Joby Aviation has flown its eVTOL aircraft with a hydrogen-electric propulsion system developed by its German subsidiary H2Fly. The company announced on July 11 that in June its demonstrator aircraft flew 523 miles, which is more than five times the range of the aircraft powered by its standard battery-electric powertrain.

Southwest Airlines and Archer Aviation have agreed to co-develop a concept of operations for eVTOL air taxi networks in California. In a memorandum of understanding announced July 12, the two companies pledged to collaborate on prospective plans to use Archer’s Midnight aircraft on routes connecting California’s biggest airports to their surrounding communities, including Greater Los Angeles and the San Francisco Bay Area.

VerdeGo Aero has announced plans for a 400-kilowatt hybrid-electric propulsion system. On Monday, the Florida-based start-up reported it is now making a flightworthy prototype of the VH-4T turbine-based powerplant, having started testing with a full-scale iron bird test rig in late 2023.

Beta Technologies recently completed two more military exercises in the U.S. with its electric Alia aircraft. The Vermont-based developer of electric aircraft and charging infrastructure has been working with the U.S. Department of Defense to demonstrate military uses for electric air taxis such as the Alia.

ZeroAvia claims it can slash the cost of hydrogen production by at least 20% using software powered by artificial intelligence. The hydrogen propulsion systems and ground infrastructure developer this week introduced software that it says reduces the levelized cost of a hydrogen production operation using the same kind of algorithms that manage electrical microgrids running on renewable energy.

North Carolina has received a $500,000 grant from the Appalachian Regional Initiative for Stronger Economies (ARISE) to research aviation improvements in the western part of the state. It was one of three states to receive the grant to prepare for advanced air mobility operations, funded in part by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.