Flying Taxi Startup Vertical to Open UK Battery Facility

Vertical Aerospace Ltd will set up a new facility in Bristol to design, test and manufacture battery packs for its proposed electric flying taxis.

(Bloomberg) — Vertical Aerospace Ltd will set up a new facility in Bristol to design, test and manufacture battery packs for its proposed electric flying taxis.

The Vertical Energy Center will take cells supplied by Taiwan’s E-One Moli Energy Corp., which trades as Molicel, and assemble them into a custom designed battery park, the company said in a statement Tuesday. It has hired a 50-strong team from firms including McLaren, the European Space Agency, Airbus SE and Jaguar Land Rover to develop proprietary technology that allows greater power to weight ratios for flight.

Vertical is working to certify its VX4 electric vertical take-off and landing, or eVTOL aircraft by 2025, and has racked up more than 1,400 pre-orders, including from American Airlines Group Inc. and Virgin Atlantic Airways Ltd. The company said it was working on battery technology that would allow back-to-back flights with fast-charging in between, without impacting battery life.

The company has said the vehicle will carry a pilot and four passengers with a range of upto 100 miles (160 km) and the ability to cruise at 150 miles per hour.

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