Bye Bye Yellow Cabs: You Could Soon Commute Via Electric Helicopter Taxis In NYC
Blade, a short-distance aviation company, is testing a new ride option for New Yorkers to perform their daily commutes. And as you may have guessed, it bypasses all the city’s traffic!
The company, in partnership with BETA Technologies, successfully launched a test flight in February for the first electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) at Westchester county airport in White Plains, NY, reported electrek.
“This demonstration is a big milestone in our transition from helicopters to electric vertical aircraft, and we are pleased that our partners at BETA have designed the right aircraft with the requisite range, capacity, and noise profile, for use in our key markets, including our homebase of New York City,” said CEO of Blade, Rob Wiesenthal.
An electric motor allows for a quite landing, not to mention, a more cost-effective and carbon-neutral aircraft. And according to electrek, the special aircraft, otherwise known as ALIA-250 EVA, has been under development for three years.
With Blade’s goal to “make aviation more accessible by preparing for the adoption of EVA (Electric Vertical Aircraft),” the company announced in April 2021 their plan to purchase 20 of the first ALIA-250 passenger eVTOL with the intention to use them for air taxi purposes across the U.S.
This isn’t the first time NYC has been rumored to embark in the venture of air taxis, as German start-up Lilium has proposed possible Uber-like jet travel by 2025.
Currently, Blade is best known for taking passengers from Manhattan to an NYC airport in just five minutes, bookable by-the-seat. Could you imagine that kind of speed for your morning commute!?
According to Blade’s website, “Whether you’re traveling by helicopter, seaplane or jet, BLADE is the most time-efficient, cost-effective and inspiring way to mitigate urban travel pain points that have increasingly become a significant part of our daily lives.”
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