'这将是《飞侠哥顿》的时代。' 科尔马斯官员将eVTOL视为下一轮经济发展重点

Columbus officials are positioning the city to become an early hub for electric air taxis. Negotiations are underway to develop a universal eVTOL charging station and vertiport at the Columbus Airport.

The proposed infrastructure would support electric vertical takeoff and landing vehicles, which are battery-powered vehicles that take off and land like helicopters and fly like planes, as Georgia looks to build out its advanced air mobility network.

The project is a collaborative effort between local and state officials. Andy Hilmes, executive vice president at economic development organization Choose Columbus, an overseer of this project, spoke to the Ledger-Enquirer about the importance of investing in this technology early.

What is eVTOL?

eVTOL vehicles are battery-powered aircraft that enable short and fast air-taxi trips as part of a new advanced air mobility system.

Officials see this technology reshaping regional transportation. Potential uses include easing road travel and speeding up delivery of organs for transplant.

“The reason why electric vertical takeoff lift aircraft are so attractive is they are extremely more cost-efficient than combustion-powered aircraft and particularly helicopters,” Hilmes said. “They’re easy to operate, cheaper to maintain, much quieter. You can move them into downtown areas, and you can land them in rural areas.”

Clement Solomon, the intermodal director at the Georgia Department of Transportation, told the Ledger-Enquirer that, over the next 10 to 20 years, advanced air mobility like eVTOL will be expanded throughout the state from transporting cargo to transporting people through an air-taxi service.

“The main focus will be low-volume, high-value cargo such as medical supplies, organ transport, electronics and just-in-time inventory,” Solomon said.

Solomon said state officials have a twofold vision about eVTOL: for Georgia to accommodate eVTOL operations and for the state to become a national hub for its manufacturing, operations and workforce development.

Why Columbus?

If Georgia succeeds in building that industry, Columbus officials want the city to be one of the places that benefits early.

Solomon noted Fort Benning, Columbus State University and the Columbus Airport are assets that could help the Chattahoochee Valley compete for regional airport transportation. He said Columbus could serve as a “feeder” and a hub.

Local officials say some of that groundwork is already in place.

Hilmes said the Columbus Airport has been identified as largely capable of supporting eVTOL operations, according to a 2024 Georgia Department of Transportation study, with charging infrastructure being among the primary remaining needs.

“We don’t want to get pulled into the network,” Hilmes said. “We want to be up and available for business from day one. We need to aggressively look at having this infrastructure now.”

Hilmes said eVTOL could shorten regional trips that require hours on the road, better connecting Columbus to the rest of the state. A trip from Columbus to Macon, for example, could take 20 minutes by air. This accessibility could also allow companies such as Pratt & Whitney to more easily transport employees or visitors directly between facilities.

The technology also could support medical transport. Hilmes said organs being moved through the Columbus Airport could be flown directly from an Atlanta hospital to Piedmont Columbus Regional before the aircraft repositions to the airport to recharge.

But being ready for those uses requires Columbus to invest before the market arrives.

“Whenever you have a new technology that is going to revolutionize something — and this, in my opinion, will revolutionize air travel — you want to be on the front end,” he said. “And the way you get in the game is to have a charging station.”

The Columbus Airport charging station comes with a $1 million price tag, a modest investment, Hilmes said.

Choose Columbus is working with the Columbus Consolidated Government to secure funding, advocating for investments in eVTOL to help alleviate traffic congestion and connect the city to broader tourism in the state. Additional approvals and a construction timeline would follow after funding is secured.

“This would be a transportation infrastructure, and the city has the mechanisms to do that with the transportation funding that it receives,” Hilmes said. “There’s a lot of priorities when it comes to transportation. We think this should be one of them.”

But a charging station alone would not create an advanced air mobility hub.

Solomon said eVTOL will require a broader ecosystem that includes aircraft operators, maintenance providers, utilities, communication networks, airspace management systems and ground transportation connections, among others. These are areas where communities like Columbus can start planning.

“For AAM to succeed, these pieces must develop together,” he said. “Aircraft alone are not enough.”

What’s next?

The Columbus Airport may only be the starting point.

Hilmes foresees vertiports being installed in other parts of Columbus, potentially incorporated into development projects like South Commons. These vertiports could be built atop parking garages, allowing people to fly directly into the city for sports and entertainment.

For now, the timeline is much smaller.

Hilmes wants to have the charging station operating by 2027. He expects eVTOL aircraft could begin flying regularly in the Columbus area within the next two to three years.

“It’s the Jetsons,” he said. “It’s the Jetsons coming to a location near you soon.”

JP

Jordyn Paul-Slater

Columbus Ledger-Enquirer

Jordyn Paul-Slater is the business and engagement reporter at the Ledger-Enquirer. Her work has appeared in publications such as Reuters, Fast Company and The New York Observer. She completed her master’s degree in specialized journalism at the University of Southern California and earned her bachelor’s degree in journalism from George Washington University.