Atkins to assess plans for electric air taxis in South West England
Atkins is to assess plans to introduce electric air taxis in south west England.
Trials could begin as early as 2023, following the award of a £2.5M grant from government to assess the plans.
Atkins will work with Vertical Aerospace and the West of England Combined Authority to assess the feasibility of introducing electric air taxis in the area.
The project was awarded partial funding through the government’s Future of Flight Challenge, which was created to find innovative methods of achieving greener air transport, finding new ways to travel, increasing mobility, improving connectivity and reducing congestion.
Flying taxis could take off in South West by 2023 27 Jan 2021
Professional Engineering
Vertical Aerospace s VA-1X vehicle is designed to hold one pilot and four passengers, with a range of 100 miles at 150mph Flying taxis could carry passengers over the South West of England by 2023, after a consortium investigating their deployment received new government funding.
The group, including electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft developer Vertical Aerospace, received an industrial research grant for the £2.5m project.
Led by Atkins, it is expected to take 18 months and will include an assessment of the demand for air taxi services in the South West. It will also develop use cases for the technology and evaluate its integration and impact on the wider transport network, including the region’s airports, as well as the benefits to cities and residents. The group said it will “establish viable markets and business cases for these services and
The European Union is calling out vaccine makers AstraZeneca (AZN) and Pfizer (PFE) over delivery delays that could slow its recovery from the pandemic. Officials are even threatening to restrict exports and take legal action as anger mounts.
AstraZeneca will not be able to deliver as many doses of its vaccine as promised, according to EU officials, putting government rollout plans and the economic recovery at risk. The news comes after Pfizer said it had delivered fewer doses of its vaccine than expected last week.
EU Health Commissioner Stella Kyriakides on Monday expressed dissatisfaction on talks with AstraZeneca and said conversations would continue. She said the drugmaker âintends to supply considerably fewer doses in the coming weeks than agreed and announced.â
Europe threatens to restrict vaccine exports after AstraZeneca and Pfizer hit production problems
The European Union is calling out vaccine makers AstraZeneca and Pfizer over delivery delays that could slow its recovery from the pandemic. Officials are even threatening to restrict exports and take legal action as anger mounts.
AstraZeneca will not be able to deliver as many doses of its vaccine as promised, according to EU officials, putting government rollout plans and the economic recovery at risk. The news comes after Pfizer said it had delivered fewer doses of its vaccine than expected last week.
EU Health Commissioner Stella Kyriakides on Monday expressed dissatisfaction on talks with AstraZeneca and said conversations would continue. She said the drugmaker “intends to supply considerably fewer doses in the coming weeks than agreed and announced.”