Tag Archives: Commercial Vehicles

Delta invests in air taxi startup Joby to enable home-to-airport flights

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Flying taxi startup Joby Aviation just landed a deal that could make your ride to the airport much more enjoyable. Delta is investing a total of up to $200 million in Joby in exchange for a home-to-airport flight service. Instead of hailing a car or paying for parking, you can have an eVTOL (electric vertical takeoff and landing) aircraft take you to the terminal without the usual traffic hassles.

The service will initially be available to Delta passengers travelling through New York City and Los Angeles, and will operate for at least five years after launch. It will exist alongside Joby's regular airport service in "priority" areas.

This represents a significant boost for Joby. It was the first eVTOL company to get key FAA certifications for airworthiness and carrier service, and now it's signing a "first-of-its-kind" (according to the companies) agreement with a US airline. The move could give Joby an edge over rivals like Archer and Wisk Aero that are waiting for FAA certifications or major commercial partnerships.

Joby has also been growing quickly compared to many competitors. It received $394 million from Toyota in early 2020, and bought Uber's air taxi business late that same year. NASA began flight testing the firm's eVTOLs in summer 2021. Simply put, it's in a good position to make flying taxis a practical reality.

Wisk Aero’s latest flying taxi has four seats and can fly itself

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Wisk Aero has unveiled its 6th-generation semi-autonomous air taxi, calling it the "first-ever candidate for type certification by the FAA of an autonomous eVTOL." The design looks like a substantially updated version of the "Cora" air taxi we first saw fly and hover in New Zealand back in 2018. However, the company didn't show any flight or detail the certification progress.

According to Wisk, the four-seat aircraft can cruise between 110 and 120 knots (138 MPH) at a height of 2,500 to 4,000 feet above ground level. It's a VTOL (vertical takeoff and landing) aircraft with a 12-propeller design, featuring tilting propulsion units in front and fixed units aft for lift. It offers up to 90 miles of range and has improved control and efficient energy management over previous versions, according to the press release. 

The promotional video (above) shows passengers buckling in with shoulder harness-style seatbelts and going through a safety procedure demonstration using touchscreens. Wisk says there are "fewer moving parts, no hydraulics, no oil and no fuel," promising a safer flying experience. It also notes that it's "designed to exceed today’s rigorous aviation safety standards of a one-in-a-billion chance of an accident."

The company emphasized the autonomous technology, saying they believe that it's the "key" to air mobility. To that end, they aim to have improved sensors to detect and avoid obstacles, along with "multi-vehicle supervisors that provide human oversight of every flight," and can take control if needed. 

Wick said the new vehicle is a candidate for FAA certification that would allow it to fly passengers in the US. However, getting that coveted piece of paper is an arduous chore even for established airplane manufacturers like Boeing using standard aircraft designs — let alone a new company with a brand new type of aircraft that's never flown passengers before. 

Aviation company Kittyhawk founded by Google co-founder Larry Page recently announced that it was shutting down, a strong indication of the challenges in this sector. Wick essentially sprang from that company, after Kittyhawk partnered with Boeing on the 5th-generation Cora aircraft.

Wick isn't the only company determined to see this air taxi thing through. Joby received FAA authorization for its air taxi services earlier this year, allowing it to operate commercially. However, that only allows it start testing its services — it still needs FAA certification for its prototype aircraft before it can actually transport people. 

United Airlines plans to buy up to 500 electric flying taxis

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United Airlines is moving deeper into the flying taxi business. Not only has the airline plowed $15 million into Eve Air Mobility, it ordered 200 flying taxis and has an option for another 200. United expects to start receiving Eve's four-seater electric vertical take-off and landing vehicle (eVTOL) as soon as 2026.

The company says its investment was spurred by both its confidence in the urban air mobility market and Eve's working relationship with Embraer. According to United, Embrarer is "a trusted aircraft manufacturer with a proven track record of building and certifying aircraft over the company's 53-year history." Embrarer previously worked with Uber on a flying taxi project that the latter eventually ditched.

Eve's flying taxi has conventional fixed wings, rotors and pushers with a design that United says favors safety, efficiency, reliability and certifiability. It's said to have a range of 60 miles and United added that the vehicle can "reduce noise levels by 90 percent compared to current conventional aircraft."

This isn't the first time United has reached an agreement with an eVTOL company. Last month, it put down a $10 million deposit with a different California-based one for 100 flying taxis. As such, the company has lined up as many as 500 flying taxis to add to its fleet.

United has set up a corporate venture fund with the aim of bolstering its ambition to reach net zero emissions by 2050 without relying on traditional carbon offsets. Through the United Airlines Ventures fund, it has also invested in hydrogen fuel cell engines and sustainable fuel.

"Today, United is making history again, by becoming the first major airline to publicly invest in two eVTOL companies," United Airlines Ventures president Michael Leskinen said in a statement. "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."

