The Electric Air Revolution

The time is nigh for the advanced air mobility sector.

- Basem Wasef and Michael Verdon

AFTER YEARS OF hype, aviation’s electric revolution has arrived. EHang’s EH216 is expected to be certified this year, the first of a half-dozen electric vertical-takeoff-and-landing (eVTOL) rotorcraft planning to enter the market in 2024 and 2025. A handful of more conventional-looking electric airplanes are aiming for certification at about the same time. Development programmes have been proceeding at breakneck speed for several years, with billions now being poured into the market by investors. Six of the leading companies have already gone public.