At a Glance:
- Boeing invested $450 million in Wisk Aero.
- Boeing might be the first autonomous flying taxi to be certified in the U.S.
- The investment now makes Wisk one of the most well-funded companies in its niche.
Boeing has invested $450 million in Wisk Aero to support its development of autonomous flying taxis. Wisk (owned by Boeing and Kitty Hawk) is among the dozens of other electric take-off & landing makers. The key differentiator has been the autonomous factor.
The Chief Strategy Officer of Boeing, Marc Allen, commented, “Our view is that is the big strategic advantage of Wisk, going straight to a self-flying aircraft, building those principles in at every level of the design and development.”
Flying Taxi a reality?
Though several startups—and tech giants— have been invested in making autonomous transportation a possibility. It was estimated that the possibility for these tech machines to hit the market would be in 2024.
Boeing declined to confirm the date for the Wisk 6th-Gen passenger vehicle but it has been speculated that the idea will be presented for certification by 2028. Boeing did highlight that achieving this certificate will make it the first certified autonomous passenger-carrying vehicle in the U.S.
Analysts have hinted that the certification can become the key factor for uncertainty surrounding several other competitors in the same space. This includes European rivals Lilium (LILM.O) and Vertical Aerospace, California-based Joby (JOBY.N), and Archer (ACHR.N).
Boeing invests in Wisk
With Boeing’s $450 million investment, Wisk has become one of the most ‘well-funded’ companies in its niche.
Boeing has been fairly more interested in co-developing expertise in broad capabilities of autonomous and advanced production processes, rather than controlling the in-house advanced technology.
Upon asking for its other investment or prospective partnerships in the aerospace industry, the executive stated, “Wisk is just one great example. I am sure it will not be the only example.”
Boeing’s investment in Wisk’s autonomous flying taxi could produce improvements that can further be applied across Boeing’s portfolio.
