NEW Vertical Takeoff and Landing Aircraft Redefining Modern Air Travel (VTOL News 2023)

In the past, the industry of vertical lift aircraft could be simply described as static. We used to have a very restrictive business environment with only a couple major players who would take eons to develop a new machine. 2020s, however, are expected to become the decade of progress in the electric propulsion, and this has already spawned countless new VTOL startups. They promise to revolutionize aviation and become the fresh face of short-range and even regional aerial transportation. The time has come to give you an update about the newest vertical take-off and landing aircraft, so subscribe to Automotive Territory and enjoy your flight! VoloConnect. Currently valued at nearly 2 billion dollars, Germany's VoloCopter is scheduled to launch the world's first commercial air taxi in just two years. Their two-seater VoloCity will be the first model to join the fleet, but the company has already achieved an important milestone with the next generation of the aircraft. In May 2022, the VoloConnect has successfully performed its maiden flight and this allows to target the entry into service by the year 2026. This is an all-electric fixed-wing four-passenger drone with a lift-and-cruise design. Six motors and rotors are responsible for the vertical take-off and landing, while two rear ducted vents ensure forward propulsion. The VoloCopter should have the range of just 60 miles, yet its batteries will be swappable and the VMAX will reach 156 mph. The company has stated that this aircraft will have a fly-by-wire control system for autonomous piloting, plus distributed electric propulsion will ensure in-flight redundancy for extra safety. Jetson. After four years of development, the first production model by the Swedish company Jetson is ready to make the sky available for everyone. Advertised as a flying sports car, the brand's aluminum and carbon fiber aircraft is propelled by eight electric motors that deliver a total of 160 horsepower and allow it to accelerate to 63 mph. The battery of undisclosed capacity will juice the motors for 20 minutes of flight, while charging takes one hour from a 220V socket. The Jetson personal mobility vehicle weighs just 88 pounds empty, so the company did its best to address safety concerns. It features a race car inspired cage cell, a triple redundant flight computer and modern LiDAR sensors. In case of an emergency, it can hover without your involvement and there is an integrated ballistic parachute with rapid deployment time. The price tag for this marvel is $92,000 and one of the company's founders has already demonstrated Jetson's full functionality by completing a test flight from home to his office. Archer Aviation Maker. The first model by San Jose's Archer Aviation was presented to the public just a year ago, but the company has already made significant progress with its actual development and testing. The Maker prototype completed the first hover on December 16, 2021, the 118th anniversary of the day when the Wright brothers first took to the skies. This July, Archer finished the second round of the test flights and now it is on the way to the final series of trials that will lead to the full transition flights. The actual production version of the Maker is likely to be a four-seater, but for now they built a two-passenger flyer with 12 motors and propellers, vertically integrated 75 kWh battery and a lightweight composite structure. This VTOL has multiple operational redundancies like four flight computers and two altitude sensors, and by this it claims zero points of catastrophic failure. When in flight, the Archer Maker makes just 45 dB of noise, yet it cruises at 150 mph and can cover the range of 60 miles. Lilium Jet. Consistency is the major advantage of the German startup Lilium, who have been steadily showing progress in the development of the world's first electric vertical take-off and landing jet. Their latest achievement is a transition from hover to wing-borne flight, which is a first for any full-size electric jet plane in existence. The Lilium Jet belongs to the fifth generation of the aircraft. It is a fully operational five-seater prototype that uses a proprietary technology of ducted electric vector thrust. 36 electric jet engines are integrated into the wing flaps and therefore provide better aerodynamic efficiency, lower noise and higher payloads. The next stage for Lilium is the development of the most economically viable seven-seater version of the jet. It will have a luxurious cabin designed by Diehl Aviation, will cruise at 10,000 feet with 175 mph speed, and finally it shall have 155 miles of surface range. Air One. Despite its relatively small size, Israel is one of the world's largest exporters of military equipment, in particular reconnaissance and attack drones. Through the years, this expertise has also trickled down to the civil aviation, spawning young startups who want to drive the skies. Air EV was founded in 2018 in Porto Sana as a developer of passenger drones that can provide acceleration of operating a sports vehicle in the third dimension. The One is their first concept, with a fixed-wing design and two-passenger capacity. The aircraft is powered by eight motors that spin eight pairs of three-blade rotors to achieve the maximum speed of 155 mph and 110 miles of range. This extended range is achieved through the lightness of the One, that forgoes tilting mechanisms and instead implements Air's flight-by-intent system. Its cabin has sports seats, individual screens, and both occupants can assume controls. Autoflight Prosperity Born from a successful consumer drone specialist Unique, the Shanghai-based Autoflight transitions its expertise to another level by going into the VTOL market. Eventually, the company plans to build both manned and unmanned VTOLs for passengers and cargo