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Flying vehicles of the future: Companies racing to develop eVTOL "air taxis" - YouTube
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if you've ever had the fantasy of soaring over聽
bumper-to-bumper traffic in a flying vehicle聽聽
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that may be possible sooner than you聽
think not with a flying car but with聽聽
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a battery-powered aircraft called an evital a聽
clunky acronym for electric vertical takeoff聽聽
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and landing vehicle dozens of companies are聽
spending billions of dollars to make ev tolls聽聽
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that will operate like air taxis taking off聽
and landing from what are called verta ports聽聽
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on the tops of buildings parking garages or聽
helipads in congested cities ev tolls promise聽聽
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a faster safer and greener mode of transportation聽
potentially changing the way we work and live聽聽
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sound too good to be true we went for a joy ride聽
to find out the story will continue in a moment
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i will arm the aircraft if you聽
were ready yeah totally confirmed聽聽
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if this looks like an oversized drone i'm聽
about to take off and that's pretty much聽聽
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what it is breaking ground right there聽
it's a single seat evitol called hexa聽聽
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powered by 18 propellers each with its own聽
battery no jet fuel required you are in control聽聽
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onboard computers automatically adjust for聽
altitude and wind you really feel the wind聽聽
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up here so all i had to do was use a joystick to聽
control hexa's movement and speed it took about聽聽
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30 minutes of pre-flight training to get the聽
hang of it use that yaw to rotate 90 degrees聽聽
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wonderful hexa is still in its testing phase so聽
he had to stay close to chief pilot jace mccown聽聽
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and his ground crew but they say it's flown up to聽
90 feet in the air and 45 miles per hour whenever聽聽
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you're ready you can come back to home the聽
batteries last up to 15 minutes i was going to try聽聽
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to land over the camera yeah absolutely to land i聽
maneuvered hexa into position pressed a button and聽聽
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the computers did the rest right there you are聽
on the ground and the props are spinning down聽聽
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that is cool i can't stop laughing piece of聽
cake that was awesome that is so much fun聽聽
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wow i so just want to like take off with it i know聽
matt chason is ceo of austin based lyft aircraft聽聽
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which makes hexa he envisions a future where聽
it's used by commuters to skip rush hour traffic聽聽
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you can fly 10 miles in 10 minutes instead聽
of spending over an hour on the roads during聽聽
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rush hour congestion would it be something that an聽
individual then in the future owns and flies from聽聽
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their house to somewhere we don't see individual聽
ownership is very practical these are these are聽聽
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very expensive aircraft we see putting fleets of聽
aircraft at locations where we provide maintenance聽聽
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we provide training and people can come in and聽
basically pay per flight but that's still a long聽聽
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way off federal state and local regulators not聽
to mention the nation's airspace aren't ready for聽聽
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hundreds of thousands of commuters piloting their聽
own ev tolls in the skies over congested cities聽聽
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so to give people a taste of the future now jason聽
designed hexa as an ultralight vehicle which means聽聽
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it doesn't have to go through the federal aviation聽
administration's complex certification process but聽聽
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also can't fly over populated areas jason plans to聽
start offering rides to paying customers for 250聽聽
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by the end of this year the initial market聽
you see is essentially joyrides for people聽聽
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yeah i think there's a huge market for聽
people to just experience the thrill and joy聽聽
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of flight around the world all kinds of ev tolls聽
are being developed cargo carriers air ambulances聽聽
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and a whole lot of air taxis some with a pilot聽
some without the air force is investing sows聽聽
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airbus and american airlines and dozens of聽
companies are already working with the faa聽聽
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it's not the flying cars that science fiction聽
movies anticipate it no but when you think about聽聽
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it i look back over the arc of my own career聽
having been a pilot for 42 years and i'm just聽聽
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amazed by the amount of innovation that has taken聽
place billy nolan was head of safety for the faa聽聽
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before being named acting administrator last聽
month how difficult a certification process is聽聽
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there because there's a lot of moving parts to聽
this first we have to certify the design of the聽聽
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of the aircraft itself and then we look at how聽
it will operate is it piloted is it autonomous聽聽
