Serious progress is being made around the world in eVTOL development. Here is a roundup of recent news that has come out since the detailed article in the last issue of Vertiflite. Airbus XO, the company's innovation group, revealed a concept for "seamless, multi-modal, fully electric urban mobility." The modular Pop.Up concept features a capsule that connects to either a ground or air module. Airbus envisions the system relying on an artificial intelligence system where the "passengers plan their journey and book their trip via an easy-to-use app. The system automatically suggests the best transport solution ... joining either the air or ground module or other means of transportation to the passenger capsule" for the ultimate in on-demand mobility. (The Pop.Up concept is not unlike the Lockheed-Piasecki ARES concept - with a flying ducted fan module to move a pod - being built for the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, DARPA.)
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