Electric air taxis get the green light for test flights in Texas

电动空中出租车获准在德克萨斯州进行试飞

A new federal program to test the feasibility of electric, hybrid-electric, and autonomous aircraft kicks off today in Texas — before the rules governing this new technology have even been finalized. 一项旨在测试电动、混合动力及自动驾驶飞行器可行性的联邦新计划今日在德克萨斯州启动——尽管目前针对这项新技术的监管规则尚未最终敲定。

Earlier this year, the Federal Aviation Administration’s Advanced Air Mobility and Electric Vertical Takeoff and Landing (eVTOL) Integration Pilot Program (eIPP) selected eight state-led projects to serve as some of the first public tests of these new aircraft. The first one kicks off today in Texas, featuring three eVTOL companies: Joby, Beta, and Wisk. 今年早些时候，美国联邦航空管理局（FAA）的“先进空中交通与电动垂直起降（eVTOL）集成试点计划”（eIPP）选定了八个由州政府主导的项目，作为这些新型飞行器的首批公开测试。首个项目于今日在德克萨斯州启动，参与方包括 Joby、Beta 和 Wisk 三家 eVTOL 公司。

For the next week, these companies will conduct test flights demonstrating future routes between cities and regional airports, including Dallas Fort Worth International Airport. The aircraft won’t carry any passengers, but regulators will be keen to see how the state’s air traffic control system handles the uptick in flight traffic. The companies, meanwhile, are eager to prove to the federal government that their aircraft deserve to be awarded type certification, which is required before any of them can carry passengers commercially in the US. 在接下来的一周里，这些公司将进行试飞，演示城市与区域机场（包括达拉斯-沃斯堡国际机场）之间的未来航线。虽然飞行器不会搭载任何乘客，但监管机构将密切关注该州的空中交通管制系统如何应对飞行流量的增加。与此同时，这些公司也急于向联邦政府证明其飞行器有资格获得型号认证，这是它们在美国进行商业载客运营的前提条件。

But type certification can take years to attain, which led to the White House to create this pilot program allowing these companies to demonstrate their new technology — even before the regulatory process has concluded. Through the eIPP, the companies hope to accelerate their path to market by getting a head start on data collection that will be needed for certification. Data from the program will also be used to “develop new regulations that safely enable this futuristic technology at scale,” the White House said earlier. 然而，型号认证可能需要数年时间才能获得，这促使白宫设立了这一试点计划，允许这些公司在监管程序结束前就展示其新技术。通过 eIPP，这些公司希望通过提前收集认证所需的数据，加速其市场化进程。白宫此前曾表示，该计划收集的数据也将用于“制定新的法规，以安全地实现这项未来技术的规模化应用”。

The companies say they are thrilled to demonstrate the future of electric and autonomous flight, which they argue will help reduce car traffic in cities and open up new mobility opportunities for consumers. 这些公司表示，他们很高兴能展示电动和自动驾驶飞行的未来。他们认为，这将有助于减少城市汽车交通，并为消费者开辟新的出行机会。

“I’m incredibly excited by the potential for vertical lift in Texas, a state with the infrastructure, expertise, and partnerships to help lead the next era of American aviation,” JoeBen Bevirt, Founder and CEO of Joby Aviation, said in a statement. Joby Aviation 创始人兼首席执行官 JoeBen Bevirt 在一份声明中表示：“我对德克萨斯州垂直起降技术的潜力感到无比兴奋。该州拥有基础设施、专业知识和合作伙伴关系，能够助力引领美国航空业的下一个时代。”

Several of these companies have conducted public test flights before — Joby’s egg-shaped aircraft demonstrated its future route between Lower Manhattan and JFK Airport earlier this year — but these will be the first official flights under the White House’s new pilot program. Additional tests are being planned in New York, Utah, Pennsylvania, Louisiana, Florida, North Carolina, and New Mexico. 其中几家公司此前已进行过公开试飞——例如 Joby 的蛋形飞行器今年早些时候展示了曼哈顿下城与肯尼迪机场之间的未来航线——但这些将是白宫新试点计划下的首批官方飞行。目前，纽约州、犹他州、宾夕法尼亚州、路易斯安那州、佛罗里达州、北卡罗来纳州和新墨西哥州也正在筹划后续的测试。

Legal in-fighting, however, could muddy the picture for electric aviation. Joby and one of its rivals, Archer, are currently suing each other for stolen trade secrets and corporate espionage. Technology limitations, including battery weight and sensor decisions, could also hamper the rollout. 然而，法律纠纷可能会给电动航空的前景蒙上阴影。Joby 与其竞争对手 Archer 目前正因窃取商业机密和企业间谍活动互相起诉。此外，包括电池重量和传感器决策在内的技术局限性，也可能阻碍该技术的推广。