Source reporting: Dallas Express
The Texas Department of Transportation has started a three-year program testing routes and operations for electric air taxis in North Texas, according to the Dallas Express. Project Nexus began with demonstrations and real-world flights based at Perot Field Fort Worth Alliance Airport.
Texas is the sixth location to begin operations under the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Electric Vertical Takeoff and Landing Integration Pilot Program. The federal government selected eight proposals covering 26 states after receiving more than 30 submissions. TxDOT’s industry partners include Archer Aviation, BETA Technologies, Joby Aviation and Wisk.
Joby began a week of flights using a piloted electric vertical-takeoff-and-landing aircraft. Planned routes included Dallas Fort Worth International Airport, Arlington and Toyota Motor North America’s headquarters in Plano. BETA also demonstrated its electric aircraft during the program’s launch at Alliance Airport.
The initial flights do not carry passengers. TxDOT said the first phase will also use conventional helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft to test routes and collect information. Later phases are expected to examine cargo and medical missions, including moving critical supplies or transplant organs between rural facilities and medical centers in Austin and San Antonio. A final phase envisions passenger service across the Texas Triangle.
Any commercial passenger operation would still require Federal Aviation Administration approval. Joby says its aircraft is in the final stage of FAA type certification, but that process was not complete when the Dallas Express published its report. Prior NASA simulations examined how higher volumes of electric-aircraft operations might fit into existing procedures at DFW Airport and Dallas Love Field.
The public cost of Project Nexus remains unclear. A federal notice says each participant will bear its own costs, but neither TxDOT nor the U.S. Department of Transportation provided a project cost estimate in the announcements reviewed by the Dallas Express.
The pilot has direct significance for North Texas transportation planning and public oversight. Government agencies will collect data that could influence future infrastructure, airspace rules and emergency-medical logistics. Before passenger service expands, Texans will need clear information about safety standards, taxpayer exposure, airport capacity, noise and how private operators receive access to publicly managed transportation systems.