eVTOL Certification Is Coming, But Commercial Runway Isn't - CleanTechnica

The article discusses the current state and challenges of certifying electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft, highlighting that regulatory pathways are now largely established by agencies like the FAA and EASA. The FAA finalized powered lift operational rules in 2024 and issued guidance on type certification in 2025, while EASA has had a VTOL framework since 2019. Despite this regulatory progress, the critical hurdles remain closing engineering risks, securing sufficient financing for the final certification stages, and ultimately achieving commercial profitability. Drawing comparisons to novel aircraft categories such as the tiltrotor AW609 and clean-sheet transport aircraft like the Airbus A350, the article emphasizes that eVTOL certification is expected to face significant schedule overruns due to the complexity of new flight modes, distributed propulsion, fly-by-wire systems, and stringent safety requirements. Engineering challenges are compounded by escalating costs during the transition from prototyping to certification and production readiness. Operating expenses for leading eVTOL companies such as Archer, Job