The race to introduce the first commercial flying taxi is officially on. Google, Boeing and Porsche are among 20 companies testing their machines, laying the groundwork for wider production and starting to encourage government officials to bring autonomous all-electric vehicles into the skies in just a few years. Lilium, a German start-up company, has raised more than US $100 million from investors. Its prototype (雏形) jet—which is still seeking certification from European regulators (欧洲监管机构) —is able to take off and land like a helicopter, and is quiet enough "to land in some areas that are traditionally off-limits to aircraft"—even midtown Manhattan.
However, the possibility of air vehicles over New York already represents a clear and present danger to public safety. New York skies are already filled with helicopters. Since 1983, there have been at least 30 helicopter crashes in the city. "There are several challenges to overcome before commuters (上下班往返的人) are flying through the air," said Dalvin Brown in USA Today. Many of the vehicles now being imagined require "magical electric batteries that doesn't exist—yet." The best that anyone can do right now with an electric battery is 20 minutes of flight. An even bigger obstacle (障碍) is gaining approval (批准) from the FAA (American Federal Aviation Administration), which has strict rules and guidelines for small aircraft, and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
That's why the first practical commercial tests of autonomous taxis are likely to be outside the US, said Jeremy Bogaisky on Forbes.com. "EHang became the first company to receive approval from Chinese aviation regulators to establish an autonomous air-taxi service in Guangzhou." To succeed in the US, air taxi companies will need much more than that. Taking a small aircraft through the regulatory forest of safety certification to production can cost US $75 to US $100 million.
