AUBURNDALE, Fla. (CBS12) \u2014 Florida will begin testing electric air taxis in Central Florida by the end of the year as the state expands its push into emerging transportation technology, Gov. Ron DeSantis announced Monday.<\/p>\n
Speaking at the SunTrax testing facility in Auburndale, DeSantis <\/a>said electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft, known as eVTOL<\/a>s, could eventually move passengers between major Florida cities without relying on traditional airports or runways.<\/p>\n The aircraft are designed to take off and land vertically from facilities known as vertiports.<\/p>\n \u201cThey don’t need a runway,\u201d DeSantis said. \u201cThey’re going to lift off and they’re going to fly and they’re going to land and they’re going to be able to bring people to different places and then come back.\u201d<\/p>\n DeSantis said one potential use would be air taxi service between Tampa and Orlando, giving travelers another option besides Interstate 4.<\/p>\n \u201cIf you had air taxis going habitually, you go Tampa, Orlando and you can avoid I-4 entirely,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n He compared the concept to \u201can Uber taxi in the air\u201d and said the aircraft could also eventually be used to transport cargo or assist with medical and emergency response missions.<\/p>\n DeSantis said Florida has been selected by the Federal Aviation Administration to participate in an Advanced Air Mobility integration pilot program, giving the state a role in testing how the emerging technology could operate in everyday transportation systems.<\/p>\n The governor also highlighted Florida\u2019s work with autonomous vehicles.<\/p>\n