Trump administration launches trial program to fast-track electric air taxis

The Trump administration has unveiled a pilot program to accelerate the use of electric air taxis, a move aimed at establishing U.S. dominance in airspace technology.

The Department of Transportation on Friday said the Federal Aviation Administration’s Electric Vertical Takeoff and Landing Integration Pilot Program (eIPP) will develop “new frameworks and regulations for enabling safe operations” and form partnerships with private sector companies as well as with state and local governments.

“The next great technological revolution in aviation is here,” Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said in a statement on Friday. “The United States will lead the way, and doing so will cement America’s status as a global leader in transportation innovation. That means more high-paying manufacturing jobs and economic opportunity.”

The program will include at least five pilot projects and will run for three years after the first project is up and running, the department said. The program will also include piloted and unmanned operations that focus on electric air taxis, also called an electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft or eVTOL, that can help with delivering cargo and supplies. The aircraft will also be used to test their effectiveness in emergency situations, such as airlift and medical transport.

The program would allow the testing of aircraft both unmanned and piloted, and which may be capable of carrying passengers, before they complete FAA certification, a process that can take years. Aircraft must have FAA certification before carrying cargo or passengers when flying commercially, according to federal regulations.

This is not the first time the FAA has considered air taxis for future use.

In June 2023, the FAA greenlit a plan from Joby Aviation, a California-based aviation company, to begin test flights of an electric flying taxi prototype. The company on Friday announced plans to participate in the pilot program.

“We’ve spent more than 15 years building the aircraft technology and operational capabilities that are defining advanced aerial mobility, and we’re ready to bring our services to communities,” Joby’s chief policy officer Greg Bowles said in a statement. “We look forward to demonstrating our aircraft’s maturity and delivering early operations in cities and states nationwide.”

Another company, Archer Aviation, also said Friday that it plans to participate in the program.

“We’ll demonstrate that air taxis can operate safely and quietly,” Archer founder and CEO Adam Goldstein said in a statement. “These early flights will help cement American leadership in advanced aviation and set the stage for scaled commercial operations in the U.S. and beyond.”

The FAA said it is accepting proposals and a minimum of five participants will be selected, according to an unpublished federal notice about the program that is set to become public on Tuesday.