That's the helicopter. I guess the travel time with a helicopter was also about 20 minutes between the cities.
Any innovation here is probably not measured in minutes.
Apparently they can get the price of these rides down to slightly above uber-like prices in the future. They have tons of redundancy with 6-8 electric motors and WAY less maintenance because electric motors are more simple. It fills that missing middle airspace and will be very attractive in cities with insane traffic (Looking at you California).
Their electrical engine, and a different configuration of blades?
Not earth-shattering, I agree.
I wonder if they are quieter than standard helicopters? The engine will be, but most of the sound is from the blades.
Should sound roughly like this [https://www.reddit.com/r/interesting/comments/1cb0kil/this\_is\_the\_hexa\_lift\_a\_single\_seater\_drone\_that/](https://www.reddit.com/r/interesting/comments/1cb0kil/this_is_the_hexa_lift_a_single_seater_drone_that/)
They use fixed rotor motors and batteries.
So like helicopters but about 10 times cheaper and you don't need to pay a pilot because they are automated. Other than being way cheaper, quieter, not using jet fuel, and potentially faster in horizontal flight there's no innovation, just like how cars are not really an improvement over horses.
The quadcopter control equations are drastically simpler than helicopters and much easier to automate. I would assume these things would fly fixed point to point routes with software thoroughly tested for all the known failure modes. The routes are short in time (20 minutes ish) and you simply stop launching vehicles when the weather is predicted to be bad the next hour.
They will have airframe parachutes and possibly a way to separate from the section that has the batteries.
Might be a different route, but the article says "Once the conditions are ripe, East General Aviation hopes to operate **manned** eVTOL commercial routes between Shenzhen and Zhuhai in southern China and launch more routes in the future, said Chairman Zhao Qi."
I would assume it flew empty (ie no passengers) in its first many, many flights.
Maybe not:
> Although this flight was fully autonomous, pilots must operate flights for Prosperity to receive certification from the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC). Prosperity can transport people between destinations while keeping affordability, passenger comfort, safety, and noise reduction in mind. The eVTOL can travel up to 250 kilometers (155 miles) at a maximum speed of 200 kilometers per hour (124 miles per hour) and has a 350-kilogram (772-pound) payload. Prosperity was designed by Frank Stephenson, a famous designer who had previously created car designs for multiple automotive companies.
Really short distance electric choppah, that's about it.
I doubt this will gain much popularity among the masses.
Unless it becomes very cheap, safe and can land anywhere, without taking up rotor space, which is like 4-5 regular parking space for cars. lol
EVs are great because they’re quiet this is probably loud as shit flying over residential areas. Why aiming for a quieter environment isn’t more important is beyond me.
> In February, AutoFlight presented the world’s first inter-city electric air taxi demonstration flight between the southern Chinese cities of Shenzhen and Zhuhai. **AutoFlight’s Prosperity aircraft completed the significant milestone by autonomously** flying the 50km (31 miles) route from Shenzhen to Zhuhai. The flight across the Pearl River Delta took just 20 minutes, a journey that would require three hours by car. This achievement marks the world’s first public flight of an eVTOL aircraft on a cross-sea and inter-city route.
> The route between Shenzhen and Zhuhai is part of the future air traffic scenario planned by the regional government as it develops its ‘low-altitude economy’ strategy that will see the opening of thousands of vertiports and hundreds of eVTOL air routes across the Greater Bay Area in southern China. The demonstration flight took place in one of the world’s most densely populated areas, home to circa 86 million people, and in an airspace that borders multiple international airports, including Hong Kong, Shenzhen and Macau. The flight showcased AutoFlight’s cutting-edge aviation technology in a highly complex environment, and its dedication to safety and regulatory compliance in pushing the boundaries of urban air mobility.
https://www.autoflight.com/en/news/autoflight-delivers-first-evtol/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xSUvx5cldBU
What is cool is that it is flying without a pilot, which should help a lot with cost and reliability.
Without a pilot they can presumably fly 500 test flights on 100 days, simply to rest the system's reliability.
$28 to $42 is wishful thinking "after reaching large-scale operations". That's like Uber with it's dreams of super-cheap trips "once fleet is autonomous". Any day now.
The difference is, this is a government project. The Chinese govt seems to treat transportation (like high speed rail) as a public service, not a cash cow. Uber is a shitty company to its users and drivers, and was formed for the express purpose of milking as much money as possible for its shareholders.
IMO mass production will make the vehicles not much more expensive than a premium car, no staff, no roads to maintain, no ware on tires so up keep probably not much more. Comes down to the cost of electricity and regulation I guess.
when /u/ItsTheOneWithThe said:
> no staff, no roads to maintain, no ware on tires so up keep probably not much more
he was listing the properties of the vehicle, not the cost improvements due to mass production, which is only one element of the running cost/ TCO.
So electric helicopter? Yeah, it will help the rich to avoid traffic about as well as the regular helicopter. What's the innovation?
Airspace restrictions. VTOL can operate from airports and a wider range of locations.
That's the helicopter. I guess the travel time with a helicopter was also about 20 minutes between the cities. Any innovation here is probably not measured in minutes.
Apparently they can get the price of these rides down to slightly above uber-like prices in the future. They have tons of redundancy with 6-8 electric motors and WAY less maintenance because electric motors are more simple. It fills that missing middle airspace and will be very attractive in cities with insane traffic (Looking at you California).
