Shulou(Shulou.com)11/24 Report--

The starting price is 13 yuan

The first aerial taxi is coming!

Wisk Aero, the developer of the US Electric Vertical take-off and Landing vehicle (eVTOL), has developed the world's first self-flying electric aerial taxi.

This autonomous air taxi is not a conceptual product, but can be mass-produced. According to Wisk Aero's official website, its sixth-generation self-driving eVTOL air taxi will be the first ever air taxi to be certified by FAA.

Source: Wisk Model Certification (TC) is one of three certifications that airlines must obtain before launching commercial services, which means that aircraft must meet all FAA design and safety standards.

And as an emerging industry, eVTOL enterprises also need to obtain production certification and aviation operator certification before commercial use.

Wisk Aero's flying taxi is scheduled to hit the mass market in 2024.

13 yuan per kilometer this is Wisk Aero's sixth-generation aircraft, all-electric, vertical take-off and landing, four seats. It can fly and carry passengers without human pilots.

Source: many investors in Wisk are pouring money into startups to develop air transportation, and big airlines are also entering some of these startups, with the famous Boeing behind Wisk Aero.

Today, Wisk has opened a new plant in Montreal, where it will produce sixth-generation eVTOL.

The air taxi developed by Wisk Aero has a screen in front of each seat to provide flight information, including flight route, schedule, course and other important information.

Source: the "Help" button is set above the Wisk seat, which allows emergency calls in the event of a situation. There is a storage space in front of the cockpit that can hold four suitcases.

Like most flying car research and development ideas, Wisk Aero also uses the eVOTL model-electric vertical take-off. Using a proprietary 12-propeller design and boom configuration, the wing deployment length is about 36 meters.

The flying taxi has six front rotors that control the plane horizontally, vertically or tilted, and six rear rotors to keep it fixed in a vertical position.

Source: Wisk according to Wisk Aero, it has a cruising speed of 222km / h, a range of 140km and can fly at an altitude of 2500-4000 feet above the ground.

"over the past 12 years, we have achieved this mission by developing five different full-size aircraft." Wisk Aero said.

Source: Wisk began to develop the sixth generation of WiskAero in 2010. according to WiskAero, they have conducted more than 1600 test flights in 12 years, "without any accident."

The whole team has put a lot of energy into this project, and today's sixth generation is their proudest work.

Source: Wisk according to reports, the sixth generation aircraft carries the aviation system developed by WiskAero independent platform, which is composed of autopilot, accurate navigation system, data link, and equipped with its proprietary, program-based decision logic software, which can be completely unmanned.

Source: WiskWisk Aero hopes that in the future people will be able to use Wisk Aero in the same way they use taxi-hailing apps today.

Its estimated price is set at $3 per mile, or 13 yuan per kilometer.

On the sixth generation aircraft, Wisk Aero has achieved good cost control. By simplifying the design, the total number of moving parts is reduced on the sixth generation model. And the fewer moving parts, the fewer points of failure, which also reduces the maintenance cost. In addition, due to the lack of pilots and the cost of pilot training, the cost of operation is also reduced.

Who's Wisk Areo? Wisk Aero is a flying car manufacturer based in Mountain View, California. Founded in 2019, the company has been committed to building eVOTL aircraft for air public transportation.

Source: Wisk was originally founded by Kitty Hawk, co-founder of Boeing and Google co-founder Larry Page, and shares almost all the technology with Kitty Hawk.

Kitty Hawk has launched two types of aircraft, the Flyer and the Heaviside, which take off and land vertically and are unmanned, with the aim of building an aerial taxi for individuals. By contrast, the Kitty Hawk is smaller, with an arm span of only 6 meters, but a single seat.

The source Kitty Hawk is different from the same origin. In September, Kitty Hawk announced its closure and Larry Page withdrew from the company.

Source: Google and Wisk Aero, with the support of Boeing, has become one of the most funded autonomous air traffic companies in the world. In January, Boeing invested an additional $450 million in Wisk Aero.

It is with the support of Boeing's strong funding and technology that Wisk Aero is able to concentrate on developing aircraft.

It is the dream of all flying car companies to solve the main threat of automobile traffic. According to incomplete statistics, there are more than 200 flying car projects in the world, and more than 160 companies are trying to make flying cars.

In China, a number of start-ups, such as Xiaopeng Huitian, Fengfei Airlines, Volante and so on, have successfully obtained financing.

Source: Xiao Peng Huitian in these companies, we almost unanimously chose eVTOL, that is, electric vertical rise and fall. Vertical take-off and landing can take off and land at any place at any time, without the need for a runway, more suitable for flying in the city.

Today, Wisk Aero's air taxi has been certified by FAA, which means that the design and safety of air taxi have been recognized, and it is one step closer to being legally on the road. In order to operate, it is necessary to obtain three FAA certifications, namely, model certification, air carrier certification and production certification.

Previously, Wisk Aero's competitor Joby Aviation had been certified as an air carrier by FAA.

Source Joby Aviation but the flying car landed, getting certification is just the beginning, and there are more problems to be solved.

The first is the longevity anxiety. Wisk Aero has a range of only 140km, while Jody Aviation has a maximum mileage of 241km. This is because the energy density of the motor is not enough, and electric vehicles can be equipped with larger battery packs, but aircraft have to consider the impact of battery weight on flight.

The safety problem is the most important, the emergence of flying cars is to alleviate the ground traffic congestion, but if the air traffic congestion, aircraft crash, the consequences will be very serious.

In many cases, even if mass production is successful, it will be difficult for companies to sustain revenue because of battery life and safety issues, and mass production is just the beginning for these startups.

This article comes from the official account of Wechat: Superelectricity Lab (ID:SuperEV-Lab), author: Cao Zichang

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