New Yorkers recently stood at a downtown Manhattan heliport to watch a pilot take off vertically in an air taxi powered by electric batteries. Buoyed up by six small propellers, the air taxi quietly circled over the East River before returning safely to the heliport. New York City isn’t the only municipality taking a serious look at urban air mobility. This summer the International Olympic Committee is hoping to move some passengers around Paris via air taxi during the 2024 Olympics.
As cities around the world gear up for the future of air mobility, Utah is building the technology that will help to make it all possible. From advanced materials to thermal management and airframes, three Utah-based companies are building key components that will usher in an era of flying cars.
Hexcel is a leading carbon fiber manufacturer with a sprawling campus in West Valley City, Utah. The company employs hundreds of researchers and technicians who are building high-performance carbon fiber material. The material is used in the manufacturing of dozens of different types of air taxis, including Archer Aviation’s Midnight. Relying on Hexcel components, Archer’s electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft is slated to move passengers between downtown Chicago and O’Hare Airport as early as 2025 through a partnership with United Airlines.
In St. George, Intergalactic has partnered with air taxi manufacturer Eve to provide advanced thermal management systems for the eVTOL developer, ensuring passenger comfort and precise temperature control for critical electrical systems, avionics equipment, and batteries. Intergalactic is already well known for its thermal management work across the aerospace, defense, civil aviation, and commercial space sectors; now it is recognized as an important player in the future of urban and regional air mobility.
Located near Salt Lake International Airport, Albany Engineered Composites is working with Vermont-based Beta Technologies to provide major structural components for Alia, a fixed-wing aircraft powered by energy-dense batteries.
Archer, Eve, and Beta are developing air taxis that will allow us to move around cities in three dimensions — a future only possible because of Utah-based companies like Hexcel, Intergalactic, and Albany. As they continue to innovate at home, they’re building a new paradigm of transportation for the entire world.