Is eVTOL the next big thing?

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Embraer unveiled its first eVTOL aircraft concept at the Uber Elevate conference in Los Angeles on 8 May.

The concept was developed by the company’s Embraer X, a division responsible for exploring new aviation technologies and markets, which has a preliminary agreement with Uber to examine business opportunities for electrical Vertical Takeoff and Landing aircraft.

The concept aircraft uses eight rotors to provide vertical lift, until the point it transitions to horizontal flight when lift is maintained by a short wing and a pusher propeller provides forward momentum.

“We are relentless in our quest for constant growth and through EmbraerX we will drive exponential innovation in the company and accelerate the creation of new businesses that add value to Embraer,” said Paulo Cesar Silva, CEO of Embraer. “Urban mobility is ripe for exponential innovation and we are committed to having a major role in this key market.”

The eVTOL concept would serve passengers in an urban market as part of Uber’s envisioned aerial taxi network. Embraer said the design was created with a focused on safety, reduced noise levels, passenger experience and efficiency.

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Pipistrel teased a picture of an eVTOL aircraft concept at the Uber Elevate conference in Los Angeles on 8 May.

The overhead rendering of the concept aircraft showed a blended wing body without any visible rotors for vertical lift, a design that is much different from the lift-and-cruise concepts put forward by competitors presenting at the Uber Elevate conference, such as Embraer. The aircraft uses unspecified dedicated propulsion systems for cruising and vertical lift, according to Pipistrel.

“Pipistrel is not trying to reinvent the helicopter by giving the vehicle many rotors, but is rather embracing dedicated propulsion solutions for cruise and vertical lift with built-in scaling capability for a family of vehicles with two to six seats,” said Ivo Boscarol, Pipistrel’s founder and general manager. “Pairing an innovative integrated vertical lift system, which is quiet and efficient, with highly aerodynamic wings results in a new class of eVTOL that maximises high-speed cruise performance and dramatically lowers cost of operation for a clear advantage to Uber Elevate passengers.”

The company presented the design as one of a larger family of forthcoming concepts which would carry two to six passengers.

Pipistrel of Slovenia produces 13 different models of two-seat aircraft for the general aviation market, including the electric-powered Alpha Electro and the Taurus Electro.

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Optimum speed tiltrotor pioneer Karem Aircraft unveiled an eVTOL concept aircraft at the Uber Elevate conference in Los Angeles on 8 May.

The Butterfly is a quad tiltrotor aircraft that the company said strikes the right balance between hover and cruise efficiency by using variable speed rotors – a technology it has been working on for years for the US Army’s Future Vertical Lift programme.

The firm claims the aircraft’s large, slow turning rotors provide efficient lift, safer flight and quieter acoustics. According to the company, quieter flight is key to public acceptance of high levels of eVTOL traffic above cities.

“Our large rotors let us draw less power from the batteries than vehicles with smaller rotors, enabling immediate economic viability without waiting for future batteries,” Ben Tigner, Karem Aircraft’s chief exectuive, said. “We’re excited to expand our work with partners and resources available to us through the Elevate partnership, letting us cross-pollinate our ideas with additional team talent, strengthening all applications of our vehicle technology.”

Karem Aircraft is founded by aerospace designer, Abe Karem, designer of the General Atomics Aeronautical Systems MQ-1 Predator.