Electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) developer Overair announced a partnership with Urban Movement Labs (UML) to help expedite urban air mobility (UAM) in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. The partnership is one of several with UML to collaborate with the city of Los Angeles to eventually implement eVTOL technology.
Overair is a Santa Ana, California-based advanced air mobility specialist spun out of Karem Aircraft in 2020. The Overair team used its decades of combined aerospace experience to develop its flagship eVTOL – Butterfly, which originally debuted in 2021.
If and when the Butterfly eVTOL reaches actual production, Overair hopes it can serve as alternative transportation to congested metropolitan areas like Los Angeles. Its current design can carry five passengers plus a pilot, or 1,100 pounds of cargo.
By using today’s commercially available battery cells, Overair’s current iteration of the Butterfly eVTOL will be able to reach a top speed of 200 mph and travel about 100 miles on a single charge. Currently, however, the Butterfly only flies on paper, as it remains a rendering. Most recently, the Overair team completed full-scale propulsion testing, so it is making progress.
Long before any eVTOLs begin commercial production or operation in US cities like Los Angeles, government issues like infrastructure, safety, and regulation will all need to be figured out. That’s where a partner like Urban Movement Labs comes in.
Overair joins UML in quest to being eVTOLs to Los Angeles
The eVTOL company announced its new partnership with Urban Movement Labs in a press release today, joining the latter’s cause in bringing urban air mobility to Los Angeles.
According to Overair, the partnership will specifically focus on collaboration between community, government, and the UAM industry to create a safe, equitable, and sustainable path to eVTOL transportation in Los Angeles.
This will include Overair’s participation in the Urban Air Mobility Partnership – a public-private partnership started by UML to educate and engage Los Angeles residents toward eVTOL integration as early as 2023.
In addition to sharing insight into operational and infrastructure UAM development, Overair will help plan for the industry’s potential workforce opportunities. Additionally, the eVTOL developer will study the potential noise pollution from eVTOLs in the Los Angeles area. Overair co-founder and CEO Ben Tigner spoke to the new partnership:
Our partnership with Urban Movement Labs is a step forward on our path to future operations. The Los Angeles metro area can benefit greatly from advanced air mobility, given the increased travel times in Southern California on a daily basis. Working together with UML on planning efforts grounded in community engagement, we’re on the path to providing reliable, affordable, equitable, and sustainable transportation options to the city of Los Angeles and surrounding areas.
Overair joins fellow eVTOL companies, like Volocopter, in partnering with UML. Last September Volocopter announced a partnership with UML alongside plans to launch its VoloCity eVTOL taxi in the United States, beginning in Los Angeles. With several UAM companies clamoring for the opportunity to take flight in Southern California, UML will continue to work with the community and municipal government to bring its shared dream into reality.
Overair says its team is growing rapidly and the company plans to begin commercial operation of the Butterfly eVTOL in 2026.
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