Wisk Aero Generation 6 May Become the First Autonomous eVTOL For Air Taxi Service
Wisk Aero an aviation company created in 2019 as a joint venture between the now defunct Kitty Hawk and Boeing Corporation aims to be the first company to develop a semi-autonomous eVTOL for urban air taxi services. The all-electric eVTOL will be able to carry four passengers and take off and land completely on autopilot.
Image: Wisk Aero
Generation 6 is not the first prototype the company has built, in fact it’s the sixth full-scale prototype over the last 12 years. This new model is designed to meet all airworthiness and FAA design and safety standards and confidently positions the company to gain type certification from the FAA for the Generation 6 semi-autonomous model.
Image: Wisk Aero
The design of the eVTOL is similar to many eVTOL’s from various companies we have seen emerging over the last few years. It features six tilting rotors positioned on the front of the wings and another six rotors on the aft of the wing. The company claims the design can achieve a max cruising speed of 138 mph with a range of 90 miles flying at an altitude of 4,000 feet.
Image: Wisk Aero
Generation 6 will not be completely autonomous, if it were it may incur problems attracting passengers who are not too privy about putting their lives in the hands of a computer. Rather, Generation 6 will operate mostly on autopilot with a human on standby observing every aspect of the flight and ready to take over.
Image: Wisk Aero
The interior bears the appearance of you guessed it; an air taxi. Featuring four shoulder height seats with headrests and storage for baggage. There is even Wi-Fi aboard in the event you decide to work while commuting. Similar to the Zeva Z2, Generation 6 will take off from vertiports on the top of buildings in urban areas giving commuters easy access from their work offices to the vehicle.
Image: Wisk Aero
The eVTOL primary goal is urban transportation air taxi services within urban and suburban areas. Wisk plans to create an app along the line of Uber to make it easier for commuters to plan and book their trips in advance.
The company hopes to receive two additional certifications before the project can take to the skies. Several companies such as Zeva Aero, Volocopter, Archer and Volkswagen and many other smaller startups are developing air taxi eVTOL’s. The race is on to see who will be the first to launch a commercial air taxi service in the coming years.
