eVTOL systems: the future of local air travel
Electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft were first postulated by NASA in a video showing a highly stylised vehicle in which a sole person could stand, prior to vertical take off. The Puffin system was constructed to one-third scale and flown. No full size prototype was ever made, however, the eVTOL torch was already lit.
Modern systems are reaching a very exciting stage of development, though the designs are rather more conventional than the Puffin. Vertical-aerospace, Eve Air Mobility, Joby Aviation, Archer and Jetson offer small passenger vehicles for short journeys. Jetson in fact provide a single passenger aerial vehicle.
The expectation is that these vehicles could be used for short urban journeys. Often suggested are from hub destinations to airports, e.g. London Liverpool Street to London Heathrow. It is perhaps unsurprising then that in 2016 Uber released a paper on how to accelerate the development of “urban air transportation”. Uber envisaged a journey from San Francisco’s Marina to downtown San Jose, a drive that might take around two hours, taking fifteen minutes in an eVTOL system. It is immediately clear why Uber would be interested in a development referred to as “rapid air taxis”.
Uber noted a number of criteria that required some work. Top of those was “noise objectives for the vehicles”. The target was that eVTOL vehicles operating from vertiports should approach noise levels of half that of a truck traveling on a residential road. This was calculated to be around 75-80 dB at 50 feet. To frame this target, it would be a quarter of the noise of the smallest four-seat helicopter on the market in 2016.
In terms of recent eVTOL developments, at the Paris Air Show 2025, Brazil’s Revo placed an order for 50 Eve Mobility aircraft (Eve is a subsidiary of Embraer). Joby announced a successful series of piloted vertical-takeoff-and-landing wingborne flights in Dubai. Archer reported test flights being undertaken in Abu Dhabi. Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the UK and the USA agreed an alliance to streamline the certification and development of eVTOL aircraft. While some companies suggest that 2025 will see usage of eVTOL systems, widespread usage is expected from 2030 onwards.
On 30 June, British company Skyfly Technologies revealed it had performed the first airfield-to-airfield eVTOL flight in Europe. Skyfly’s Axe VCA (vertically-capable aircraft) flew from Turweston Airfield in Northamptonshire to Bicester Airfield in Oxfordshire. A journey of around thirty minutes by car took twelve minutes outbound and only eight minutes inbound. Skyfly have sold forty units to date.
Recent eVTOL intellectual property includes Skyportz’s modular vertipad technology designed to reduced noise from the downwash and outwash of eVTOL aircraft. The envisaged vertipad also has improved safety features related to extinguishing fires. Archer has focused on temperature control over its systems in use (US 12337983 B1), while other large entities such as Hitachi have filed for an airport for eVTOL aircraft with windbreak walls to reduce impact of crosswind and to reduce outwash impacting other nearby vehicles (UA 2025187761 A1). Rolls Royce has filed on battery pack modules (US 2025141004 A1 & US 2025140945 A1), noting its interest in both electric and hybrid electric propulsion systems for eVTOL use.
It is fair to say then that eVTOL systems use a large variety of technologies. As such, manufacturers of such devices must be alive to the restrictions applied on them by third party intellectual property. Freedom to operate (FTO) searches need to consider not just other aircraft manufacturers but also specialist companies working in battery, communications and navigation technology to name a few.
Being at the forefront of technology is almost always advantageous when recording your own IP. However there is still great value to be found in obtaining IP at a stage of development akin to that of eVTOL aircraft; it is clear the technology is coming but that not all associated problems have been solved. If you have any questions regarding how to maximise your IP, please get in touch.
Useful links
- NASA Puffin Low Noise, Electric VTOL Personal Air Vehicle video (YouTube)
- Vertical Aerospace
- Eve Air Mobility
- Joby Aviation
- Archer
- Jetson
- Uber Elevate “Fast-Forwarding to a Future of On-Demand Urban Air Transportation” (PDF)
- Joby news: Joby Cements Global Lead in Air Taxi Industry with Dubai Flights and Beginning of Commercial Market Readiness Work
- Archer news: Archer Begins Test Flights in Abu Dhabi
- Skyfly news: Skyfly Technologies Makes Aviation History with First Airfield-to-Airfield eVTOL Flight in Europe
