I don't think the problem has a need for some newer tech, it needs infrastructure. Kind of like EV's need charging stations, air taxis need landing pads. Almost nobody has space for a landing pad at their home but if they do, they don't have access to a landing pad within walking distance of their destination. This challenge goes back to the days of roadable airplanes, driving to the airport to fly to the airport near destination and then driving from there to your destination just did not have enough benefit for the short trips that you would make. Longer trips, you want to fly faster than a roadable plane could. Air taxis can't pick you up close enough to where you are or drop you off close enough to where you want to go. It could work for something like the Olympics if the proper infrastructure was included in the planning. If enough hotels had landing pads and the Olympic venues had landing pads, Woo Hoo. I am not sure why people thought these things need to be electric or how electric was going to be a game changer. I think electric is better, quieter, less polluting, better redundancy but these are features not enablers. For the Olympics is should not be Air-taxis but Air-buses or Air-Shuttles.

TEK