Wisk Aero, a U.S. electric air taxi developer, has secured $450 million in new funding from Boeing, according to a Jan. 24 press announcement. The California-based Wisk is working on the development and certification of an electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft for future pilotless flying taxis. Wisk has invested much in software and technology that make its air taxis capable of autonomously flying themselves. Boeing, which owns an undisclosed majority stake in Wisk, hopes that the developer will be the first autonomous passenger-carrying vehicle to be certified in the United States. Wisk was formed as a joint venture in 2019 between Boeing and U.S. electric aircraft developer Kittyhawk, an air vehicle firm launched by Google co-founder Larry Page. The aerospace partners formed Wisk for the purpose of developing and certifying an all-electric passenger air taxi. The two firms intend to leapfrog a generation of eVTOL aircraft operated by pilots—which are already being …