SkyDrive eVTOL gains an extra passenger seat and 50% range bump
Last year, Tokyo-based SkyDrive announced plans to launch an eVTOL taxi service at the World Expo 2025 in Osaka, Japan. Now the company is at the Paris Air Show to reveal design and specs changes and a production deal.
Originally, the company’s SD-05 air taxi would only be able to accommodate one passenger and a pilot, but now the newly named SkyDrive eVTOL (Electric Vertical Take Off and Landing) has grown to 13 x 13 x 3 m (43 x 43 x 10 ft) dimensions and added another passenger seat to “enable a more profitable operation and a more convenient and enjoyable experience.”
The battery electric flyer is now expected to have a maximum takeoff weight of around 1,400 kg (3,100 lb) and will still operate using 12 motor/prop units. The top air speed remains unchanged at 100 km/h (62 mph), but the per-charge range has increased to 15 km (9.3 miles) for point-to-point inner city hops or short sightseeing tours.
SkyDrive
Plans call for SkyDrive to start making the aircraft in early 2024, and to that end the company is building on a collaboration with the Suzuki Motor Corporation that began in March last year, setting up a new subsidiary to focus on production at a Suzuki facility in the Shizuoka Prefecture of Japan.
The eVTOL will then be prepared for airworthiness certification in time for the World Expo 2025 event, followed by type certification in 2026 ahead of full production and delivery to customers. A Paris Air Show briefing document also reveals a development timeline that will see a doubling of range by 2029, and autonomous operation with three passengers for 40 km (25 miles) per charge by 2031.
SkyDrive also aims to seek type certification from the Federal Aviation Administration with a view to starting operations in the US.
Source: SkyDrive
Last year, Tokyo-based SkyDrive announced plans to launch an eVTOL taxi service at the World Expo 2025 in Osaka, Japan. Now the company is at the Paris Air Show to reveal design and specs changes and a production deal.
Originally, the company’s SD-05 air taxi would only be able to accommodate one passenger and a pilot, but now the newly named SkyDrive eVTOL (Electric Vertical Take Off and Landing) has grown to 13 x 13 x 3 m (43 x 43 x 10 ft) dimensions and added another passenger seat to “enable a more profitable operation and a more convenient and enjoyable experience.”
The battery electric flyer is now expected to have a maximum takeoff weight of around 1,400 kg (3,100 lb) and will still operate using 12 motor/prop units. The top air speed remains unchanged at 100 km/h (62 mph), but the per-charge range has increased to 15 km (9.3 miles) for point-to-point inner city hops or short sightseeing tours.
SkyDrive
Plans call for SkyDrive to start making the aircraft in early 2024, and to that end the company is building on a collaboration with the Suzuki Motor Corporation that began in March last year, setting up a new subsidiary to focus on production at a Suzuki facility in the Shizuoka Prefecture of Japan.
The eVTOL will then be prepared for airworthiness certification in time for the World Expo 2025 event, followed by type certification in 2026 ahead of full production and delivery to customers. A Paris Air Show briefing document also reveals a development timeline that will see a doubling of range by 2029, and autonomous operation with three passengers for 40 km (25 miles) per charge by 2031.
SkyDrive also aims to seek type certification from the Federal Aviation Administration with a view to starting operations in the US.
Source: SkyDrive
Denial of responsibility! Techno Blender is an automatic aggregator of the all world’s media. In each content, the hyperlink to the primary source is specified. All trademarks belong to their rightful owners, all materials to their authors. If you are the owner of the content and do not want us to publish your materials, please contact us by email – [email protected]. The content will be deleted within 24 hours.