transportation. The Prosperity project is its take on a short-range, fully-autonomous air taxi good for traveling within city limits or performing airport shuttle services. Its VTOL capabilities are ensured by eight lifting propellers, while horizontal flight is made possible by a dedicated cruising propeller. Expected production specifications are as follows – 155 miles range, 125 mph cruising speed for passenger capacity, and commercial aircraft grade safety. This model is based on the V1500M concept demonstrated last October, and it has already completed its first transition test flight in April 2022. The Prosperity startup targets 2025 to get certification for China and Europe. The faster these VTOLs become financially viable and successful, the sooner we get a chance to fly them, so make sure to support their development by smashing the like button. Thanks for the feedback and we keep crawling! Otis Aviation Formerly known as Kraft Aerospace, this Californian startup has an ambition to go far beyond just short-range electric commute. Otis intends to make the world's busiest travel corridors much more efficient, including intra-California, the Northeast-US Corridor, intra-Europe, South Korea and Japan. Their original aircraft is a 9-passenger VTOL jet with a hybrid electric propulsion and a unique high-lift flap system to vector thrust. In the fully electric mode, the Otis pushes 16 propellers for 200 miles, but when the gas turbine generator is engaged, the range increases to 1,000 miles. This jet operates at the altitude of 30,000 feet and should have the cruise speed of 345 mph. Leo Flight After successfully attracting investors since being established in early 2020, this year the company is ready to move past computer renters and reveal the first manned alpha prototype of their flying supercar. The Leo Coupe is a 3-passenger EVTOL aircraft with a faulted box-wing architecture. Unique-looking wings allow for horizontal flight and dynamic handling at higher speeds, which, according to the company, will reach 250 mph. The electric powertrain includes small 4.4-inch wide jets integrated into the wings for vertical thrust, plus there are several larger diameter fans at the rear. The exact number of fans is yet to be specified, though the company's CEO has recently hinted that the production version may rely on 200 fans. At the same time, the range is estimated to reach 300 miles or 1 hour of flight time, all of this thanks to a rather modest 66 kWh battery. Leo Flight explains that using smaller fans in greater quantity ensures less waste energy, less heat generated, easier maintenance, and remarkable weight savings. Embraer EVE With over 50 years of experience in airplane development and manufacturing, Embraer is branching out into the VTOL market. Responsible for this new generation of aircraft is the company's Axe Innovation division and its new sub-brand named EVE Mobility. Its first model is envisioned as a four-seater vehicle that can fly at altitudes between 2600 and 3300 feet. It can either be piloted by one person or fly fully autonomously. The EVE has eight lifting propellers for vertical takeoff and, depending on the final design, one or two ducted propellers for cruising. Specifications of the aircraft are still unconfirmed, but since Embraer has previously partnered with Uber, it should cover at least 96 miles at speeds reaching 150 mph. In 2022, EVE Mobility merged with the Zenit Acquisition Corp and debuted on the New York Stock Exchange. At this point, it has 1,825 pre-orders from 19 clients. Rise Recon Amid the growing number of urban aircraft concepts and working prototypes, some startups are already looking into the less saturated markets. This personal EVTOL by the American Rise Aero Technologies targets the usual private and commercial operators, but it can also perform duties in agriculture, ranching, land surveying, and much more. The Rise Recon features an open cockpit and an open-framed fuselage weighing less than 300 pounds. To make commercial version affordable, the Recon will rely on a simplified control system and flight algorithms based on artificial intelligence. Another advantage for the aircraft's target market is the Recon's cost-effective and low-maintenance propulsion system, which consists of six independent propellers and six electric motors powered by removable batteries. With its modular architecture, the company expects to provide customers with extra options in the future, like fixed wings and size variations. Finally, the Recon has six landing legs designed specifically to enable water take-off and landing. Zuri 2.0 Capitalizing on the rich history of the Czech aircraft industry, this new startup will be trying to change mobility with a new generation VTOL propelled by hybrid power. For take-off and landing, the Zuri 2.0 relies on eight tilting electric motors, while the horizontal flight is made possible by the next-generation hybrid system based on a single turbine engine. Coupled with a generator, it also provides energy for the motors and recharges the onboard battery pack. The production version will arrive in two guises, passenger and cargo. The former is expected to offer an autopilot function and will get a sophisticated interior design with captain chairs, fold-out tables, and separate screens for each passenger. Its wingspan will reach 43 feet, the fuselage will be made of carbon fiber composite, and the maximum take-off weight should not exceed 4,400 pounds. Do you believe in the rapid development of EVTOLs, or will all of these startups go bust? Share your thoughts in the comment section of this video. In case you haven't had the chance to smash the like button and subscribe to Automotive Territory, now's a great time to do so. We promise more content on a regular basis. Proceed to other aviation videos on our channel, stand with Ukraine, and as always, May the torque be with you!