Atkins has plans to collaborate with electric aircraft company Vertical Aerospace to help develop intercity air taxi services that will revolutionize urban travel.
“As the world’s population continues to grow, our current city transportation models, associated infrastructure and ways of operating will need to adapt to meet unprecedented demand,” said Philip Hoare, president of Atkins. “Vertical Aerospace and Atkins’s pioneering work to take on-demand travel skyward, by developing a system in which eVTOL can operate, has the potential to revolutionize future city and regional transportation.”
Vertical Aerospace is among the first companies in the world to build and fly a full-scale, fully electric vertical take-off and landing aircraft (eVTOL) and is working toward commercial flight by 2023.
Together, Vertical Aerospace and Atkins plan to develop a blueprint for Urban Air Mobility, with Atkins designing the system and infrastructure around the air vehicle. The blueprint will cover aviation infrastructure, passenger experience, operating models, intelligent mobility and cyber security. The partnership builds upon the vehicle safety and certification support Atkins is currently providing to Vertical Aerospace.
Stephen Fitzpatrick, founder and CEO of Vertical Aerospace, said, “As we push ahead with developing the technology to decarbonize flight, we must keep passenger experience and safety at the forefront of our designs. Atkins is the perfect partner to develop this infrastructure from the ground upwards, and we are delighted to be working with them.”
Atkins is a leading design, engineering and project management consultancy.