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we look at where we'll operate so that means聽
how do we put it within our nation's airspace so聽聽
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once it's met that safety threshold and only until聽
it's met that safety threshold will be be prepared聽聽
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to certify some evital companies are well on their聽
way we flew in a gas-guzzling helicopter with one聽聽
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of the front-runners in the air taxi arms race joe聽
ben bevert ceo of joby aviation he took us to this聽聽
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remote facility in california where he's testing聽
his ev tall the joby aircraft as we landed it felt聽聽
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like the old guard meeting the new obviously it's聽
a combination of a helicopter and a plane exactly聽聽
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so it can take off like a helicopter but it flies聽
with the efficiency of an airplane bevert has been聽聽
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working on the joby for more than a decade it has聽
six propellers and four batteries in its wings聽聽
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and will operate as an air taxi carrying a pilot聽
and 4 passengers he says it can fly 150 miles on聽聽
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a single charge and has a top speed of around 200聽
miles an hour why this design so vertical takeoff聽聽
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is important so we can take you to where you want聽
to go right we don't need a huge runway and then聽聽
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with the wing it gives you the efficiency to fly聽
far and to fly fast you're cleared flight flex聽聽
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alpha blow because it's still being tested the聽
joby was piloted remotely by a nearby ground crew聽聽
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for flight when they fired up the motors unlike聽
a helicopter the joby didn't need time to warm up聽聽
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it took off in about 20 seconds that's it that's聽
really quiet we wanted this to sound more like聽聽
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the wind in the trees than the whop whop of a聽
helicopter noise levels are a critical issue since聽聽
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evitals are meant to take off and land near where聽
people work and live this is below the background聽聽
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noise level of many cities you know i go around聽
with my decimal meter on my phone and like measure聽聽
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sound levels that's what you've been doing for 10聽
years exactly because we needed to make sure that聽聽
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the aircraft was going to be quiet enough bevert聽
studied mechanical engineering at stanford where聽聽
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he invented this popular flexible camera tripod聽
and later created a company that made flying聽聽
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wind turbines but the joby had remained an聽
elusive dream there was definitely skeptics聽聽
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even you know good friends of mine who聽
didn't believe that you could make this with聽聽
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batteries and electrical propulsion the battery聽
technology just wasn't there it wouldn't work yeah聽聽
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bevert hired john wagner away from tesla where he聽
helped develop the car's revolutionary batteries聽聽
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to joby he figured out a way to make the聽
batteries lighter but still powerful enough聽聽
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to get the two tiny vtol off the ground you聽
had to play to the strengths of battery power聽聽
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and the strengths of electric motors so typical聽
aircraft might have one big motor but we can have聽聽
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six motors distributed throughout the aircraft聽
and in that way operate in a much more efficient聽聽
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manner the weight of everything must be the most聽
important thing absolutely so how do you make聽聽
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a plane as light as possible you essentially聽
have to engineer every piece of it聽聽
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the outside of the joby is made with聽
layers of lightweight carbon fiber聽聽
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the batteries as well as computers electronics and聽
motors are constructed under john wagner's watch聽聽
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and his team shakes bakes and spins them to ensure聽
they'll meet the faa's rigorous safety standards聽聽
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they have to certify the aircraft聽
as being safe and capable of flying聽聽
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to their standards they also have to certify the聽
production of all the parts of it exactly and the聽聽
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operation the pilot training the maintenance steps聽
every facet is heavily regulated all this costs a聽聽
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lot of money toyota has invested about 400 million聽
dollars in joby and bevert took the company public聽聽
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last year i think the texture is good billionaire聽
paul ciara co-founder of the website pinterest has聽聽
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also put in a small fortune he's joby's executive聽
chairman and says they'll launch in up to three聽聽
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cities and that passengers will eventually end up聽
paying around three to four dollars a mile to fly聽聽
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a little more than an average uber ride can you聽
just take me through as a passenger what it looks聽聽
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like i want to get to jfk airport it's bumper to聽
bumper traffic what do i do take out your phone聽聽
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pull out an app and with one click you're booking聽
the whole trip so a car is coming to wherever you聽聽
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are in manhattan it's taking you to the takeoff聽
