tech
Dozens of startups are building battery-powered aircraft that rise straight up like a helicopter but fly quietly on electric rotors.
eVTOL stands for electric vertical take-off and landing, describing battery-powered aircraft designed to rise straight up like a helicopter before flying forward quietly on electric rotors, aiming to serve as short-hop air taxis within congested cities. Companies developing these aircraft hope their quieter operation and lower emissions compared to helicopters will make regular urban air travel more socially and environmentally acceptable.
Maglev refers to magnetically levitated trains that glide above a track using magnetic force, an entirely different ground-based transportation technology. SSTO stands for single-stage-to-orbit, a concept for spacecraft that reach orbit without discarding rocket stages, unrelated to short urban flights.
Several eVTOL companies reached important certification milestones in the mid-2020s, a necessary step before any of these aircraft can legally carry paying passengers on regular routes.
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