Paris officials savage planned 2024 Olympics air taxi introduction
The planned global introduction of air taxi services next year during the Paris Summer Olympics already risks being grounded, after city authorities from across party lines joined up this week to lavishly dump on what elsewhere in France and the world has been the tech’s much-ballyhooed debut.
National and regional officials in France have been bustling to complete aerial and ground infrastructure preparations in time to roll out the world’s first air taxi operations next summer, when all eyes will already be on the Paris-hosted Summer Olympic Games. But elected officials used municipal meetings this week to vent their long-simmering anger at the push to get next generation aircraft into the city’s skies – and, if possible, keep it from happening altogether.
One of those numerous critics, Dan Lert, derided what has generally been hailed as the sustainable, emissions-free, affordable future of public transportation as “a useless, polluting gadget (to be) reserved for the ultra-privileged.”
And he’s an Ecologist.
Lert, meanwhile, was joined by a large majority of officials from across the political spectrum who spoke at the regularly held Council of Paris meeting to blast away at the Volocopter air taxis scheduled to operate around and over city during and after the Summer Olympics.
The reasons for the shared opposition were diverse. Officials to the left argued that air taxis – which are expected to cost at least €110 ($120) per ride – are being prepared as gifts to rich people wanting to avoid heavy Paris car traffic during the Olympics, and gain a few minutes by using what will be fairly short aerial routes.
Others said the additional noise created by the flights will ruin the steadily eroding quality of life of Parisians, and create safety risk of still developing air taxi tech dropping from what (they continued) were already crowded city skies.
“To save few minutes for a handful of affluent people ignorant and disdaining of the global warming emergency, we’d be polluting the atmosphere, destroying the sonar environment,” warned Socialist Party official Florian Sitbon.
Conservative municipal counsellor Claire de Clermont-Tonnerre also leveled environmental criticism at the plan to operate air taxis both during the Olympics and through the end of 2024 – creating an estimated total of around 1,900 flights.
“The approximately 190 kWH consumption these flying machines consume per 100 kilometers is two to three times higher than an internal combustion engine car transporting a single passenger,” de Clermont-Tonnerre said – possibly disgusted that air taxis aren’t power by the same “clean” nuclear tech most of France is.
She also noted the introduction of air taxis in time for the Olympics follows Paris having only just moved to rid itself of the anarchy-creating rental e-scooters that residents had come to loathe.
“This is a new form (of transportation) we have absolutely no need of… just as we experienced with rental e-scooters,” she urged.
So are Paris air taxis already fini just seven months before they’re scheduled to begin operation?
Perhaps. Yet it’s worth noting a considerable portion of the bombast of Paris officials is rooted in the wider nation’s pronounced disgust of the national leadership. Its litany of aloof and heavy-handed actions includes having joined authorities running the capital’s wider region to force the air taxi plan through, with little real consultation. Politics, therefore, is a big motivator in the current aerial counter-offensive.
In addition to that, meanwhile, opponents are seeking to capitalize on a recent report by the independent Autorité environnementale française that aired serious reserves about air taxi services over central Paris. Detractors are also looking to influence opinions expressed in an ongoing public consultation about introducing the craft, which is set to wrap up December 8.
But given the enormous investment already sunk into the plan – and the windfall of pride and prestige to be had at being the first nation to initiate air taxis – it’s likely France’s government will either negotiate or (per its habit) steamroll its Olympics introduction of services into being, no matter the degree of opposition.
If so, the far more important broader question for the sector will become whether that political force-feeding – along with any potential down-sides created by electric aircraft operation – winds up sufficiently souring Paris and the rest of France on the emerging air taxi option, and thus delaying its veritable adoption for months or even years after the Olympic Games and its hoopla have packed up and gone.
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Three months after Uber, Lucid Motors, and Nuro announced a partnership that would enable Gravity SUV robotaxis, the rideshare network has shared where the public will first be able to hail one. Spoiler alert, it’s easy to guess if you give it half a thought.
As we reported in July, Uber Technologies committed to a $300 million investment in Lucid Group (parent company of American EV automaker Lucid Motors), to deploy at least 20,000 Lucid vehicles as robotaxis over the next six years.
Those Lucid vehicles, which will consist of the automaker’s flagship Gravity SUV to begin, will hit public roads equipped with a Level 4 autonomous system called Nuro Driver. Nuro, the third partner in this equation, is a robotics company specializing in zero-occupant delivery vehicles, which garnered an existing partnership with Uber Eats as well as a “hefty” (yet undisclosed) investment from Uber Technologies.
Last month, Lucid delivered its first Gravity SUV to Nuro to begin the retrofitting process of the Nuro Driver system to support Uber’s hopes for a luxe robotaxi fleet. While the partners continue to work toward building an exciting new fleet of Lucid Gravity Robotaxis, Uber has shared the location where they will first go into service… Casper, Wyoming.
Just kidding!
It’s the San Francisco Bay Area, of course.
Uber to deploy Lucid Gravity EVs in Bay Area in 2026
Today’s update from Uber expands upon the ongoing partnership with Lucid Group and Nuro. According to the companies, the San Francisco Bay Area will be the first market where riders will see this next-generation autonomous robotaxi program in operation. That milestone is expected sometime in 2026.
