Marketplace Tech The aerospace industry is betting on hybrid air taxis
Oct 23, 2025
Henry Epp, a Marketplace reporter specializing in the electric air taxi and aerospace industry, shares fascinating insights about the promise of hybrid air taxis. He discusses the vision of quiet, all-electric vertical takeoff aircraft, the delays caused by FAA certification, and how military interest is shaping the landscape. Epp reveals the shift toward hybrid designs for greater capacity and range, driven by defense potential, and highlights the challenges and hopes for civilian applications in the future.
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Local Test Flights Over Burlington
- Henry Epp lives near Beta Technologies in Burlington, Vermont and sees their test flights overhead.
- He describes the aircraft as small, gleaming white planes that are very quiet in flight.
Military Sparked Investor Confidence
- The Air Force launched Agility Prime to avoid falling behind China in drone and air taxi tech.
- Military backing gave startups legitimacy and helped them raise investor money.
Batteries Limit Military Use
- Pure electric air taxis face hard limits from battery weight that constrain range and payload.
- The military prefers hybrids because they extend range and carry more using conventional fuel with electric motors.