Are electric air taxis ready for takeoff? Maybe sooner than you think | CBC News

Imagine you’re about to order an Uber to the airport, but there’s terrible traffic. Instead, you click “air taxi” on your smartphone, and walk a few blocks to a parking garage. You head up to the roof, where an aircraft that looks like a giant drone picks you up.Within minutes, it drops you and a handful of other passengers at the airport to catch your flight.That’s the potential of eVTOLs, or electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft  — and the aviation industry says it won’t be long before they take to the skies commercially.These battery-powered aircraft will move cargo and passengers between the city, the suburbs, and airports, says Jon Rimanelli, CEO of Airspace Experience Technologies.His Detroit-based company is one of dozens building eVTOLs, technology that’s getting more attention as cutting greenhouse gas emissions from burning fossil fuels becomes a global priority.The eVTOL by Archer Aviation called Maker completing a test flight in December 2021. (Archer Aviation)”Traffic is a big problem, right? It’s not only taking up our time and anxiety, it’s creating carbon emissions … it’s hurting our environment,” he says. “We have to do something different.”Air taxis still have a limited range because of their battery capacity, but some can cover a…
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