Dec 21 (Reuters) - Electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft (eVTOL) maker Eve, part of Brazilian planemaker Embraer , is planning to go public in the fifth such debut as investors bet on environmentally friendly urban air travel.

That comes after Vertical Aerospace saw its shares surge 19% in a New York debut on Friday

Following are some of the leading eVTOL developers, some of which aim to start their "flying taxis" before mid-decade.

Vertical Aerospace - The Bristol-UK-based manufacturer was founded in 2016 and launched its eVTOL VX4 in 2020. - It is backed by investors such as American Airlines Group Inc and Honeywell International Inc. - It says it has the largest sales with pre-orders for up to 1,350 aircraft. VX4 can fly at a top speed of 202 miles per hour and can carry 5 people at a time including the pilot.

Joby Aviation - The California-based company started in 2009 and is now worth more than $3.9 billion. - Backed by Toyota Motor Corp, Joby has developed an eVTOL supported by six electric motors and operated by a pilot. It can carry four passengers and go at 200 miles/hour. - Joby aims to get certification in 2022. Archer Aviation - The San Francisco-based company was founded in 2018 and went public in September after merging with Atlas Crest Investment. It is now worth $1.7 billion, according to Refinitiv data. - Archer is backed by United Airlines Holdings and Stellantis NV. Its eVTOL named Maker will be piloted, with a capacity of four passengers and a speed of 150 miles/hour, powered by 12 motors and six independent battery packs. - Archer has received FAA approval for ground tests. Volocopter - German air taxi startup Volocopter began making its eVTOL in 2011. It has raised 322 million euros ($363.92 million) and is looking to go public via a SPAC deal. - The startup counts Daimler AG and BlackRock among its investors. The two-seater eVTOL Volocity is battery-powered, supported by 18 motors and will have a maximum airspeed of 110 km/hour (68 miles/hour). Wisk - The San Francisco-based autonomous air taxi developer was established in 2019 as a JV between Boeing and Kitty Hawk Corp, which is backed by Google's Larry Page. - Wisk's eVTOL, Cora, is a two-seater aircraft designed with a speed of 100 miles/hour and has 12 motors. - Cora has an experimental airworthiness certificate from both the New Zealand Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) and the U.S. FAA. Lilium - German air shuttle startup Lilium has been developing its electric aircraft since 2015. The company listed on the U.S. stock market via a reverse merger with Qell Acquisition Corp. It has a market cap of more than $1.9 billion. - Its seven-seater eVTOL can fly at 175 miles/hour. The jets rely on a single-stage rotor system driven by an electric motor. - The company is pursuing concurrent certification of the 7-seater jet with EASA and FAA. CityAirbus - CityAirbus was unveiled by Airbus in September 2021 after its fixed-wing, V-tail design was picked as the planemaker's eVTOL offering over a rival demonstrator. - CityAirbus NextGen is a four-seater aircraft with a cruise speed of 62 miles/hour. It entered a detailed design phase in 2021, with the prototype's first flight planned for 2023. Eve Urban Air Mobility - Brazilian planemaker Embraer's eVTOL unit was spun off from innovation subsidiary EmbraerX in October 2020. - It has agreed to go public with blank-check firm Zanite Acquisition Corp in a deal valuing Eve's equity at $2.9 billion.

($1 = 0.8848 euros)

(Reporting by Aishwarya Nair and Kannaki Deka in Bengaluru, Editing by Tim Hepher and David Evans)