VTOL On Demand Mobility

[shin_getter]

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FzhREYOK0oo

20 minute endurance....for $92k

Jetson - Personal Electric Aerial Vehicle

Jetson - Personal Electric Aerial Vehicle

www.jetsonaero.com

 

[alberchico]

Mesa To Launch Drone Delivery Business

Mesa Air Group has partnered with aerospace tech company and drone manufacturer Flirtey to launch a drone delivery service.

www.avweb.com

Not exactly evtol related but interesting nontheless. Although I'm not really sure how promising this type of business model is.

 

[Grey Havoc]

You may be able to book a flying taxi within three years

Firms are racing to bring flying taxis and the mini-airports they need into service.

www.bbc.com

 

[Fluff]

You may be able to book a flying taxi within three years

Firms are racing to bring flying taxis and the mini-airports they need into service.

www.bbc.com

......And visit a fission power plant, all in one day.....

 

[TomcatViP]

Nice one (notice the attitude thrusters at the 4 corners that relieve the main fans to deal with rapid change, sparing the system from massive energy losses induced) :

View: https://youtu.be/i90LSqLq7Q0

 

[Grey Havoc]

A Colorado Firm Claims It Can Triple the Power of Electric Engines - Slashdot

An anonymous reader quotes a report from InterestingEngineering: Energy densities of lithium-ion batteries haven't reached the potential where long-range flights can be undertaken. So, a Colorado-based startup, H3X, looked to the electric motor for ways to improve its power capacity. The team...

hardware.slashdot.org

 

[shin_getter]

View: https://youtu.be/l_I9Qg-1_QI?t=9629


Autonomous, Roadable, Electric Aircraft? Talk about aiming for the stars.

First: X2 Vehicle, 400V architecture, 4 battery backup, octo-rotor, max speed 130km, max weight 710kg (payload 200kg), ballistic parachute

2:43:03 Flying car configurations

2:43:08 flying car section

Aim for 4 star crash rating,
5m x 2m footprint as a car
7m x 12m footprint flying configuration

computer assisted control with driver and environmental vetting. Night flying may be banned due to powerlines.

Distributed ballistic parachute under development
Target weight of 900kg with advanced materials (carbon fiber, titanium, magnesium alloy) and power system

Target date 2024 (how is that for Elon time~)
Target price <1,000,000 RMB (160k usd)

 

[Zoo Tycoon]

A Colorado Firm Claims It Can Triple the Power of Electric Engines - Slashdot

An anonymous reader quotes a report from InterestingEngineering: Energy densities of lithium-ion batteries haven't reached the potential where long-range flights can be undertaken. So, a Colorado-based startup, H3X, looked to the electric motor for ways to improve its power capacity. The team...

hardware.slashdot.org

Regarding extraordinary claims for electric motors, beware of figure fiddling;- it’s easy to do in a plausible manner and attracts publicity then investors. Typically it consists of publishing numbers from regions of the power or torque curves which are possible but real world impractical;- operation is only possible for a second or so after which the thing either melts or shuts down having exceeded its curie temperature.

Seen this many times over the years and we’re still stuck at 4-5kw/kg for a liquid cooled motor.

 

[Grey Havoc]

With regards as to Xpeng / HT Aero:

Xpeng Unveils a Flying Car That Also Drives on Roads - Plus a Bionic Horse - Slashdot

"HT Aero, an affiliate of Chinese electric vehicle maker Xpeng Inc., launched a new flying car on Sunday that it says can also drive on roads," reports CNBC (in a story shared by Slashdot reader PolygamousRanchKid ): The company says it plans for a rollout in 2024. The car is not commercially...

tech.slashdot.org

 

[alberchico]

Lilium climbing, turning and descending at 40 knots

Lilium has released a new video of its fifth-generation eVTOL demonstrator aircraft during recent flight testing.

evtol.com

 

[Zoo Tycoon]

Lilium climbing, turning and descending at 40 knots

Lilium has released a new video of its fifth-generation eVTOL demonstrator aircraft during recent flight testing.

evtol.com

Big investor News - Only it’s no different to what they’ve done on the previous 39 test flights….Indeed achieved no more than any other self respecting quadcopter.

With a flight time of 2mins 20sec have they logged one whole hour in the air since 2017?

At a rate of one flight hour (ish) every 5 years I wonder how long a typical 2000 hr commercial flight certification program will take? 36 months is the claim .

 

[GTX]

'Flying cars' drag race in outback SA as testing for planned aerial grand prix continues

The drones hit speeds in excess of 100 kilometres per hour during the contest.

www.abc.net.au

 

[AeroFranz]

Lilium climbing, turning and descending at 40 knots

Lilium has released a new video of its fifth-generation eVTOL demonstrator aircraft during recent flight testing.

evtol.com

Big investor News - Only it’s no different to what they’ve done on the previous 39 test flights….Indeed achieved no more than any other self respecting quadcopter.

