If there’s one thing better than beating the traffic by taking a flying taxi to your big meeting in the city, it’s being able to charge your electric car while doing so.
That might sound like some form of fanciful future, but it could actually be closer than you think, because of a partnership between ‘vertiport’ start-up Urban Air Port (UAP) and EV chargepoint firm Osprey Charging. The two firms have been working together on UAP’s Air One trial in Coventry to trial a ‘charging-as-a-service’ system.
Air One is a three-week trial of a concept for an airport – or vertiport – for electric Vertical Take-Off and Landing (eVTOL) craft and autonomous drones. It’s effectively been a proof-of-concept trial run by Hyundai-backed firm UAP, which is planning to open 200 vertiports worldwide in the next five years.
Osprey has provided charging for non-aeronautical vehicles at the trial site, and has agreed a partnership with UAP to offer it at future sites in the UK. The charging service will be offered through UAP’s app, and also accepts contactless payments.
UAP boss Ricky Sandhu said that the trial and partnership showed that “a seamless, zero-emission, intermodal journey is now possible.” He added: “We look forward to building holistic, viable and sustainable infrastructure solutions that can help us all achieve our net zero goals.”
Osprey boss Ian Johnston, CEO of Osprey Charging said: “The eVTOL space is hugely exciting and is becoming increasingly relevant as the world looks to reduce its emissions in all forms of transport. From those electrifying the vehicles on our roads to our skies, we love collaborating with innovators in the EV world, and we look forward continuing to work with Urban-Air Port on its future exciting projects.”
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