It’s been a long time coming, but the electric aerial revolution is here. This new, plug-in, flying economy is about to transform personal and business travel, impacting logistics and supply chains in a coming fundamental shift in how people and things are transported. The new electric flying phenomenon is going to reinvent personal aerial travel with flying cars, air taxis, new first responder capabilities, and totally self-flying vehicles, enabling millions of consumers around the world to take to the skies just as they adopted road travel decades ago. This emerging technology is about transporting people and things totally differently than in the past and creating efficiencies in travel to locations previously out of practical reach.
Electric flying vehicles have been in development around the world for more than a decade with many thousands of miles of test flights already conducted. The new flying vehicles are electric and quiet with battery charging between flights. Flying vehicles have several separate motors, separate propellers, and separate battery systems, with safety factors incorporated so that systems are redundant. Unlike commercial aircraft that fly 30,000 to 40,000 feet, flying vehicles fly at much lower altitudes, in the 1,500-3,500 feet range. Flying vehicles are referred to as eVTOL vehicles, for electric vertical takeoff and landing, since the crafts take off and land straight up and straight down. They do not require a runway, though commercial operations will start at traditional airports and be integrated with current commercial air traffic. The first category of flying vehicles coming to market does not require a pilot’s license to fly.
Unlike most commercial aircraft, flying vehicles typically carry one to five passengers. They are designed for trips too short for a commercial flight and too long for a practical road trip. Commercial flying vehicles aim to significantly streamline travel. A trip from John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York to downtown Manhattan would transform a one-hour drive into a seven-minute flight. A New York City heliport is already planned to handle eVTOL traffic.
Flying Vehicles Categories
Not all flying vehicles are the same. Some are designed to carry one person, some are designed to carry several people, some can drive on roads and convert to fly, and others are intended to be used as transportation vehicles where pilots can shuttle passengers back and forth between locations. There also are self-flying vehicles aimed at picking up passengers much like an Uber, albeit with no driver. The destination would be pre-programmed where to take the passenger, a category happening first in Asian markets. Here’s how the categories of flying vehicle break down:
PAV – Personal Aerial Vehicle. This is defined as a powered ultralight by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). These are single-passenger vehicles that do not need a pilot license to fly. They can range in price from $95,000 to $300,000.
PAVC – Personal Aerial Vehicle Certified. These are personal aerial vehicles that are FAA certified, meaning they conform to strict regulations and require a pilot license to fly. Vehicles designed to both legally drive on roads and fly also fall into this category. They can range in price from $300,000 to $1 million.
CAV – Commercial Aerial Vehicle. Developed as people transportation vehicles, such as air taxis. This category includes electric piloted and self-flying vehicles. This category is the most highly FAA regulated category, similar to the commercial airline industry. This is the category the military is experimenting with. These can range from $25 million to significantly higher amounts.
That Tuesday morning, I was exhausted after seeing one of my favorite DJs spin at an open-bar rooftop party buzzing with industry insiders. The week of panels, meetups, demos, and constant conversations had left me drained by the tail end of SXSW… Continue reading
From a timing perspective, the PAV is coming first, with many shipping to buyers in 2026 and 2027. There are hundreds of pre-orders for these at numerous companies around the world. The general appeal is that they are relatively easy to learn to fly, since they typically are flown with two joysticks, one for going up and down and the other for heading directions. These ultralights also do not require a license, they are the least expensive of all the categories, and there is a large selection from which to choose. I flew one of these in the course of research for this book. The PAVC and the CAV for public transportation are not likely to be in operation in the United States until late 2026 or 2027 at the earliest.
Commercial flying vehicle operations will start with pilots on board, though the longer-term plan is to transition to pilot-free aerial travel. Most of the flying vehicles already have remote or autonomous flying capabilities and one flying vehicle company in China is approved for carrying passengers in its self-flying vehicles. The FAA has laid out a blueprint and initial rules for how these passenger-carry electric flying vehicles will come to market, though pilotless travel is not yet included.
The long-range implications of the electric aerial revolution are profound, with thousands of low-flying, electric aerial vehicles in the sky. Wide-ranging impacts include future road-based travel and all its components, the autonomous drone delivery of goods, the warehousing and distribution of products, improved emergency services, and new air ridesharing capabilities. The long-term future will impact all land travel, as much of moving around transitions to the air.
Air Roads
While autonomous or self-driving cars have been in development for many years, they still face the challenge of dealing with the legacy system of cars that are not as technologically equipped. Self-driving cars can do very well with other highly connected vehicles. It’s all those millions of manually driven cars that can get in the way. Various forms of what I call air roads can be created in the sky with lanes designated for air taxis, personal flying machines, and other electric air vehicles not yet conceived. The air has no legacy systems to contend with.
Flying vehicles are creating a low-altitude economy, which is being borne out of startups, established brands, airlines, automakers, and forward-looking governmental agencies fueling the velocity of aerial innovation. Billions of dollars already have been invested in flying vehicle companies and major airlines, automakers, and technology companies are all involved.
The electric aerial revolution is here. Just because someone doesn’t see it doesn’t mean it isn’t happening. This revolution also involves the creation of a new business and economic climate, which we discuss next in the series.
