New air mobility has arrived. Electric vertical take off and landing vehicles (eVTOL) are in full development, and in the near future their use will be common in medium space travel as efficient and sustainable air taxis.
AutoFlight is a German company pioneer in the field of eVTOLs, a type of electric vehicle capable of taking off or landing anywhere and, where appropriate, carrying three passengers plus a pilot inside.
Now, it is completing the final phase of development of the Felicity I, its first prototype, before it receives certification for its expected entry into service by 2025.
And in the last tests carried out, the prototype broke the record distance, flying 250.64 kilometers, which was achieved by surpassing all its competitors.
Today’s Prosperity 1 is a fourth generation eVTOL and was designed by Frank Stephenson, a great designer well known in the automotive industry for specific models signed by various brands. He worked for Mini, Ferrari, Maserati, Fiat, Lancia, Alfa Romeo and McLaren.
the main structure of development
In addition to having arrived at only one of its battery loads, Prosperity AutoFlight also surprised me with its development structure. The current prototype is almost definitive prior to its commercialization, and is distinguished from previous ones by a different architecture.
In the latest development, the Prosperity has changed its shape and now has a larger cabin, stronger wings, and its lifting rotors are arranged in four rows instead of two. In addition, it adds a third propeller on the back of the camera to increase the thrust in horizontal flight.
A simple eVTOL design
Designed in Germany and manufactured in China, the Prosperity 1 is distinguished by a simpler design than other competitors, some of which have tiltrotors to use the ability to propel the flight.
This fact makes the record of AutoFlight, a relatively new company in the region, even more meritorious when it begins its activity in the field of drones in 2020.
Now, AutoFlight occupies the sixth and tenth place in this new region, according to the classification in Advanced Air Mobility established by the special planning firm SMG Consulting, after other companies that have developed this type of vehicle for a long time.
At the head of this industry are Joby Aviation, Volocopter and Lily, other recently created companies that also have eVTOL models ready to embark on a new transportation era with them.
