Hybrid air taxi flies 50 times longer than electric counterparts

Несмотря на то, что большинство разработок в сфере аэротакси сегодня сосредоточено на использовании

электрических аккумуляторов и водородных energy sources, Ascendance believes that while a major breakthrough in these technologies has not occurred, it would be interesting to create such a hybrid analogue, capable of traveling much further than electric air taxis, and also having lower emissions.

The first such project of the company - Atea - is veryresembles a standard plane, just reduced in size. The fuselage, front propeller and T-shaped tail unit look completely like a conventional aircraft. At the same time, it is designed in such a way that takeoff and landing on the runway are as convenient as on helipads.

For vertical takeoff and landing, itrises vertically on three medium-sized five-bladed fans, one in each wing and one running straight through the forward fuselage. Interestingly, these supports do not appear to have a center hub. Instead, the middle is empty and the blades are driven along the outer circumference of each fan.

In the front of the aircraft there is a standardpropeller for efficient level flight. Certainly not as efficient as one would get with a fully swivel rotor like the Joby Aviation aircraft, as the VTOL fans left open cause some resistance. But swing rotors are relatively complex, and static rotors like these are simple. Simplicity comes at a low cost, and because Ascendance won't rely on batteries alone, efficiency becomes less important.

Во время презентации на мероприятии Mobility This year's Shaker Jean-Christophe Lambert of Ascendance said the hybrid system will reduce emissions by 50-80% compared to a helicopter. The company hasn't announced a range at this stage, but notes that right now, fossil fuels store about 50 times more energy than current lithium batteries.

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