Los Angeles Imagines ‘Jetsons'-Style Future of Electric Aircraft

Imagine avoiding Los Angeles traffic gridlock by hailing a sky taxi or air bus, like out of a scene in the futuristic television show “The Jetsons.”

California’s biggest city on Wednesday announced a year-long, first-in-the-nation partnership with Urban Movement Labs, city agencies, and Hyundai Motor Group to envision how to blend all-electric, low-noise flying aircraft into its existing ground-based public transit system.

The Urban Air Mobility plan involves building a demonstration “vertiport,” and assessing potential regulatory hurdles and what type of service commuters want or need.

“It’s a new initiative to truly get our transit dreams off the ground,” Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti said during a briefing. He said the aircraft—like a a hybrid of small helicopters and delivery drones—will have to be safe, quiet, all-electric, and affordable for all residents.

“It’s basically a two- to five-person-sized vehicle that can take off vertically so it doesn’t need the air space requirements that a helicopter would have,” Lilly Shoup, Urban Movement Labs’ interim executive director, said in a phone interview. “This is a new technology. This vehicle class has never existed before.”

Less Congestion, Pollution

City officials said all-electric aircraft could be in operation by 2023 and would reduce air pollution, remove some cars from the road, shorten commutes, and help foster economic growth.

“Los Angeles is such a massive region,” Shoup said. “Urban air mobility could alleviate some of that congestion on the roads.”

Hyundai is funding the placement of a fellow in city government charged with public engagement and developing a strategy for when the aircraft could take to the air. How residents want the service to look, key regulations, property rights, and other issues will be examined.

“Los Angeles needs a resilient transportation network that can adapt to the needs of its communities with the flip of a switch,” Seleta Reynolds, general manager of the city’s Department of Transportation, said in a news release.

Garcetti said he hopes to also provide a template for other cities to follow. The plan is for aircraft to be in place before the city hosts the 2028 Summer Olympics.

That’s not so far-fetched. A September World Economic Forum report, which Garcetti’s office collaborated on, said the urban air mobility sector is likely to be commercially viable by 2028—so long as supporting regulations and policies are in place.

Helicopter manufacturer and transit services firm Volocopter GmbH announced Dec. 9 that the world’s first electric-powered air taxi service should launch in Singapore by the end of 2023.