Technology has been revolutionizing transportation for centuries, from horse-drawn carriages to cars, trains, and airplanes. However, recent advancements have brought a new mode of transportation to the forefront: “Flying cars,” in the form of drones. Chinese air taxi developer Autoflight has recently set a new world record for a vertical takeoff and landing aerial vehicle by completing a 250.3-kilometer flight on a single charge with its electric aircraft. Here are the details…

China’s Autoflight Claims World Record 250 Km EVTOL Aircraft Flight on Single Charge

Chinese air taxi developer Autoflight has set a new world record by completing a 250.3-kilometer flight on a single charge. The electric aircraft, named Prosperity 4, achieved the distance recently, and Autoflight has released a video of the entire flight, including vertical takeoff, fixed-wing cruise, and vertical landing.

The previous record for the longest flight by an eVTOL was 248.8 km, set by California-based eVTOL developer Joby Aviation in 2021. Prosperity 4, a five-seat vehicle powered solely by electricity, has a maximum takeoff weight of 2 tons and a maximum speed of over 200 kilometers per hour. It does not require airfield and runway facilities for takeoff and landing, and is quieter, safer, more reliable, and less costly than a helicopter, according to Autoflight.

The company’s president, Omer Bar-Yohay, said the firm is working to get the European Union Aviation Safety Agency’s airworthiness certification for the aircraft by 2025. Autoflight, which was founded in 2017, has an annual production capacity of 1,000 large eVTOL unmanned aerial vehicles at its manufacturing center in Kunshan, near Shanghai. The firm’s management hails from China, Europe, and the United States, according to its website.

This achievement is a significant milestone for the eVTOL industry, which is seeking to revolutionize urban air mobility with electric-powered aircraft that can take off and land vertically. With the ability to fly longer distances, eVTOLs could provide a more sustainable alternative to traditional helicopters, especially in densely populated areas where noise and air pollution are major concerns.

The record-breaking flight also demonstrates the potential of Chinese companies to compete in the emerging eVTOL market, which is currently dominated by American firms. As Autoflight continues to develop its aircraft and secure airworthiness certification, it could become a major player in the growing eVTOL industry. As more companies enter the market and develop new technologies, we can expect to see even more impressive achievements in the future.

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(via)

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Earlier this week, South Korea began testing a new system that will be used in controlling urban air mobility vehicles (UAM). These tests will determine whether the new mode of transport will be used for travel between major airports.

According to a Reuters report, the new air taxis could potentially cut travel time between major airports by two thirds in the capital city of Seoul. Back in 2020, the country had announced a roadmap that detailed the timeline for the commercialization of urban air travel by 2025. The local transport ministry also expects the service could reduce travel times for distances between 30 to 50 kilometers from an hour on road to just 20 minutes by air.

Transport Minister Noh Hyeong-ouk stated during the control system demonstration that “As UAM is expected to become one of the common means of transportation that citizens use in daily life, it is absolutely imperative that we test and try out UAM services in various environments.” The test had a pilot fly a two seat model built by Germany’s Volocopter at Seoul’s Gimpo Airport to test the controls and coordination. The UAM in qusetion was a VTOL (vertical take off and landings) based and featured helicopter like rotors.

Notably, this craft can also be piloted and even operate autonomously. Although, the ministry official stated that a pilot must man the craft to ensure safety of the passenger onboard, which would also aid in general public’s acceptance of the new mode of travel. Currently, local designers have also shown off a model of their own drone aircraft, with a full sized prototype model expected to begin test flights by 2022.

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Hyundai Motor has announced that the company has partnered with South Korea’s capital Seoul to build an urban air mobility ecosystem. It adds that the new system for transportation will be commercialized by 2028.

The automaker says that the Urban Air Mobility (UAM) ecosystem will start with a vision for landing stations for the air taxis (which are being called Vertiport) and building a long-term roadmap for the sector.

Talking about the advantages that Hyundai Motors has when it comes to UAM, Song Jae-Yong, Director of the company touted 37 manufacturing facilities across 10 countries as well as its subsidiary for components, infrastructure, and finance. He also talked about the firm’s development of technologies in electric and hydrogen fuels.

In order to boost the UAM efforts, the South Korean automating giant hired Dr. Shin Jai-won in 2019 who previously worked at NASA in the United States. The company is also planning to establish a subsidiary in Washington, DC for its UAM business.

