Hybrid power will make helicopters safer and more productive

SCORES OF ELECTRICALLY powered vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft are under development, heralding a future where air-taxis whisk people from one place to another. Provided their batteries are charged up using renewable power, these new flying machines will also travel in a green, planet-saving way. They therefore appear to be the nemeses of noisy, fossil-fuel guzzling helicopters. But not quite yet. As with all forms of electrically propelled flight, weight—and therefore range—are issues. In the interim, however, a touch of electrification looks likely to make conventional choppers not only safer but also more useful.