With a flight time of 2mins 20sec have they logged one whole hour in the air since 2017?

At a rate of one flight hour (ish) every 5 years I wonder how long a typical 2000 hr commercial flight certification program will take? 36 months is the claim .

40 knots is still WAY below stall and transition speed....like not even halfway for a vehicle with high wingloading. Not impressed

 

[Grey Havoc]

South Korea Tests System for Controlling Air Taxis - Slashdot

South Korea demonstrated a system for controlling urban air mobility vehicles (UAM) on Thursday, which it hopes will serve as taxis between major airports and downtown Seoul as soon as 2025, cutting travel time by two-thirds. From a report: Last year, South Korea announced a roadmap to begin...

tech.slashdot.org

 

[litzj]

South Korea Tests System for Controlling Air Taxis - Slashdot

South Korea demonstrated a system for controlling urban air mobility vehicles (UAM) on Thursday, which it hopes will serve as taxis between major airports and downtown Seoul as soon as 2025, cutting travel time by two-thirds. From a report: Last year, South Korea announced a roadmap to begin...

tech.slashdot.org

There was Volocopter Demo in Korea (K-UAM Confex) near RKSI

I participated that event and record its demo flight - about 5 min

https://jaesan-aero.blogspot.com/2021/11/k-uam-confex-20211116.html

with some photos

 

[UpForce]

There was Volocopter Demo in Korea (K-UAM Confex) near RKSI

I participated that event and record its demo flight - about 5 min

Thank you, an interesting display. I'm a more "fixed wing" kinda person myself but Volocopter has always been quirky enough (while I'm still undecided about how rational it is) for me to find it appealing.

 

[Zoo Tycoon]

Here’s the problem…..

Below is a nice graphic taken from;-

The promise of energy-efficient battery-powered urban aircraft

Improvements in rechargeable batteries are enabling several electric urban air mobility (UAM) aircraft designs with up to 300 mi of range with payload equivalents of up to seven passengers. Novel UAM aircraft consume between 130 Wh/passenger-mi and ∼ 1,200 Wh/passenger-mi depending on the design...

www.pnas.org

Credit to S Sripad and V Viswanathan

By all accounts a chap who put this on a professional social media channel has received cease and desist legal threats from two eVTOL organisations mentioned below. It has since been removed…… and the scaming continues.

 

[alberchico]

So based on that chart the Lilium jet will essentially require a revolution in battery technology to be viable, even if they manage to perfect the design of their vehicle, which is a tall order in and of itself. Other companies like Joby or Archer have a better prospect of success. The main problem with the Evtol revolution is that it was launched 10-15 years too early, the battery tech simply isn't there yet.

 

[Zoo Tycoon]

The main problem with the Evtol revolution is that it was launched 10-15 years too early, the battery tech simply isn't there yet.

There’s no guarantee the magic battery will ever arrive;- just as 25years of focused and extensive effort failed to find a better mono propellant than the one they started with ie HTP. Predicting when scientific discoveries will be made, thus enabling new industries, is well, not a science.

 

[AeroFranz]

By all accounts a chap who put this on a professional social media channel has received cease and desist legal threats from two eVTOL organisations mentioned below. It has since been removed…… and the scaming continues.

Hahahahaha...i guess for once it pays off to download on the spot any technical paper that looks vaguely interesting. Mark Moore commented on it on LinkedIn and i thought it might be worth a look. I must've downloaded it right under the wire

 

[alberchico]

Aviation Democratization Kinda Gives Me A Headache

New aviation startups have always been swing-for-the-fences audacious. Joby's project is like that YouTube dude with the supersonic baseball.*

www.avweb.com

An interesting analysis of Joby's business model and whether it holds up to reality.

 

[shin_getter]

Zeva's 160-mph electric UFO: An air taxi experience like no other

Zeva is deadly serious about bringing this tail-sitting eVTOL flying saucer to market as a one-person air taxi, and if you can get over the idea of soaring above the city head-first, face-down and Superman-style, it's got some interesting advantages.

newatlas.com

uhhhhh ....uhhhhh

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YPw-SRGGOaY

 

[VTOLicious]

Zeva's 160-mph electric UFO: An air taxi experience like no other

Zeva is deadly serious about bringing this tail-sitting eVTOL flying saucer to market as a one-person air taxi, and if you can get over the idea of soaring above the city head-first, face-down and Superman-style, it's got some interesting advantages.

newatlas.com

uhhhhh ....uhhhhh

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YPw-SRGGOaY

...not the engineers

 

[yasotay]

Textron's eVTOL Aircraft Plans Are Still In the Balance | AIN

Textron confirmed that its Nexus eVTOL is a technology testbed, rather than an active program as it continues to assess its advanced air mobility options.

www.ainonline.com

As expected the US OEM are waiting to see if the eVTOL effort is going to develop or not. Good article with some interesting considerations for the future of commercial aviation at the bottom.

