NASA begins trails for first-ever electric air taxi; to be tested across two weeks

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has collaborated with indigenous aerospace company Joby Aviation to layout their first-ever electric flying taxi. Planned under the space agency's Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) campaign, the vehicle named all-electric vertical takeoff and vertical landing (eVTOL) will be tested across two weeks at Joby's Electric Flight Base at California's Big Sur. Interestingly, the car-sized rotorcraft consists of six rotors and can travel up to 240 kilometres in a single stretch at a speed of 320 kph. 

"We're incredibly proud to have worked closely with NASA on electric flights over the past 10 years and to be the first eVTOL company to fly as part of the campaign", said the California-based startup's founder and CEO Joe Ben Bevirt.

Why the flying taxi?

According to the collaborators, the aerial vehicle, soon to transport cargo and crew, is being designed to produce minimal noise with maximum efficiency and most importantly, to avoid hectic traffic jams in urban settings. Reportedly, NASA will work on diminishing the eVTOL's noisiness following comparisons to conventional helicopters and drones, via its Mobile Acoustics Facility that uses over 50 ground-plate microphones arranged in a grid array. Besides, the blades of the rotors have already been designed in such a way that allows the helicopter to adjust blade spin, tilt and the blade vortex, the sound generating phenomenon. 

In the official company statement, Bevit said, "From day one we prioritised building an aircraft that not only has an extremely low noise profile but blends seamlessly into the natural environment. We have always believed that a minimal acoustic footprint is key to making aviation a convenient part of the everyday movement...and we're excited to fly with NASA...to demonstrate the acoustic profile of our aircraft". Besides, Bevit also endorsed the process saying, "NASA's AAM campaign is critical to driving scientific understanding and public acceptance of eVTOL aircraft." 

Why Joby Aviation?

Reportedly, Bevit's company has been in the business of testing full-scale prototypes since 2017 with more than 1,000 test flights in its portfolio. Besides, it also recently went public as it entered the New York stock exchange. The success of this collaborative project might also provide a thrust to Joby's attempt to acquire certification from the U.S Federal Aviation Administration by 2023 and ultimately pierce the commercial passenger service market by early 2024.