by Donald Wood
Last updated: 10:11 AM ET, Thu September 8, 2022
United Airlines announced a $15 million investment in flying taxis through Eve Air Mobility.
The carrier also revealed a conditional purchase agreement for 200 four-seat electric aircraft plus 200 options, expecting the first deliveries as early as 2026. Last month, United also gave a $10 million deposit to a California-based eVTOL company for 100 aircraft.
Under the agreement with Eve Air Mobility, United intends to work on future eVTOLs projects (electric vertical take-off and landing vehicle), including studies on the development, use and application of Eve's aircraft and the urban air mobility (UAM) ecosystem.
"United has made early investments in several cutting-edge technologies at all levels of the supply chain, staking out our position as a leader in aviation sustainability and innovation," United Airlines Ventures Michael Leskinen said.
"United is making history again by becoming the first major airline to publicly invest in two eVTOL companies," Leskinen continued. "Our agreement with Eve highlights our confidence in the urban air mobility market and serves as another important benchmark toward our goal of net zero carbon emissions by 2050 - without using traditional offsets."
Rather than relying on traditional combustion engines, eVTOL aircraft are designed to use electric motors, providing carbon-free flights and to be used as air taxis in urban markets. Eve's design uses conventional fixed wings, rotors and pushers, giving it a practical and intuitive lift-plus-cruise design, which favors safety, efficiency, reliability and certifiability.
With a range of 60 miles, the vehicle has the potential not only to offer a sustainable commute but also to reduce noise levels by 90 percent compared to current conventional aircraft. Eve is also creating a new air traffic management solution designed for the UAM industry to scale safely.
"Together, we believe our suite of clean energy technologies will revolutionize air travel as we know it and serve as the catalyst for the aviation industry to move toward a sustainable future," Leskinen said.
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