What an eVTOL is, and what the word is not

The National Aviation Authorities Network roadmap hosted by the FAA defines an eVTOL as an aircraft that can take off and land vertically using electric propulsion. The FAA's powered-lift FAQ says many aircraft in the powered-lift category will be electric vertical take-off and landing aircraft. Those two sentences are the definition this site uses.

An eVTOL is still an aircraft. Calling a project an eVTOL does not say which approval it holds. On this site, a type certificate is the design approval. A production certificate or production organisation approval covers the factory. An air operator certificate covers the organisation that flies. A permit to fly, or a special or experimental airworthiness certificate, covers a narrower permission to fly. The glossary keeps those apart, and the regulation pages say where each tracked vehicle stands.

The same FAQ describes powered-lift as an aircraft that can take off vertically, land vertically and fly slowly, then fly like an airplane in cruise. Some vehicles on the tracker are not powered-lift aircraft in that sense. all-electronics.de describes the AirCar as a road-capable fixed-wing aircraft that needs a runway. PAL-V calls the Liberty a FlyDrive vehicle that can be used as a car after landing. Electrek describes Alef's flying car as something that can drive and park, and contrasts that with an eVTOL. Those products stay on the tracker because they are flying cars. They are not relabelled as eVTOLs.

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