United Airlines plans to buy up to 500 electric flying taxis

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United Airlines is moving deeper into the flying taxi business. Not only has the airline plowed $15 million into Eve Air Mobility, it ordered 200 flying taxis and has an option for another 200. United expects to start receiving Eve's four-seater electric vertical take-off and landing vehicle (eVTOL) as soon as 2026.

The company says its investment was spurred by both its confidence in the urban air mobility market and Eve's working relationship with Embraer. According to United, Embrarer is "a trusted aircraft manufacturer with a proven track record of building and certifying aircraft over the company's 53-year history." Embrarer previously worked with Uber on a flying taxi project that the latter eventually ditched.

Eve's flying taxi has conventional fixed wings, rotors and pushers with a design that United says favors safety, efficiency, reliability and certifiability. It's said to have a range of 60 miles and United added that the vehicle can "reduce noise levels by 90 percent compared to current conventional aircraft."

This isn't the first time United has reached an agreement with an eVTOL company. Last month, it put down a $10 million deposit with a different California-based one for 100 flying taxis. As such, the company has lined up as many as 500 flying taxis to add to its fleet.

United has set up a corporate venture fund with the aim of bolstering its ambition to reach net zero emissions by 2050 without relying on traditional carbon offsets. Through the United Airlines Ventures fund, it has also invested in hydrogen fuel cell engines and sustainable fuel.

"Today, United is making history again, by becoming the first major airline to publicly invest in two eVTOL companies," United Airlines Ventures president Michael Leskinen said in a statement. "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."

Uber expands its airport reservation service globally

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Uber is rolling out its airport reservation service to more locations not only in the US, but also in other countries just as people are becoming more comfortable with traveling again. The service's Reserve at Airports service rolled out to over 20 airports across the US in 2021, giving arriving passengers the power to reserve Uber Black and Uber Black SUV rides for up to 30 days in advance. Now, the service is available at 55 airports around the world, 39 of which are in the US (a full list is at the bottom of this article). 

Uber's Reserve service has special tools ordinary rides don't have access to. In addition to allowing customers to reserve a ride 30 days in advance, it can also track their flight information and automatically adjust their reservation time. That way, they can be sure a driver is waiting for them by the time they land, even if their flight gets delayed. Drivers can also wait for passengers for up 60 minutes without extra charge, giving them ample time to get their luggage or grab a bite before stepping out of the airport. Plus, passengers don't have to lug around heavy suitcases for long, since their rides will pick them up at the curb.

The company originally launched its Reserve option back in 2020 to help customers "meet those moments that call for more assurance." It matches passengers with drivers from the start, even if they reserve a month in advance, and it also presents them with an exact fare when they book. The service will certainly be more expensive than a bus ride, but it does sound like a great option for those who don't want to have to worry about catching a cab the moment they arrive at their destination. 

The new additions to the list of airports where passengers can schedule pick-ups are: Austin (AUS), Burbank (BUR), Indianapolis (IND), Jacksonville (JAX), Las Vegas (LAS), Los Angeles (LAX), Minneapolis - St. Paul (MSP), Milwaukee (MKE), Montreal (YUL), Oakland (OAK), Orange County (SNA), San Antonio (SAT), San Diego (SAN), San Francisco (SFO), San Jose (SJC), Tampa Bay (TPA), Vancouver (YVR), Bologna (BLQ), Cape Town (CPT), Johannesburg (JNB + HLA), Milan (LIN + MXP), Nice (NCE), Paris (CDG), Rome (CIA + FCO).

Uber will soon offer taxi rides in San Francisco

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Uber customers in San Francisco might soon find a traditional taxi waiting for them when they use the app to summon a ride. According to San Francisco Chronicle, the ride-hailing giant has inked a deal with Yellow Cab SF and Flywheel, the company that operates an Uber-like app used by taxi drivers across companies in the city. The agreement will give 1,075 taxi drivers in the area access to Uber customers in the coming months. Uber recently struck a similar deal in NYC, allowing people in the city to hail any of its 14,000 taxi drivers through the app. 

The companies were able to finalize the deal, because the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency board has just voted in favor of allowing taxis to accept flat upfront rates for rides hailed through a third-party app. Customers can expect to pay UberX rates, which are calculated based on trip time and distance on top of a base fare, for taxi rides. The year-long pilot for the deal will begin on August 5th.

Uber's rates are typically lower than metered fares, though they could be higher during surge times. Kate Toran, SFMTA's director of taxis, said during the board meeting that Uber and Lyft fares are about 80 to 85 percent of metered rates. While drivers could earn less than usual for Uber rides, their participation is completely optional. They can accept Uber rides whenever they want, and there are no consequences for rejecting them. 

