The State of the AAM Race: Where Are We?

There are more solutions than obstacles, Nicolas Zart

A while ago, I was invited to speak at the Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) Summit in Oeiras, Porto Salvo, Portugal, on November 25–26. Frederico Fernandes, the summit organizer, challenged me with a provocative question: What is the state of the race? I felt I could easily handle this in twenty minutes, but upon further thought, I wondered how we quantify this race. Consider that 2023 saw a record-breaking 760 patent filings and that AAM is witnessing a surge in innovation last seen since the birth of aviation, where do we start?

Should the race be measured through intellectual property filings, untethered flights, eVTOL full transition, or secured investments? Or is it about achieving operational readiness and public desirability? How about partnerships with airlines and airports? These questions underscore the complexity of this evolving industry—a true 4D kaleidoscope.

From the Stage: Simplifying Complexity

When I stepped on stage, I joked that condensing a 3,500-word presentation into 20 minutes was impossible. I trimmed my 15-slide deck to just three, embracing minimalism to mirror the fast-paced nature of the industry. Despite the constraints, I distilled the essence of the AAM race into 18 minutes of fast talking. Here is the gist.

Defining the Race: Public Perception and Market Players

To start, I focused on public perception. Why? Because press releases attract enthusiasm, enthusiasm attracts investors, and investors fund innovations. This cycle powers any industry forward. It’s as good a place to start as any. And while we might be in the “winter of investments”, the first wave of investors are not always industry-savvy, leaving the more well-learned to wait and see. 2025 will be a year when both industry investors step.

I highlighted key players leading the AAM race: Joby Aviation, Archer Aviation, Beta Technologies, and Wisk Aero. These well-funded companies set the benchmark for others and attract the lion’s share of publicity. However, smaller players, particularly those developing compact eVTOL aircraft, are making significant strides and should not be neglected.

eVTOL Incumbents with an Edge

We tell many of the other AAM startups that being number one and two is not always the best place. The best is right after when you can see what works, what doesn’t, what to do and avoid. These AAM startups each have a unique offering that places as leaders in their space.

• SkyDrive: Compact three-seater eVTOLs are perfect for short urban air mobility (UAM) hops. They can handle intra-city hops and connecting airports and busy mobility hubs to downtown and business centers.
• EHang: The two-seater 216 family of eVTOLs might not get FAA and EASA certification, but the company has other countries including China where they could handle tourist sightseeing operations. The company is currently working on other designs.
• Volocopter? A few months ago, Volocopter would have been part of the smaller players most likely to succeed for many. However, if you’ve been following the news lately, Volocopter and Lilium have hit hard times teetering on the verge of oblivion.

While smaller designs are easier to certify, winged aircraft from Joby, Archer, and Wisk may gain an edge due to their winged aircraft and versatility. There are so many other eVTOL makers covering them would be tedious and beyond the scope of this race.

The Financial State of AAM Players

When looking at the financial shape of the first four, it is clear they are leading the way despite a temporary showdown in funds.

1. Joby Aviation
   • Backed by Toyota not only financially but with manufacturing equipment, Joby has secured a Part 135 certification and a partnership with Delta Airlines. Its early jump start on the industry dates to the late 2000s.
2. Archer Aviation
   • Although the company came later to the AAM party, its partnership with United Airlines and its Midnight aircraft orders solidified Archer’s position in the industry. While both aircraft are similar in design and concept, we’re witnessing an Apple versus Microsoft moment here and at times Tesla versus the world. We’ll let you decide who is who.
3. Beta Technologies
   • A diversified strategy with certified charging systems and an eVTOL-turned-eCTOL aircraft positions Beta as a standout. A special mention here is that Beta saw it wise enough to change its Alia 250 from an eVTOL to an eCTOL making it easier and faster to certify and operate.
4. Wisk Aero
   • There’s no sort of bravado with Wisk bypassing the human-piloted trial period aiming directly for autonomous operations. Also similar in design and operations, the company is bold enough to say it isn’t racing to be the first one to operate. It’s backing by Boeing gives it credential despite the company still being embroiled in litigation with Archer, another company is investing in.

Middle Ground

• Companies like Vertical Aerospace, Jaunt Air Mobility, and Eve Air Mobility are grappling with funding challenges and strategic pivots.
• EHang is progressing in China but faces international skepticism about its design.

Looking Ahead
Expect continued financial struggles and mergers as the industry matures through 2025. Aerospace-savvy investors are likely to re-enter by 2025, bringing renewed momentum. Also, pay attention to the “certification race” by eVTOL makers. Prototype certifications are within the grasp of most eVTOL makers, but commercial certification is another matter that takes time and more money than so far invested. The latter is exponentially more expensive and longer than the former.

