Airbus Vahana: Airbus announced in November 2017 that it's ready to being flight testing on Vahana, an unmanned electrical aircraft designed to move a passenger or small cargo within urban environments.
Airbus/ItalDesign
Airbus Vahana: The full-scale Vahana receives its vinyl wrapping at A³'s facilities in Santa Clara, California, before making its way north in preparation for flight testing in Oregon.
From A³ by Airbus
Airbus Vahana: The reassembled Vahana is pictured at Pendleton Hangar, a new 9,600-square-foot hangar at Eastern Oregon Regional Airport. Click through for six more electric aircraft which you could be flying in soon.
From A³ by Airbus
CityAirbus: Another futuristic concept that Airbus is working on is CityAirbus, with a maiden flight scheduled for 2018. Just like Vahana, it's self-piloted and will be able to take off and land vertically, making it ideally suited for urban use.
From Airbus
CityAirbus: The difference is that CityAirbus will be able to carry up to four passengers. "We are confident their operating costs will make them competitive with traditional taxis," says Glenn Llewellyn, General Manager, Electrification at Airbus.
Airbus Helicopters Design Studio
Zunum Aero: Boeing has invested, together with JetBlue Technology Ventures, in Seattle-based startup Zunum Aero. The initial hybrid-electric concept will be able to carry 12 passengers up to 700 miles, but it's been designed with scalability in mind.
Zunum Aero
Eviation Aircraft: Eviation Aircraft, an Israeli startup founded by Omer Bar-Yohay, also focuses on the short-range regional market. Bar-Yohay's background is in the electric vehicle industry.
Courtesy Eviation Aircraft
Eviation Aircraft: Eviation is a sleek nine-passenger, self-piloted, all-electric aircraft intended to operate primarily in the 100 to 600 mile range (although the aircraft will have a longer maximum range).
Courtesy Eviation Aircraft
Eviation Aircraft: "This is a market where the overwhelming majority of the journeys are now made by car, as it is not efficient to fly commercial. We are here to change this," says Bar-Yohay.
Courtesy Eviation Aircraft
NASA X-57 Maxwell: NASA X-57 Maxwell's unusual configuration features 14 electrical motors, all of them integrated into a specially designed high wing.
NASA
NASA X-57 Maxwell: The two larger motors at the wingtips reduce drag associated with wingtip vortices. It's designed to bring about a 500% efficiency increase when cruising at higher speeds.
NASA
Pipistrel Alpha Electro: Here's an electric aircraft which has reached production stage and is market-ready. The Pipistrel Alpha Electro is a Slovenian-made two-seater.
From Pipistrel
Pipistrel Alpha Electro: Powered by a 60-kilowatt electric engine developed by Siemens, the Alpha Electro can stay airborne for about an hour. It costs $129,800.
From Pipistrel
Wright Electric: In September 2017, US startup Wright Electric announced that it had partnered with European low-cost airline EasyJet in order to develop an all-electric airliner.
From Wright Electric
Wright Electric: Wright Electric's goal is to develop an airliner in the 120-186 seat range capable of flying distances of up to 335 miles. That would be enough to cover a short-haul route like Paris to London or New York to Boston.