Flywheel and Yellow believe the deal would benefit drivers, who could accept Uber rides to fill in gaps for dead hours. "[H]aving some revenue come in versus no revenue is a much better situation in the end, even if it is lower than the taxi rate," Yellow Cab CEO Chris Sweis said. Still, not all SF cab drivers are thrilled about the development. Mark Gruberg, a board member of the San Francisco Taxi Alliance, expressed concerns about regular taxi customers being ignored during Uber surge times. Another driver told ABC7News that earning less money from Uber rides would mean he'll have a harder time paying off the debts he took to pay for his medallion, which cost $250,000.

If Uber gets its way, though, there'll be no taxi left that isn't part of its network. Uber exec Andrew Macdonald recently said during an investor presentation (PDF) that that the company aims to put every taxi on Uber by 2025. Doing so wouldn't only increase its driver supply, it could also unlock new markets where people don't have their own cars to use for the service. 

The USPS is doubling its order of next-gen electric mail trucks

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Despite previously saying that it would only order 5,000 all-electric models of its next-gen postal truck, today the USPS announced that it's doubling that figure to just over 10,000. 

Produced by Oshkosh Defense, the NGDV (Next Generation Delivery Vehicle) is slated to become the new workhorse of the USPS, with the first batch of trucks scheduled to hit the road sometime in 2023. And as part of the USPS' efforts to upgrade its aging fleet, the service placed an initial order of 50,000 vehicles featuring a mix of gas and electric-powered trucks.

However, after learning that only 10 percent of those trucks would be EVs, the EPA and the Biden Administration requested the USPS to reconsider the distribution of its order. So now the USPS has increased the number of new electric postal trucks on order to 10,019 BEVs, which is a significant improvement, but still in the minority compared to gas-powered models. 

Postmaster Lous Dejoy says "Today’s order demonstrates, as we have said all along, that the Postal Service is fully committed to the inclusion of electric vehicles as a significant part of our delivery fleet even though the investment will cost more than an internal combustion engine vehicle. That said, as we have also stated repeatedly, we must make fiscally prudent decisions in the needed introduction of a new vehicle fleet. We will continue to look for opportunities to increase the electrification of our delivery fleet in a responsible manner, consistent with our operating strategy, the deployment of appropriate infrastructure, and our financial condition, which we expect to continue to improve as we pursue our plan.”

Upgrades on the NGDV include air conditioning, built-in 360-degree cameras, better braking and traction control, and much improved safety thanks to things like air bags and a new collision avoidance system. That said, with the USPS having over 190,000 trucks currently in service, this initial 50,000 order only represents a fraction of what the service will need to fully modernize its fleet. So while the mix of gas and electric NGDVs might not be ideal right now, there should be room to expand electrification in the future. 

Uber will soon offer NYC yellow cabs via the app

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Uber has struck a deal that will soon allow folks in New York City to hail yellow cabs through its app. The city's 14,000 taxi drivers will be able to accept fares from Uber users through apps like Curb and Arro.

This is Uber's first citywide partnership of this nature in the US. It expects the integrations to be up and running this spring. Passengers will pay around the same as they would for Uber X rides, the company told The Wall Street Journal, with Uber and its partners taking a cut of the fare. Taxi drivers will be able to see their estimated earnings before deciding whether to accept a trip.

The move could help remedy Uber's shortage of drivers and tackle the surge pricing problem while helping cab drivers find more fares. It could be an uneasy alliance, however, given that the taxi industry has opposed ride-sharing apps in the past. 

"The companies that tore up this industry need this more than the drivers do. Drivers can hold out on 1 - 2 more fares but cannot settle for a biz model that underpays drivers, fires them at will & guts full-time work. So it's time to negotiate," said New York Taxi Workers Alliance executive director Bhairavi Desai. "If Uber and Curb think they can slide in with a payment structure that's broken for Uber drivers and piece it together on the backs of yellow cab drivers, they're in for a sobering surprise."

Update 12:30PM ET: This post has been updated with quotes from the New York Taxi Workers Alliance. The full statement is below.

Statement from NYTWA Executive Director Bhairavi Desai:

On Uber - Yellow Cab Deal

The companies that tore up this industry need this more than the drivers do. Drivers can hold out on 1 - 2 more fares but cannot settle for a biz model that underpays drivers, fires them at will & guts full-time work. So it's time to negotiate.

After its business model has shown the failures to protect drivers from ridership downturns and rising gas prices, Uber is returning to its roots: yellow cabs.

First, this should settle once and for all the question of maintaining the vehicle cap.

Second, the fare structure that is not enough for Uber drivers is also not going to be enough for yellow cab drivers who have higher expenses such as the medallion payment and higher car costs as a new one must be hacked up every six years. To start with:

  • Uber - and Lyft and the taxi meter - need to implement a fuel surcharge immediately in NYC for all drivers.

