eVTOLS: Why investors are betting billions on 'flying cars'

Inventors have been fixated on the idea of ‘flying cars’ for nearly as long as they have been on the road, with prototypes dating as far back as the 1940s.

Innovators and investors today, however, prefer the acronym eVTOL, which stands for Electric Vertical Take-Off and Landing.

As the name suggests, eVTOLS are powered by electricity, not fuel. They take off and land vertically, like what you’re used to seeing with a helicopter, but many also fly like a traditional aircraft.

More than 400 companies and innovators have registered designs on the World eVTOL Aircraft Directory. Together, they have attracted billions of dollars in funding over the last decade.

For some, those investments could really pay off. One Markets and Markets forecast estimated that the eVTOL market will grow from $1.2 billion dollars in 2023 to $23.4 billion in 2030. That’s an annual average growth rate of 52 percent.

So, are we in the golden age of eVTOL development or the “mother of all aerospace bubbles?” Watch the video above to learn what the field will need to do to reach its ambitious targets.

0:00 - Early innovation
1:05 - What is an eVTOL?
1:30 - Types of eVTOL prototypes
2:48 - eVTOL benefits
3:38 - eVTOL investment
4:32 - Next steps

#CNBC #eVTOL #FlyingCar #Technology #CNBCTech

-----

[CNBCi]

*Thank you for watching. This video is a part of a four-part CNBC Tech series on eVTOLS. You can check out the other parts below:*

[CNBCi]

Would you feel comfortable riding in an eVTOL? Why or why not?

[vsznry]

Biggest hurdle: battery energy density. Need to solve that and miniaturize fusion for space before anything...

[johnl.]

Until autonomous eVTOL could handle all the flying don’t think humans are fool proof enough for crowded urban areas.

[DrewWithington]

So there are hundreds or thousands of them flying around a big city like London. How do they avoid each other in 3 dimensional space? Airliners have air traffic control to keep them apart from each other, and fly on known flight paths. When cars crash into each other they damage each other, but they are solid metal boxes with crumple zones that protect the occupants, and after a collision they can just sit there not moving and be fine. When aerial vehicles collide they tend to damage each other, and then fall quickly down to the ground.

[___Me_]

Great, so now that cities are entirely congested and poluted by cars, flying cars are supposed to solve that? Where are these things going to land? Imagine the noise of thousands of these flying around buildings, not to mention what happens if one breaks down above a crowded street...

We need to solve the mobility issue instead of evading it.
THE SOLUTION IS EFFICIENT PUBLIC MASS TRANSPORTATION.

[Insight_Compass]

I don't think unless Battery technology improves there is

[importantname]

i dont feel safe walking on footpaths, with people on two and four wheels. Definitely do not trust the average idiot to fly.

[alexandermarinosyan]

You abbreviated eVSnakeOiL wrong. What part of the 2023 $1.2 billion dollar market is operational revenue? Zero?

[Blackjack]

If it is automated and tested, you best believe people are going to use that to get around. Avoiding everyone wants that. You aren't going to have access to this stuff, though, unless you are making over 200k.

[glaydsonbarrosufma]

Just check EVE the evtol of EMBRAER that is for sure the future of Urban transport 🇧🇷🛸

[yukon]

Not economically viable due to low battery power density and high power requirements of vertical flight. So yes, it the mother of all bubbles.

[jay_stack]

⚽ Just think of the 🏆 FIFA World Cup 2026 IN CANADA, USA, & MEXICO... These eVTOLS will help transport fans in between to watch games easily.✈

[EnigmaticAnomaly]

Stop call in them flying cars. Those aren't "cars." They're light helicopters or aircraft. I see nothing that is road worthy, so it's not really a car.