The company was previously in talks with the officials of Los Angeles to commercialize UAM and is set to demonstrate a vertiport prototype in the UK later this year. As for South Korea, Hyundai says that the transportation service will start from Gimpo International Airport to about 30 to 70 kilometers in the city.

Hyundai is aiming to offer a safe, noiseless, cost-effective, and consumer-centric Urban Air Mobility service. It’s noteworthy that other automakers, including Toyota, are also investing in this new sector.

The Urban Air Port Air-One was selected as the winner of the UK government’s Future Flight Challenge earlier this year. The program aims to develop aviation infrastructure and systems that enable the next generation of electric and autonomous air vehicles.

Recently, Archer Aviation unveiled its first electric flying taxi named Maker. The two-seater model will be used for testing as the company works towards the certification of a larger piloted five-seater that was announced in March 2020. Note that this newly unveiled aircraft isn’t the one that will be used for the planned commercial operation in 2024.

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A top regulator within the aviation agency of Europe has stated that the electric flying taxis might be cleared for take off by the year 2025 or even as early as 2024.

According to a Bloomberg report, the news arrives from Patrick Ky, executive director of the European Union Aviation Safety Agency. The official made the statement in an online event earlier this week. Patrick Ky further added that autonomous drones will take at least five years more, while larger aircraft are expected to follow soon after. Furthermore, EASA has just started to work with companies on how to address unmanned flights. As per the regulator, the agency is also working closely with the US Federal Aviation Administration and other international regulators as well.

Patrick Ky stated that it’s easier to start with air taxi based vehicles “because we’re looking at smaller scale aircraft. We’ve not gone too far because it requires a lot of thinking on how you want to deal with the autonomy concepts.” The regulator made the statement in regards to autonomous passenger transport in Europe. Similarly, EASA has even published results of a survey on urban air mobility that had over 4,000 respondents from the region across six different European cities.

This survey found that 83 percent of the citizens had a positive initial attitude, with highlighting uses being emergency and medical transportation getting a boost with the aerial mode of travel. Although, vehicles that traverse over crowded cities would likely be subject to strict safety standards and regulators will likely face issues regarding noise.

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A trailblazer in Urban Air Mobility (UAM), Volocopter has announced its plans to launch air taxi services in Singapore after two years of close collaboration with the city-state’s authorities. In a collaboration with the Economic Development Board of Singapore (EDB) and the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS), Volocopter has plans to make air taxi services a reality in Singapore within three years. This puts Singapore in pole position to be the first country in Asia to launch UAM services.

In October 2019, Volocopter completed the historic air taxi demonstration flight across the Marina Bay area of the city, giving observers the unique opportunity of savoring the elegance and efficiency of UAM services. Before the launch of this service in Singapore, the company will obtain requisite regulatory clearance from CAAS and the European Union Aviation Safety Agency. To this end, Volocopter will be conducting rigorous tests, flight trials, all statutory evaluations, and certifications before approval to commence commercial air taxi operations can be granted.

In order to shore up the commercial aspects of the air taxi services, the first route is expected to transcend over the southern waters, providing breath-taking views of the Marina Bay skyline and would most likely be a tourist delight. Follow-on connections could include cross-border flights, which will further strengthen regional connectivity and provide a better travel experience to the country’s economic centers.

The Volocopter air taxis are carbon emission-free aircraft that take-off and land vertically. They are designed as an addition to urban mobility and are capable of carrying two passengers to their destinations in a seamless and quiet manner, thus offering an innovative dimension to the chaotic transportation systems that have characterized many cities.

The company Volocopter GmbH says (via) it is building what it termed the world’s first sustainable and scalable UAM business so as to bring affordable air taxi services to megacities worldwide. The company collaborates with its partners to build the necessary ecosystem that will berth urban air mobility in smart cities.

Founded in 2011, Volocopter currently has about 200 staff and so far raised about €122 million in equity. The Volocopter was first unveiled at CES 2018. It uses four inertial movement units (IMUs) that constantly measure and determine its attitude and positioning during flight. The battery system is split into nine discrete packs and each one is powering a pair of rotors ensuring that the vehicle keeps flying if one or two battery packs fail.

Then there are GPS and navigation systems which are dual-redundant. For the worst situation, there’s a ballistic parachute that will deploy and ensure that the air taxi returns to the ground with its passengers intact.

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