Per reporter: Sun Yuting Per intern reporter: Zheng Yuhang Per editor: Gao Han
"Why haven't you arrived yet?" "Where is it so fast, you think I hit 'flying'!"
Nowadays, the "taxi in the air" is getting closer and closer to reality. Recently, according to the Nikkei Shimbun, expo 2025 Osaka hopes to establish a flight taxi line connecting eight destinations, carrying about 20 departures per hour. Flying taxis will connect the osaka Expo site with other places such as Osaka, Kobe, and airports in Kyoto and the surrounding area.
Not only Japan, but more and more countries are actively promoting the development of the air automobile industry. Morgan Stanley predicts that the global autonomous city aircraft market could reach $1.5 trillion by 2040.
What are the biggest obstacles faced by "taxis in the air"? When will it really shine into reality? Can ordinary people get into a flying car? The Daily Economic News reporter interviewed Itoga Akiko, senior public relations manager of German aircraft manufacturer Volocopter, to discuss the feasibility and development of future flying taxis. Founded in 2011, Volocopter was the inventor of the world's first purely electric two-seater helicopter.
Image source: Volocopter official website
Popular tracks
The Japanese government expects that by the 2030s, flying cars will be fully rolled out in urban areas, using Expo 2025 Osaka to promote cutting-edge technologies and pave the way for their real-life adoption. Flying cars can take off and land vertically without a runway, making it a convenient transportation option in the area around Dream Island, where the Osaka World Expo was held. German aircraft manufacturer Volocopter is one of the most promising companies to start service in Japan with local partners.
The Volocopter two-seater air taxi prototype has been tested more than 1,000 private and public flights on several continents since 2016, with the pilot flight car VoloCity starting test flights last December. Ito told the Daily Economic News that the company already has a close cooperation with the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) and has established cooperation with Paris, Singapore and Rome, among others, with the goal of making its first flight at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Coincidentally, time reported that according to a statement from Paris Airport last November, France is also conducting a test project for electric air taxis outside Paris, with the goal of providing two air taxi-specific routes during the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, one of which will connect Charles de Gaulle airport and Le Bourget Airport, and the other will be opened between two suburbs in the southwest of the French capital.
Certification is challenging
In Itowa's view, the biggest challenge facing the flying taxi program is the certification of the aircraft. She told the Daily Economic News, "The challenge we share with other UAM developers in the industry who intend to provide passenger services is whether our aircraft can be certified by the civil aviation department." ”
She adds, "We can only be commercially viable after certification, and then fully launch our services." Currently, we are working with the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) to obtain certification for its safest category, and there is a similar process in Japan, where commercial services need to be confirmed by the Civil Aviation Authority of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (JCAB) before commercial services can be carried out. ”
Ito said that the certification of the aircraft is a very long process, but it is a necessary process for aircraft, passengers, staff and people on land, especially planned to carry out projects in densely populated areas. Other challenges include the need to rapidly develop infrastructure, such as vertical airports, public awareness and acceptance of UAM, support from local governments and businesses, and integration into local airspace (air traffic management).
In addition, the development of Chinese companies in the field of flying cars is also very rapid. The "Daily Economic News" reporter learned that as a company rooted in Guangzhou, the development of its autonomous aerial vehicle in commercial passenger transportation reflects the huge potential of urban air traffic (UAM) in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area. The Nikkei Shimbun also said that japan's domestic air traffic vehicle research progress lags behind China, the United States and Europe, and reported that EHang is building large-scale production facilities for flying cars in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area.
EHang provides a variety of autonomous vehicle products and solutions to customers in many industries around the world, covering urban air traffic (including manned transportation and logistics transportation). The reporter noted that on February 24 this year, the Civil Aviation Administration of China officially issued the "Special Conditions for the EH216-S Unmanned Aerial Vehicle System of EHang", which serves as the basis for the verification of the qualification of the EHang EH216-S model of the autonomous vehicle under EHang Intelligence (EH.US). It is reported that this is the world's first unmanned aerial vehicle system model qualification certification project special conditions.
Can ordinary people afford to sit?
"In terms of cost of use, we believe that there will be a large premium in the cost of flying in the early stages of the air taxi service. However, as more and more people accept UAMs and urban adoption will also make UAMs scalable, we expect that in the long run the cost will be equivalent to today's high-end ride-sharing services, such as the Uber Black service. Ito Jingzi told the "Daily Economic News" reporter. In the interview, she did not disclose the cost of the aircraft itself.
Every reporter learned from the official website of Uber that the so-called Uber Black service, that is, professional drivers provide high-quality taxi services. Its drivers must maintain a minimum rating requirement of 4.85 stars, insure commercial driving insurance, and be equipped with a ride experience in a high-end commercial car, the equivalent of a high-end chauffeur-drive service in the country. Judging from the pricing of a domestic high-end car platform in a first-tier city (Beijing), the charging standard of a Mercedes E-class sedan is 300 yuan within 20 kilometers, and after exceeding 20 kilometers, every 5 minutes, it will be charged 20 yuan; every 5 kilometers, it will be charged 60 yuan.
Ito also mentioned that many governments, cities, investors and partners are now aware that sustainable electric flight is essential for all types of customer travel in the future. Paris, Singapore, Rome, Osaka and others are also stepping up their own roadmaps to accelerate the adoption of UAMs with various public institutions and private sector companies. The planned implementation dates for these cities range from 2024 to mid-2030.
"As for future services, we are very close to being feasible!" Ito Jingzi told the "Daily Economic News" reporter.
Daily economic news
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