The Surprising eSTOL and eCTOL Certification Path

Electric short take-off and landing (eSTOL) and electric conventional take-off and landing (eCTOL) aircraft are gaining attention. Based on traditional fuselages and wings, these designs are easier to certify.

• Electra Aero with its eSTOL capable of taking off in under 135 feet of runway and landing on even less is a particularly appealing aircraft. We wrote about the Goldfinch testbed and the EL9 seven-seater. This aircraft promises shallower FATOs with no transitions from vertical to horizontal operations, a boon for vertiport and multiport infrastructures. More to read here and here.
• Zero Avia‘s hydrogen flight is taking on larger-sized eCTOLs.
• Eviation‘s Alice eCTOL is another example of an electric airplane perfect for city-to-city commuters. Andre Stein, known as “Stein”, previously CEO of Eve Air Mobility is now CEO of Eviation promising a transfer of knowledge well-earned previously.

Special mention VoltAero‘s Cassio 330, a tantalizing aircraft that can handle pure electric, mild-hybrid, and full-hybrid flight. What we like about it is its ingenious design of a motorized front gear and six-cylinder Yamaha engine that runs on hydrogen. Beta Technologies’ decision to give us an eVTOL and an eCTOL with its Alia 250 exemplifies this trend, positioning the company closer to commercial certification.

Certification Hurdles: The White Elephants in the Room

The industry’s progress depends heavily on certification authorities like the FAA, EASA, and emerging regulators in the Middle East and Asia. While certification is for aircraft, infrastructure doesn’t have certification, per see, but advisory circular (AC). These serve as non-binding blueprints to accommodate the safe operations of eVTOLs, eSTOLs, and eCTOLs.

• The UAE’s civil aviation agency, GCAA is particularly forward-thinking, observing FAA and EASA developments to tailor its strategy. It may become one of the first authorities to certify AAM aircraft.
• Collaborative agreements between Japan, Korea, and Western regulators are also streamlining the certification process.
• Finally, we look forward to more collaboration between the U.S. FAA and Europe’s EASA, the two leading international aviation governing bodies.

Infrastructure, the Glue that Bonds AAM

Needless to say, these aircraft won’t do much good without a robust infrastructure mixing energy with creative air traffic management (ATM), modernized terminal design, and a multiport approach to the industry. Infrastructure companies vary in scope and operations.

• Skyports is particularly forward-thinking, observing FAA and EASA developments to tailor its strategy. It may become one of the first authorities to certify AAM aircraft.
• UrbanV S.P.A: Creates modular, expandable vertiports for urban settings, collaborating with Joby Aviation and Vertical Aerospace
• Ferrovial Vertiports: Develop vertiport networks, particularly in South Florida, working with UrbanLink Air Mobility and other AAM leaders. They recently said they would take a step back from AAM.
• VPorts: Designs, constructs, and operates AAM infrastructure, focusing on vertiport location selection and accessibility
• Varon: Involved in vertiport development, but details on specific projects or partnerships are not provided.
• Skyportz: Selected to build Australia’s first vertiport in Melbourne by 2026.
• Groupe ADP: Constructing four vertiport locations in Paris.
• Urban-Air Port: Ranked among top companies for AAM vertiport infrastructure readiness.
• Electric Air Mobility is an AAM consulting group. Have you heard of them?

From Acceptance to Desirability

Public acceptance is no longer enough; AAM must inspire desire. Much like Apple redefined consumer tech with the iPhone, AAM must create a compelling, irresistible experience.

As Steve Jobs famously said, “People don’t know what they want until you show it to them.” This principle applies to AAM, which can become the future of mobility by prioritizing design, functionality, and user experience.

Final Thoughts

On a personal note, I’ve seen its S4 fly a few years back. It was a spectacular sight to behold. While the gentle hum and whiz of the eVTOL was pleasing to the ear, the only thing I could hear was the engine of the fixed-wing chaser. At some point, a hefty Leonardo helicopter came to pratice landing. This was the only thing anyone could hear. It was impressive seeing all three aircraft cousins flying in the same airspace.

I barely had time to scratch the surface of energy and the copious amount of it needed to run full vertiports. Nuclear energy‘s fourth generation is a much needed going back to the root of core reactor design that offers safer and more eco-friendly energy. This is a topic we broached previsouly and look forward to coming back to once in a while. It wasn’t easy distilling the state of the AAM race but twenty minutes was enough to show that all of these technologies share the same trajectory of past disruptive innovations—electric vehicles, smartphones, the internet, and more. Each faced skepticism before transforming the world. With the right strategies and public engagement, AAM achieves the same level of global impact, a once in a lifetime revolution happening before our eyes.

Further reading:

https://evtol.news/aircraft This is a great place to see how many AAM projects have started, which ones are still going strong, and which ones were tests and trials. I’m proud to say aI introduced two projects there in 2016 when it tracked less than 50.