 

[Reaper]

@AeroFranz we should revisit your expected Lilium timeline post from 2017/18 and see if you really can predict the future!

 

[AeroFranz]

Sometimes i forget just how long they've been going at it, and all of this without ever showing one transition. Amazing.

 

[UpForce]

Ascendance | Where innovation takes flight

Decarbonizing air transport with hybrid electric propulsion technology and sustainable aircraft.

www.ascendance-ft.com

On first glance this doesn't seem entirely horrible. Unsure about just how draggy those uncovered liftfans might be or why this configuration should be superior to others.

 

[CiTrus90]

Ascendance | Where innovation takes flight

Decarbonizing air transport with hybrid electric propulsion technology and sustainable aircraft.

www.ascendance-ft.com

I can't fathom how those small propellers are going to do much of anything.
Except noise. Lots of it.

 

[VTOLicious]

Ascendance | Where innovation takes flight

Decarbonizing air transport with hybrid electric propulsion technology and sustainable aircraft.

www.ascendance-ft.com

I can't fathom how those small propellers are going to do much of anything.
Except noise. Lots of it.

...and create lots of drag in forward flight. What a waste.

 

[VTOLicious]

Apparently China's civil aviation authority (CAAC) has published a special condition (draft) for Ehang's EH216 eVTOL. Would be interesting to see how it compares to EASA's SC Light UAS and/or SC VTOL.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1466684741411766274

View: https://twitter.com/chineseflyer/status/1466684741411766274?t=wvBYJmD9c2Ww4SRFhoI32w&s=19

 

[VTOLicious]

Btw, EH216 has a max range of 30 km, a max endurance of 25 min and is limited to 200 m AGL. Possible applications are hard to imagine.... At least on my part

 

[TomcatViP]

I heard that there wing spar and fuselage frames are to be made in vibranium

At least that's what Mr Stark disclosed to me....

 

[Grey Havoc]

You could soon fly to work in a $92,000 flying car that can reach 63 miles per hour

If you've ever dreamed of flying to work, that dream may soon be a reality. Jetson One wants to give everyone the opportunity to fly.

www.businessinsider.com

 

[alberchico]

10 unique eVTOL aircraft that do things very differently

Electric VTOL aircraft stand poised to change your world, if you believe the hype around this new category of air transport. Greener, faster, quieter and vastly cheaper than helicopters, they promise to bring vertical commuting to the masses like never before, reshaping our cities and lifestyles in…

newatlas.com

Here is a round up of some of the unusual concepts that are in development right now. I think the most outlandish concept by far would this 40 seat monstrosity.

Flying bus: Braeden Kelekona elaborates on his staggering 40-seat eVTOL

eVTOLS, or electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft, are a hot topic at the moment. Dozens, even hundreds of companies are working at fever pitch to create the new class of clean, quiet, cheap air taxi that many believe will fundamentally transform our cities in the coming decades. You could…

newatlas.com

 

[shin_getter]

Amazon And UPS Are Betting This Electric Aircraft Startup Will Change Shipping

Beta Technologies, founded by former pro hockey player and Harvard grad Kyle Clark, may be on the verge of bringing workhorse battery-powered cargo planes to America’s skies that take off and land like helicopters.

www.forbes.com

 

[GTX]

Not the least attractive design I have seen

 

[Rhinocrates]

This probably sums up a lot of the ventures.

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DkGMY63FF3Q

 

[Charlesferdinand]

This probably sums up a lot of the ventures.

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DkGMY63FF3Q

On a small scale, we already have vehicles powered by waste

Biogas Channel

The only video channel dedicated to the world of biogas. Since 2013, we have collected experiences from all over the world, we participate in the main industry conferences and visit biogas plants to tell their story.

www.biogaschannel.com

 

[alberchico]

Archer celebrates the first flight of its Maker eVTOL

Palo Alto startup Archer has started flight tests with its autonomous, two-seat Maker demonstration aircraft, fulfilling a promise it made when it popped out of stealth mode 18 months ago to start demo flights by the end of 2021.

newatlas.com

 

[TomcatViP]

Fuel from waste for personal cars is a... Waste of time.

The set of equations, which I put down myself incidentally years ago, that are governing the process are unambiguous.

Mass transportation only can found a useful benefit here thanks to public incentives (pulling away methane emissions at a benefit for all).