Most Read This Week: Flying Taxi Carries First Passenger in Abu Dhabi

Here are the most-read stories in IoT World Today this week:

Flying Taxi Carries First Passenger; Pilotless Travel

Chinese electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) vehicle maker EHang has taken its first passenger for a demonstration ride in Abu Dhabi.

The EH216-S pilotless vehicle took off from the Emirates Falcons Aviation Club, following demonstrations of the electric aerial vehicle (EAV) conducted without passengers at the DriftX mobility expo, also in Abu Dhabi.

Following the demo flights, EHang CEO Huazhi Hu said the company would aim to secure approval for passenger-carrying demo flights and expedite the progress toward commercial flights.

Read more about the test flight >>>

Flying Taxi Company Lands 20-Unit Order for US Operations

German eVTOL jet developer Lilium has received an order for 20 of its flying vehicles, marking the beginning of its operations in the U.S.

UrbanLink, the South Florida purchaser, also has the option of purchasing 20 additional electric jets, with plans to operate the EAV in South Florida.

UrbanLink said it intends to use the network of Florida vertiports that Lilium and its partners have been working on for five years.

While the EAV is not yet ready for delivery, the first flight piloted tests are planned for later this year.

Related:Most Read This Week: Air Taxi Flies Between China Cities in 20 Minutes

Read more details >>>

Hyundai to Invest $1B Into Self-Driving Company

Hyundai Motor Group has announced a nearly $1 billion investment into self-driving company Motional.

The investment was initially revealed in automotive parts supplier Aptiv’s Q1 earnings report. 

Aptiv has been a joint venture partner in Motional with Hyundai but said earlier this year it was no longer prepared to commit money to the enterprise.

Under the investment, Hyundai will acquire 11% of Motional’s common equity held by Aptiv for $448 million. 

Hyundai’s immediate priority is likely to be speeding up the development of Motional’s autonomous technology and accelerating the commercialization of its self-driving taxi. 

Read more about the deal >>>

Air Taxi Company Releases Teaser Video; Embraer Backed

EAV maker Eve Air Mobility, a spinout from Embraer’s business and innovation accelerator, has released a teaser video of its first, full-scale, early prototype vehicle.

The vehicle is the result of Eve’s work to create a low-sound vehicle with efficient thrust. The EAV is expected to enter service in 2026 and pre-orders have reached nearly 3,000, according to the company.

Eve is also assembling its first full-scale eVTOL working prototype to be used for testing. This vehicle uses eight propellers for vertical flight and fixed wings for flying at cruise, and has a range of 60 miles. 

Related:Air Taxi Company Releases Teaser Video; Embraer Backed

Eve said it will make use of Embraer’s aircraft experience, as well as its global network of service and support locations.

See the video for yourself >>>

AT&T Splits Cybersecurity Business, Launches New Venture

AT&T has split its cybersecurity services group and launched a joint venture to focus on managed cybersecurity services.

The new business, LevelBlue, is being established in collaboration with cybersecurity investor WillJam Ventures and will reportedly help protect businesses from the emerging threats of AI and cloud computing.

Services offered by LevelBlue include “managed security services, cybersecurity consulting, threat intelligence and continuous security operations center (SOC) support,” according to the companies.

The venture will also offer businesses a threat intelligence platform to identify potential issues and “accelerate threat detection and response.” 

Read full details of the venture >>>