TECH TALK
2020s, though those initial units will only have an operating range of 700 miles, and eventually be able to reach a 1,000-mile range by 2030. Zunum has made use of a Rockwell Turbo Commander 840 as its fl ying testbed aircraft. Charter provider JetSuite will be the launch customer of the Zunum Aero hybrid-electric airplane, with a planned entry date as early as 2022. JetSuite has signed on to purchase up to 100 planes from Zunum but will customize the interior to a more spacious six- or nine-passenger confi gurations.
AIRBUS VENTURES In late 2017, Airbus, Rolls-Royce, and Siemens came together to develop a near fl ight demonstrator for hybrid-electric propulsion for commercial aircraft, named E-Fan X. It is projected to fl y in 2020 on a BAe 146 fl ying testbed. Initially, one of the aircraft’s four engines will be swapped out for a 2MW electric motor, with a second engine being replaced with an electric motor once system maturity has been proven. Airbus will oversee the overall
integration eff ort, and the control architecture of the hybrid-electric propulsion system and batteries. Siemens will provide the 2MW electric motors and their power electronic control unit, as well as the DC/DC converter, inverter, and the power distribution system. Rolls-Royce will provide the turbo-shaft engine, power electronics, and 2MW generator. This project follows a previous collaboration between Airbus and Siemens which began in 2016 and focused on the development and maturation of various electric propulsion system components. Sometime in late 2018, Airbus Helicopters will fl ight-test the four-passenger, self-piloted eVTOL (electric vertical takeoff and landing) CtyAirbus vehicle, which
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DOMmagazine.com | dec 2018 | jan 2019
is specifi cally designed for urban air transportation. The aircraft will have a four-ducted propeller confi guration which is intended to provide a high degree of safety and low noise, and have a cruising speed of 120 kilometers per hour, with a typical one-way fl ight lasting about 15 minutes, with a range of approximately 30 km.
UBER
While Uber will not build any aircraft for its fl ying air taxi service, it is working with fi ve manufacturers who will: Bell (formerly Bell Helicopters), Aurora Flight Sciences (part of Boeing), Embraer, Karem (based in California), and Pipistrel (based in Slovenia). The company is forecasting that by 2020 it will have test fl ights of its electric-powered VTOL aircraft (which of the manufacturers will be ready by this date was not identifi ed). Uber plans to launch an aerial taxi service by 2023. Uber has been showing demonstration aircraft already and has a goal to operate its vehicles at an elevation of 1,000 to 2,000 feet. The goal is to operate thousands of its fl ying taxis ferrying passengers between rooftop “skyports” and landing sites in urban areas, each of which will be equipped to handle 200 takeoff s and landings every hour. Humans will initially pilot these aircraft but eventually will fl y autonomously once the technology matures. Uber is also working with NASA on Space Act Agreement to develop a new air traffi c control system to manage these low-fl ying, (and eventual autonomous) aircraft.
LILLIUM This German-based startup is developing an on-demand air mobility service with its all-electric VTOL vehicle, the Lillium Jet. It is aiming to compete with cars and taxis, and the Uber-in-the-sky
service. Its 5-person vehicle will be ordered the same way you order Uber or Lyft today, via an app, and you pay-per-ride. The service will have a network of localized landing pads and jets, so you can quickly reserve a ride for a desired time. Lillium will work with local mobility service providers to provide a seamless user experience from booking through to landing. A prototype is being fl ight-tested
already, with the fi rst manned fl ight being projected for 2019, and an in-service date in 2025. Projections call for the Lilium Jet to travel as fast as 186 mph and have a range of 186 miles on a single charge. The Lillium Jet will have 36 electric jet engines embedded in the wing fl aps, enabling the aircraft to transition from hover mode to horizontal fl ight. The company has also recently
hired a renowned car designer who has worked with Maserati, McLaren, Ferrari, and BMW to redesign the interior and the exterior in order to provide for a higher-end user experience.
KITTY HAWK Google’s Larry Page formed this venture to develop an electric VTOL, and has already begun to off er its short-range, one-seat Flyer. It weighs just 250 pounds, has 10 battery- powered propellors, and is controlled by two joysticks. It has the appearance of a bobsled attached to a couple of pontoons encircled by drone rotors. It has a maximum elevation of 10 feet and a top speed of 20 mph. Seems like a nice toy to play around with. The Flyer will have an Ultralight classifi cation from the FAA, so a pilot’s license is not required, but we highly recommend to not skimp on the training. But Kitty Hawk has bigger dreams and is developing the Cora, a two- seat VTOL electric aircraft which has 13 rotors to serve as an air taxi service. Cora will have a wingspan of
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