Flying taxi takes off and lands vertically at a speed of 320 km/h
The flying taxi prototype from UK company Vertical Aerospace can fly at nearly 320 km/h and will start carrying passengers from 2022.
| Clip: Vertical Aerospace tests vertical take-off and landing flying car model. |
Bristol, UK-based Vertical Aerospace is developing an electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft to provide urban air taxi services that could carry multiple passengers over short distances.SunThe battery-powered vehicle has a range of 150 km and a top speed of nearly 320 km/h, while a more powerful version can carry passengers at 800 km/h, making it easy to travel to Paris.
Since its inception in 2016, the company has hired 28 aerospace and engineering experts who have worked for Airbus, Boeing, Rolls-Royce, Martin Jetpack, and General Electric. Founder Stephen Fitzpatrick, a former Formula 1 racing team owner, said he will apply his F1 racing experience to the eVTOL aircraft. According to Fitzpatrick, many of the advanced technologies used in racing cars are applied to the aircraft, from high-power electric batteries to hybrid engines, lighter materials like carbon fiber, and aerodynamic design.
The company tested its unmanned single-seat vertical takeoff and landing vehicle at Gloucestershire Airport in June. Vertical Aerospace is the first company in the UK to test eVTOL, a design that can be used in some of the most congested corridors without the need for a runway. “If you think about the busiest routes being between London and Paris, Dublin, Edinburgh, flying to those cities without a runway would reduce the need for Heathrow expansion,” Fitzpatrick said.
“Passengers will take off from locations close to their home or work and land close to their destination instead of having to travel to an airport 60 to 84 kilometres outside the city,” Fitzpatrick said.
The company is in the process of producing a fixed-wing version that can carry multiple passengers. Vertical Aerospace will work with authorities to obtain licenses for the first phase of the flying taxi project in 2022. In later stages, the company will look to extend the aircraft’s range, equip it with autonomous flight functions, and increase the number of routes it will serve.
