punishments for criminal activity, which is not only very expensive, but flies in the face of modern religious dogma, which would cause major societal tears if questioned.

Better to simply allow the system to rot so they can make more money and gain more power while not actually fixing anything. As Masaaya4 said, its a lot easier to promote something that will never happen like flying cars

Most of this would require people to wake up from the fantasy that society has sold them and take responsibility for their lives. Why would they do that when the fantasy says, "just another pin-prick but you might feel a little sick"

Its much easier to take that pill they have been sold than to actually take responsibility for their own lives.

 

[DDG4005]

Actually, it's Mayor Eric Adams (correcting the title).

 

[Bobbygdue]

Why don't politicians ever put this kind of energy into furthering educational standards and maintaining healthy lifestyles and communities to boost morale. Do voters not like that kind of stuff or something? I'll never understand politics

People who are into politics aren't really concerned about the things that will make the country better they are only concerned with how their party is better than the other one. While both being self-serving groups that don't actually move the rest of the country forward.