  • Yellow cab drivers must be paid the metered rate and after 10 long years without a raise - that meter needs to go up.

  • The TLC-regulated App driver payment rates used to pay drivers under this program need to be adjusted to the increase in operating expenses since they were set 4 years ago. Drivers need to be paid whichever is higher - either 85% of what the passenger pays or 100% of the TLC-regulated rates.

  • Uber and yellow cab drivers need Just Cause protection so drivers can not be fired without warning or reason as the means for the company to control supply.

Here are some sample fares comparing what drivers would earn on the meter vs. under the proposed rates. Yellow cab drivers would be short-changed on average 15%.

Trip #1 (Manhattan short trip, rush hour)

  • Drop+Evening Rush hour (Taxi $3.50)

  • 2 miles long (Taxi: $5.00; App: $2.32)

  • 12 minutes long (App: $6.35)

  • 4 minutes slow/stopped (Taxi: $2.00)

  • Taxi fare (surcharges, taxes excluded): $ 10.50

  • App-based Driver Pay: $8.67

Trip #2: Manhattan (East Side) to JFK Trip, non-rush hour

  • Taxi Fare: $52

  • 17 miles (App: $19.78)

  • 42 minutes (App: $22.22)

  • App-based Driver Pay: $42

Trip #3 Manhattan (West Village) to LGA, Night-time

  • Drop + Night Surcharge ($3.00)

  • 12.8 miles long (Taxi: $32.00; App: $13.93)

  • 35 minutes long (App: $18.52)

  • 5 minutes slow/stopped: ($2.50)

  • Taxi Fare (surcharges, taxes excluded): $37.50

  • App-based Driver Pay: $32.45

If Uber and Curb think they can slide in with a payment structure that's broken for Uber drivers and piece it together on the backs of yellow cab drivers, they're in for a sobering surprise. Neither company will grow ridership without working out terms that work for drivers. We know who's in the driver's seat. And spoiler alert, it's not a venture capitalist.

Volvo is testing wireless EV charging tech in Sweden

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Volvo will put a wireless EV charging system through its paces as part of a program to test alternative charging options. A small fleet of electric Volvo XC40 Recharge cars will be used as taxis in Gothenburg, Sweden in a three-year pilot.

The cars are equipped with a wireless charging system from Momentum Dynamics. Charging pads will be embedded in the ground at two taxi ranks. Volvo will use 360-degree cameras to help drivers put the cars in the correct position and when they're in the right spot, the taxis' batteries will automatically topped up. An image shared by Momentum Dynamics showed an EV charging at a rate of 41kW. 

The EVs will be on the road for more than 12 hours a day and are expected to be driven for upwards of 100,000 km (62,000 miles) per year. Volvo says this is the first durability test of its electric EVs in a commercial setting. Momentum Dynamics has also teamed up with Jaguar to test wireless charging in electric taxis in Norway.

The concept of building charging tech into roads is hardlynew, but it hasn't exactly taken off yet. Still, researchers and engineers are working on other ways to charge EVs as they drive, so at some point in the future, drivers may never need to visit a typical charging station.

In-vehicle interface during wireless charging at over 40kW
Momentum Dynamics Corporation

Designers hope hydrogen-powered plane will fly halfway around the world without refueling

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One of the toughest nuts to crack when it comes to developing carbon-free transportation is flying. Commercial electric planes won't be feasible until batteries become more powerful and lightweight. Hydrogen-powered flight is another possible way forward, and a research group has revealed what such a plane could look like.

The FlyZero project, which is led by the Aerospace Technology Institute and funded by the UK government, came up with a concept for a liquid hydrogen-powered midsize aircraft. It said the plane would be able to fly 279 passengers non-stop from London to San Francisco, or from London to Auckland, New Zealand with one stop for refueling. The aircraft, which has a 54-meter wingspan with two turbofan engines, would offer the "same speed and comfort as today’s aircraft" but with zero carbon emissions. 

The ATI says its concept plane would have cryogenic fuel tanks in the rear fuselage, which would store hydrogen at -250 degrees Celsius (-418 degrees Farenheit). Two smaller "cheek" tanks along the forward fuselage would keep the plane balanced as fuel is used.

We're years away from commercial hydrogen aircraft becoming a reality, though. The refueling infrastructure doesn't exist yet and hydrogen is more expensive and difficult to store onboard than kerosene-based fuel. Those types of planes might not be too much of a pipe dream, however.

The ATI expects that, by the middle of the 2030s, efficient hydrogen planes might be a more economical option than current planes. That's partly because other sectors are shifting toward hydrogen, which is likely to reduce supply costs. 

The FlyZero project plans to publish more detailed findings early next year, including concepts for regional, narrowbody and midsize aircraft, economic and market reports, roadmaps for the required tech and a sustainability assessment.