Posted on 02/10/2023 12:25:44 PM PST by Red Badger
The AE200-series technical demonstrator makes its first flight in January - Weibo
The Aerofugia AE200 technical demonstrator is a full-size, five-seat eVTOL air taxi prototype with tilting propulsion units. It's a clear statement of intent: this Chinese automaker has serious designs on the urban air mobility space. Remember the Terrafugia Transition flying car, out of Massachusetts? Terrafugia was acquired by Chinese giant Geely in 2017, after which it pivoted to designing transitioning eVTOLs, and then was more or less shut down and relocated to China in 2021. Geely then put some US$55 million into German eVTOL company Volocopter, started up a subsidiary called Aerofugia in Chengdu, and set up a joint venture to go into the eVTOL air taxi business.
Now, Aerofugia has a full-scale prototype in the air, developed from some of the later eVTOL designs from the Terrafugia team. The AE200-series technical demonstrator is a five-seat electric air taxi with a broad, top-mounted wing, and four long propulsion pods, each with a propeller at each end. The front bank of props is capable of tilting fully horizontal for cruise flight, and the inner two pods are connected by a rear wing and extend back into vertical tail fins.
Like fellow Chinese eVTOL companies Autoflight and TCab Tech, Aerofugia is planning to go to market with a piloted design, rather than leaping straight into autonomous air taxis like eHang is already using to fly the public around.
(Excerpt) Read more at newatlas.com ...
ELCTRIC Aviation Ping!...............
LOL
I’m holding out for a George Jetson tye model, one that preferably runs on something cool like Di-lithium crystals or something.
“The only thing worse than a helicopter is an ELECTRIC helicopter............”
How about an electric helicopter with no pilot?
this is so confusing.
Why can’t we just use gravitic nullifies and small jet engines ?
I understand these would be a little harder to control, kinda like hoovercraft but AI is good enough to do some compensation and if you have 4 engines and 4 axis control it should be fine
That’s just an airplane with the propellers in the wrong place.
“....I understand these would be a little harder to control, kinda like hoovercraft but AI is good enough to do some compensation and if you have 4 engines and 4 axis control it should be fine”
Ok, you go first. LOL!
Will it make it from Montana to South Carolina?
I doubt it would make it to Japan....................
wonder what their auto-rotation drill is like???
The AeroFugly?
“The only thing worse than a helicopter is an ELECTRIC helicopter...”
The mechanisms on a helicopter are awful, create huge vibration, and are maintenance challenges. A bunch of electric motors would be smooth, require far less maintenance, and would be far simpler.
I’m no fan of the electric plane concept, but if it can work anywhere, I think the “eVTOL air taxi” market is it. Short hops between airports in major urban areas would be a great market for this air taxi.
Might gain a market shuttling Asian billionaires and CCP officials between airports and luxury hotels.
Three words: OVERHEAD POWER LINES.
They are the bane of private pilots even if just flying between established airfields. Just imagine the chaos with thousands of unqualified "pilots" trying to navigate suburban or even rural neighborhoods.
It's not going to happen . . . even if it did, as soon as a couple of idiots fry themselves and their passengers, they'll be banned.
A flock of seagulls
Iran.
Warning extreme 80s content below
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=a3ROofd1aA0&t=45
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