Vertical Aerospace eVTOL - UK's First Flying Taxi

Vertical Aerospace eVTOL is the electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft programme from British startup Vertical Aerospace, founded in 2016 by OVO Energy entrepreneur Stephen Fitzpatrick. The company's goal is to make carbon-free, on-demand air travel commercially viable, starting with short urban routes. Their VX4 aircraft targets a cruise speed of 241 km/h (150 mph), a range of 161 km (100 miles), and noise levels 30 times lower than an equivalent helicopter, making it one of the most capable eVTOL programmes currently in development.

How the Vertical Aerospace eVTOL Works

The VX4 is a winged eVTOL, meaning it uses its wings to generate lift in forward flight rather than relying purely on rotor thrust, which dramatically improves range and efficiency. Eight large propellers are distributed across the wings: two five-blade props along the front edge of each wing and two scissor-folding four-blade props along the rear. For vertical takeoff and landing, all eight propellers point upward. In cruise flight, the front bank tilts forward to generate horizontal thrust while the rear props fold and tuck into a low-drag configuration. The 160 kWh battery pack delivers peak power of 1.4 MW (approximately 1,877 hp), supporting up to 40 minutes of flight at operational altitude.

From Demonstrator to VX4: The Development Path

Vertical Aerospace's early pilotless demonstrator weighed 750 kg and completed its first flight tests at Cotswold Airport in Gloucestershire. That prototype validated the basic propulsion architecture before the company scaled up to the full VX4 design: a five-seat aircraft with a pilot in front and four passengers. In July 2024, Vertical Aerospace unveiled the full-scale VX4 prototype, as reported by Electrek, completing airport-to-airport test flights and progressing toward a 2028 certification target. The programme has attracted pre-orders from American Airlines and Virgin Atlantic, among others.

The Case for UK eVTOL Leadership

Vertical Aerospace argues that the UK is well positioned to lead global eVTOL certification thanks to the Civil Aviation Authority's progressive regulatory framework and a deep aerospace engineering base centred in Bristol. The company's stated mission is to decarbonise air transport and give people the freedom to fly from their local area directly to their destination, replacing short-haul fossil-fuel flights with zero-emission aerial routes. At 30 times quieter than a helicopter, the VX4 is also designed to operate from urban vertiports without the noise objections that have blocked helicopter routes in cities. The broader eVTOL market is covered in detail at New Atlas.

Electric Air Mobility at TheArsenale

The Vertical Aerospace eVTOL sits at the leading edge of a new category of personal and urban air transport. TheArsenale carries the XPENG X2 eVTOL flying car, the Zapata Airscooter personal eVTOL, and the Ehang AAV autonomous passenger drone. The full range of flying vehicles, electric aircraft, and aerial mobility concepts is in the air collection.