UK-based electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) company Vertical Aerospace has flight-tested its prototype electric air taxi in the Cotswolds.

Targeting a 2026 launch, the tilt-rotor VX4 eVTOL seats up to five people and promises more than 100 miles (160 km) of range, at speeds up to 200 mph (322 km/h).

The Cotswolds’ flight marks the first time the vehicle prototype has flown ‘off tether’, meaning the vehicle has flown without a harness attaching it to the ground.

Vertical Aerospace’s vehicle already has more than 1,350 per-orders worldwide. Earlier this year, the UK’s Civil Aviation Authority and the Japanese Civil Aviation Bureau agreed to certify the VX4 once it satisfies the European Union regulator's certification requirements.

In a tweet on the development, Vertical Aerospace said: “Lift off! Our full-scale electric aircraft has successfully flown at Cotswold Airport, hitting 40kts in remotely-piloted thrustborne test flights. Electric flight is within reach.”

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