VTOL On Demand Mobility

 
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)
 

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.
 
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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 .
 

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
 
 

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
 
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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.
 
Here’s the problem…..

Below is a nice graphic taken from;-


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.
 

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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.
 
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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.
 
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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 :)
 

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

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.
 
garage4-scaled-1620x770.jpg

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

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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 :)
 

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.

 
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).
 

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