Airbus reveals CityAirbus eVTOL vehicle for urban air mobility
Airbus’ fully electric CityAirbus is equipped with fixed wings, a V-shaped tail and eight electrically powered propellors as part of its distributed propulsion system. It is designed to carry up to four passengers in a zero emissions flight in multiple applications.
Airbus (Leiden, Netherlands) has announced plans for a new CityAirbus multicoptor at the company’s first Airbus Summit on “Pioneering Sustainable Aerospace.” The fully electric CityAirbus is equipped with fixed wings, a V-shaped tail and eight electrically powered propellors as part of its distributed propulsion system. It is designed to carry up to four passengers in a zero emissions flight in multiple applications.
CityAirbus is being developed to fly with an 80 km range and to reach a cruise speed of 120 km/h. According to Airbus, sound levels are a key factor for an urban mission; CityAirbus' sound levels are reportedly below 65 A-weighted decibels (dBA) during fly-over and below 70 dBA during landing. It is reportedly optimized for hover and cruise efficiency without requiring moving surfaces or tilting parts during transition.
According to Airbus, the CityAirbus NextGen meets the highest certification standards (EASA SC-VTOL Enhanced Category). Airbus says the CityAirbus NextGen is designed with simplicity in mind.; it is currently in a detailed design phase, and the prototype’s first flight is planned for 2023. Airbus expects the prototype to receive certification around 2025.
“We are on a quest to co-create an entirely new market that sustainably integrates urban air mobility into the cities while addressing environmental and social concerns,” says Bruno Even, Airbus Helicopters’ (Marignane, France) CEO.
Beyond the vehicle, Airbus reports it is working with partners, cities and city inhabitants in order to create an ecosystem that will enable this new operating environment to emerge.
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