Flying taxis might be closer to lift-off than we expect

Once the thing of sci-fi legend, blue-sky thinkers are spending billions to get the industry off the ground, says Sean T Smith

Why slog through traffic in a gas-guzzling car when you can potentially soar through clouds instead? (Getty)

Imagine being able to stroll to your local “vertiport”, where you can jump aboard an electric air taxi. After taking off vertically like a helicopter, it will transition to a plane, whisk you noiselessly across the city sky, then drop you gently at your crosstown destination.

It could be a reality sooner than you think, as fleets of flying taxis could start to appear in major cities within a decade.

eVTOL stands for Electric Vertical Take-Off and Landing vehicle, and this entirely novel aircraft is driving the “urban air mobility” movement.