Wisk Aero, an electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) vehicle startup, has unveiled its go-to-market aircraft: a four-passenger autonomous air taxi that the company will submit for FAA type certification in the United States.
Type certification, one of three certifications required before launching a commercial service, means the aircraft must meet all of the FAA’s design and safety standards. Wisk will also need to obtain a production certification, which is approval to begin manufacturing its eVTOL, as well as an air carrier certification before it can launch its air taxis as a service.
Wisk is likely to face more challenges than Joby in bringing its eVTOLs to market. The startup, a collaboration between Boeing and Kitty Hawk, Google co-founder Larry Page’s moonshot company that recently shut down, is pursuing a self-flying-first approach, which Wisk believes is the key to scaling in the broader advanced air mobility (AAM) industry. As a result, the Generation 6 eVTOL unveiled Monday is designed to be supervised by humans, who will take over the vehicle during flight if necessary,
according to a statement from the company.
The aircraft has six front rotors, each with five blades that can tilt horizontally or vertically. The six rear rotors each have two blades and are mounted vertically.
Four passengers autonomous air taxi
In terms of performance, Wisk’s Gen 6 aircraft, building off the lessons from the previous five generations, has a cruising speed of 120 knots, a 90-mile range, can reach altitudes of 2,500 to 4,000 feet and has a nearly 50-foot wingspan. The vehicle can carry four passengers comfortably with “ample storage” for luggage and personal carry-on items, the company said.
The interior is designed to look like an automobile, with plenty of visibility, comfortable seats, and amenities like Wi-Fi and charging.
It’s unclear what Wisk’s go-to-market strategy is or when passenger trials will begin; Wisk did not immediately respond to TechCrunch’s requests for comment. However, when Wisk received $450 million from Boeing in January, the company stated that it intends to operate one of the industry’s largest AAM fleets across 20 cities within five years of the 6th-generation aircraft’s certification.
Price to enjoy the service
The company said its Gen 6 aircraft is “designed to be a service for everyone, with a price target of $3 per passenger, per mile.” To put that into perspective, an air taxi flight from a vertiport — a structure where eVTOLs will take off and land — in New York City off the Lincoln Tunnel to John F. Kennedy International Airport in Queens would set you back around $60 and probably take around seven minutes at a speed of 120 knots.
If Wisk is to be believed, that’s a small price to pay to avoid sitting in an hour of traffic and paying for surge pricing with Uber or Lyft.