Uber has shared that it has been updating policymakers and regulators at every level on the progress of its exclusive Lucid Robotaxis and continues to meet the operational requirements. Notably, Uber has shared that on-road development with the Lucid Gravity robotaxi engineering fleet is already underway in the Bay Area.
Furthermore, Nuro and Lucid intend to be operating over 100 Gravity robotaxis as part of the test fleet “in the coming months.” Lucid interim CEO, Marc Winterhoff, spoke about today’s announcement:
Lucid has always celebrated its California roots, and we’re thrilled to make the San Francisco Bay Area the first market for our new robotaxi on the Uber platform, powered by the Nuro Driver. Beginning next year, riders will experience a level of convenience, safety, and comfort unlike anything else on the road. We can’t wait to bring this service to life and expand it to communities across the country.
To build this fleet of Uber-exclusive robotaxis, the required hardware will be integrated into Lucid Gravity SUVS while they are still on Lucid’s assembly line in Arizona. Those builds will then be integrated with Nuro’s proprietary software when Uber officially commissions them.
All eyes on 2026 as we now know that residents around the Bay Area will be able to hail a driverless Lucid Gravity through the Uber platform. I’m very much looking forward to seeing this fleet in action.
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With its new EA line of variable speed industrial air compressors and superior energy efficiency from their advanced electric motors, industrial equipment Bobcat is setting a new standard for job site performance.
Designed for top-tier flow rates and maximum energy efficiency, Bobcat says its new EA lineup of variable speed compressors – the EA30VS, EA50VS, EA75VS, and EA100VS – is built to meet the demanding needs of modern industrial operations. But, crucially, the new EA line is about more than efficient motors, quiet running, and precise speed variation. It’s about tech.
To that end, the EA Series is equipped with a full range of “smart” operational features controlled through a 7″, full color LED controller display for intuitive operation. This system allows connection to, and intelligent optimization of, up to three additional compressors, ensuring the entire compressed air system operates at peak performance based on demand so perators can easily customize performance with programmable scheduling by date, time and pressure bands – delivering precision control with minimal effort.
And, of course, the whole system is backed by Bobcat’s global warranties, international parts and dealer networks, and commitment to durability and service.
“The new EA Series represents a leap forward in industrial air compression technology for Bobcat,” said Cody Blythe, Bobcat product manager. “These machines offer exceptional flow rates paired with peak energy efficiency, providing our customers with a powerful solution that lowers their total cost of ownership through reduced electricity usage.”
Bobcat says its new EA line of variable speed compressors are available now at select Bobcat distributors, contact your local dealer for pricing.
Electrek’s Take
Bobcat is leading the charge to decarbonize job sites, delivering quiet, smooth-running machines for operators who value safety, performance, precision, and sustainability. The company is also among the few manufacturers replacing hydraulic systems with fully electric ones, further reducing oil use and eliminating idle warm‑up time.
You love to see it.
SOURCE | IMAGES: Bobcat.
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LiveWire, the electric motorcycle brand spun out of Harley-Davidson, has just given us a closer look than ever at its upcoming lower-cost, smaller-format electric motorcycles ahead of their larger unveiling at the Milan Motorcycle Show (EICMA) next week.
While we got our first glimpse of the new machines earlier this summer, spotting a street and trail version of the smaller electric motorbikes, now we have a name for the models and a few more details.
Officially called the S4 Honcho, the new model will be a 125-cc equivalent that will be available in both a street-legal version capable of being operated by riders who possess a moped/light motorcycle license in Europe or a motorcycle license in the US, and a license-free off-road version.
“The S4 Honcho Street will qualify for A1 licenses in Europe and the UK and M-endorsement in the U.S., offering lightweight, urban-friendly electric mobility with intuitive performance and removable batteries,” explained the company.
The bikes appear to be powered by a centrally-mounted, chain-driving electric motor and a pair of removable batteries accessed by flipping up the seat.
LiveWire has remained fairly tight-lipped regarding the major tech specs for the bikes, as well as the price, but we do get a look at the dual removable batteries thanks to a new image posted to the company’s website.
There, we can see what appears suspiciously similar to a pair of KYMCO Ionex batteries, which would make sense given LiveWire’s close partnership with the Taiwanese scooter giant.
A couple years ago at EICMA I had the chance to check out KYMCO’s new Ionex batteries and e-scooter platform firsthand, which you can see in the video below.
While excitement has been building for LiveWire’s smaller electric motorcycles, the full unveiling of the bikes’ performance figures as well as the price tag will prove critical for gauging whether or not the mini-bikes could be a major turning point for LiveWire’s elusive profitability.
But the company isn’t betting it all on one horse, or one Honcho. Also in attendance at the show will be LiveWire’s full-scale concept of an electric maxiscooter built on the same S2 architecture that powers the company’s currently best-selling models, the S2 Del Mar, S2 Mulholland, and S2 Alpinista.
That scooter, built in partnership with KYMCO, will leverage the company’s fully developed S2 platform to create a more comfortable, high-performance urban and suburban-oriented model.
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