I think the promise of flying cars will never happen. OK, maybe it will in China only. Elsewhere, short-range personal air vehicles like eVTOLs may be filling up the skies instead. John Travolta may sigh at how technology has changed because the day when you can fly straight out of your home may no longer require you to live in an aviation estate (probably).
If AIREV has its way, the AIR ONE eVTOL could bring us one step closer to a future like The Jetsons—well, except for the transport tubes. Those things would probably be death tubes in the real world. They are better left for laundry and hospital documents.
Anyhoo, AIREV is another aerospace company vying for a slice of the personal air mobility market. Its AIR ONE is an all-electric, two-seater eVTOL aircraft. There are two versions: a personal model and another built for cargo.
The AIR ONE has a hybrid design featuring a fixed wing, twin vertical stabilizers, and four rotor arms. Each rotor arm is fitted with a coaxial rotor system powered by two electric motors. All told, the aircraft has eight motors. AIREV says it can continue flying with only four motors operating, thanks to a double propulsion redundancy design.
The power supply is also built with redundancy in mind. It uses four separate battery packs, providing quadruple energy redundancy. Meanwhile, if all else fails (knock on wood!), the aircraft is equipped with a ballistic recovery system as an additional safety layer. When activated, a parachute deploys to bring the entire airframe safely back to the ground.
As for charging, it takes about an hour to go from zero to 100%, or just 30 minutes from 20% to 80%. It can be charged at home using an installed adapter, at public DC fast chargers via a standard CCS connector, or at AC charging stations using a portable adapter that fits neatly inside the AIR ONE’s luggage compartment.
The aircraft has a 23-foot wingspan that folds for trailer transport and easier storage. Speaking of trailers, AIREV will also offer a custom trailer as an option.
The aircraft’s design maximizes wing-borne flight efficiency. Up front is a spacious cockpit with an expansive canopy that offers a wide, unobstructed panoramic view. If that is not breathtaking enough, the floor is transparent too.
The AIR ONE measures 24.6 feet (7.5 m) wide, 19.2 feet (5.86 m) long, and 7.54 feet (2.3 m) high, or 7.87 feet (2.4 m) high with the canopy open.
The aircraft also features what AIREV calls “Fly-By-Intent” technology. Simply point the AIR ONE in the intended direction using the centre joystick, and it continuously maintains a safe flight envelope while mitigating hazards. In other words, it keeps flying in the chosen direction while maintaining speed and altitude until you intervene. There is also a secondary control stick for flight training or whenever needed.
Maximum payload is 550 lb (250 kg). There is room for luggage and personal belongings, too, making it ideal for short getaways—provided your destination is no farther than 110 miles (177 km), which is the claimed range on a single charge. Also, make sure there is a charging facility where you’re going if you are planning on maximizing the range.
Flight time on a single charge is said to be about an hour. So I guess it is either 110 miles or one hour of flight time? To be honest, I don’t believe there are official figures. The performance numbers, including the claimed top speed of 155 mph (250 km/h), came from a third-party source.
So, how much for this flying contraption? Apparently, around US$150,000, according to Supercar Blondie.
Images: AIREV.