and landing location the verta port and you're聽聽
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hopping in your joby and it's flying you to your聽
final destination now maybe there's a car at the聽聽
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other end or you're just walking to the tail end聽
if people are taking cars to and from vertiports聽聽
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doesn't that just add to congestion if we're聽
able to you know take out 80 percent of the miles聽聽
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that people might be traveling and move聽
those miles from congested roads to the air聽聽
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i think that's going to have an impact but just聽
a few weeks after we saw this joby aircraft fly聽聽
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it crashed in february due to what federal聽
investigators called a component failure聽聽
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no one was hurt but the ev toll was totaled聽
bevert says that's all part of the testing process聽聽
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and is as optimistic now as he was when we聽
interviewed him how far are you from getting聽聽
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the first joby in the sky with passengers聽
so we are launching our service in 2024. you聽聽
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think you can do it that quickly yes there聽
have been a lot of companies that have said聽聽
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oh we're going to do this in two years and聽
then it doesn't happen we're very confident聽聽
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there's a lot of confidence over at wisc聽
arrow as well though the ev tall they're聽聽
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developing will be even more complicated to bring聽
to market because it's fully autonomous there'll聽聽
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be passengers but no pilot on board you're聽
not just figuring out an electric vehicle聽聽
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you're figuring out a fully autonomous聽
vehicle that's right we're going for it
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you and i talked about that ceo gary guyson聽
says they're on track to spend about two billion聽聽
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dollars the company is bankrolled by boeing and聽
google co-founder larry page they've been testing聽聽
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the technology for the last eight years control聽
zap in position for liftoff so how many test聽聽
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flights have you actually done so close close to聽
1600 test flights without you know knock on wood聽聽
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without an incident selecting liftoff we watched聽
one of those test flights in hollister california聽聽
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a team of engineers about half a mile away聽
started the vtol with the click of a mouse
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the entire route was pre-programmed
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why autonomous why go this route so we're going聽
straight to south flying several reasons one it's聽聽
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safer safer he says because most plane accidents聽
involve human error much of commercial aviation is聽聽
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already automated and guyson sees the entire聽
e-vitol industry going that way eventually聽聽
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he's determined to get there first we do it聽
primarily from a safety perspective but also scale聽聽
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so if you don't have a pilot in the aircraft it's聽
less expensive you don't have to do pilot training聽聽
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you're flying four passengers um we can charge聽
less we don't want this to be a premium helicopter聽聽
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like service we want this to be a service that's聽
affordable to the masses there is a hurdle聽聽
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psychologically for people to get into an aircraft聽
that does not have a human at the controls聽聽
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of course and so what we're trying to do with that聽
is each passenger can be in verbal communication聽聽
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with the ground they can be talking to a pilot聽
whenever they want to so it's all designed to聽聽
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provide comfort it will take time this isn't going聽
to happen overnight gysen wants to launch west's聽聽
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four-seater air taxi service in the world's 20聽
busiest cities within the next decade wheels down聽聽
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you don't give a date of when you think you'll聽
be operational yeah you know why we don't do that聽聽
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because we are not in control of that part the faa聽
is in europe it's called yasa they're in charge聽聽
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so when they certify aircraft to fly that's when聽
you fly the faa won't say when an autonomous ev聽聽
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toll might be certified but acting administrator聽
billy nolan told us hailing a piloted air taxi by聽聽
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2024 is well within the realm of possibility the聽
challenge for us is to make sure that innovation聽聽
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doesn't come at the expense of safety but聽
clearly we are seeing the emergence of聽聽
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something that's fantastic i think this is real i聽
mean this is no longer just the stuff of fantasy聽聽
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we want to be very careful we want to be very聽
measured but you're absolutely right this is聽聽
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real and this is happening we've come a long way聽
from where we were just you know a mere decade ago
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it's really cool taking聽
flight with anderson cooper聽聽
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at 60 minutes overtime dot聽
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