Boeing unveils a prototype for an unmanned electric cargo air vehicle that can do vertical take off and landing

Boeing Co on Wednesday unveiled a prototype for an unmanned electric vertical-takeoff-and-landing cargo air vehicle what the planemaker said will be used to test its autonomous technology. [caption id=“attachment_4298047” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] CAV prototype. Boeing[/caption] The CAV, designed and built in less than three months, is powered by an environmentally-friendly electric propulsion system and can carry up to 500 pounds, Boeing said. “Our new CAV prototype … presents new possibilities for autonomous cargo delivery, logistics and other transportation applications,” said Steve Nordlund, vice president of Boeing HorizonX, the unit that developed the CAV. Chicago-based Boeing’s development of the environmentally-friendly electric propulsion system comes as the race intensifies to advance battery technology and electric motors to lower flying costs and move away from fossil fuels. Airbus, Rolls-Royce and Siemens came together in November to develop a hybrid electric engine, with Airbus responsible for the control architecture of the propulsion system and batteries.

In October, a Seattle-area startup — backed by the venture capital arms of Boeing and JetBlue Airways Corp — announced plans to bring a small hybrid-electric commuter aircraft to market by 2022.