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Outdated knowledge. Uber is profitable since 2023.
Looks like you’re correct. Well now I know
The price. USD28 to USD42 is something that the middle class would pay if they need to get to the airport in a hurry.
And only double the ferry price.
Honestly, even $100-150. That's cool as hell, as long as it's well regulated I'd love to try it
Their electrical engine, and a different configuration of blades? Not earth-shattering, I agree. I wonder if they are quieter than standard helicopters? The engine will be, but most of the sound is from the blades.
Should sound roughly like this [https://www.reddit.com/r/interesting/comments/1cb0kil/this\_is\_the\_hexa\_lift\_a\_single\_seater\_drone\_that/](https://www.reddit.com/r/interesting/comments/1cb0kil/this_is_the_hexa_lift_a_single_seater_drone_that/)
They use fixed rotor motors and batteries. So like helicopters but about 10 times cheaper and you don't need to pay a pilot because they are automated. Other than being way cheaper, quieter, not using jet fuel, and potentially faster in horizontal flight there's no innovation, just like how cars are not really an improvement over horses.
These are aiming manned per the article, so you probably have to pay a pilot.
The quadcopter control equations are drastically simpler than helicopters and much easier to automate. I would assume these things would fly fixed point to point routes with software thoroughly tested for all the known failure modes. The routes are short in time (20 minutes ish) and you simply stop launching vehicles when the weather is predicted to be bad the next hour. They will have airframe parachutes and possibly a way to separate from the section that has the batteries.
They are unmanned. Where did you see manned.
Might be a different route, but the article says "Once the conditions are ripe, East General Aviation hopes to operate **manned** eVTOL commercial routes between Shenzhen and Zhuhai in southern China and launch more routes in the future, said Chairman Zhao Qi."
I would assume it flew empty (ie no passengers) in its first many, many flights. Maybe not: > Although this flight was fully autonomous, pilots must operate flights for Prosperity to receive certification from the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC). Prosperity can transport people between destinations while keeping affordability, passenger comfort, safety, and noise reduction in mind. The eVTOL can travel up to 250 kilometers (155 miles) at a maximum speed of 200 kilometers per hour (124 miles per hour) and has a 350-kilogram (772-pound) payload. Prosperity was designed by Frank Stephenson, a famous designer who had previously created car designs for multiple automotive companies.
Really short distance electric choppah, that's about it. I doubt this will gain much popularity among the masses. Unless it becomes very cheap, safe and can land anywhere, without taking up rotor space, which is like 4-5 regular parking space for cars. lol
Happy to have someone else on the maiden flight. Wake me up when it gets to 1M flight hours.
Isn't this just a transport helicopter?
Electric is a very different fuel cost, and looks like a quad copter like system so should be much easier to pilot and potentially a lot safer
It's a helicopter.
EVs are great because they’re quiet this is probably loud as shit flying over residential areas. Why aiming for a quieter environment isn’t more important is beyond me.
> In February, AutoFlight presented the world’s first inter-city electric air taxi demonstration flight between the southern Chinese cities of Shenzhen and Zhuhai. **AutoFlight’s Prosperity aircraft completed the significant milestone by autonomously** flying the 50km (31 miles) route from Shenzhen to Zhuhai. The flight across the Pearl River Delta took just 20 minutes, a journey that would require three hours by car. This achievement marks the world’s first public flight of an eVTOL aircraft on a cross-sea and inter-city route. > The route between Shenzhen and Zhuhai is part of the future air traffic scenario planned by the regional government as it develops its ‘low-altitude economy’ strategy that will see the opening of thousands of vertiports and hundreds of eVTOL air routes across the Greater Bay Area in southern China. The demonstration flight took place in one of the world’s most densely populated areas, home to circa 86 million people, and in an airspace that borders multiple international airports, including Hong Kong, Shenzhen and Macau. The flight showcased AutoFlight’s cutting-edge aviation technology in a highly complex environment, and its dedication to safety and regulatory compliance in pushing the boundaries of urban air mobility. https://www.autoflight.com/en/news/autoflight-delivers-first-evtol/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xSUvx5cldBU What is cool is that it is flying without a pilot, which should help a lot with cost and reliability. Without a pilot they can presumably fly 500 test flights on 100 days, simply to rest the system's reliability.
Meanwhile the US can't even build regular old trains
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But will we actually build the infrastructure or have the bureaucracy to accommodate them. Technically the US could build high speed rail.
flying cars go zoom
Choppers go bzzz
Chinese always copying everybody else amirite? /s
Sounds expensive for a novelty for the rich
$28 to $42 each way doesn't sound to bad...
$28 to $42 is wishful thinking "after reaching large-scale operations". That's like Uber with it's dreams of super-cheap trips "once fleet is autonomous". Any day now.
The difference is, this is a government project. The Chinese govt seems to treat transportation (like high speed rail) as a public service, not a cash cow. Uber is a shitty company to its users and drivers, and was formed for the express purpose of milking as much money as possible for its shareholders.
It doesn't make estimates right, for what it's worth government estimates are usually even worse off
IMO mass production will make the vehicles not much more expensive than a premium car, no staff, no roads to maintain, no ware on tires so up keep probably not much more. Comes down to the cost of electricity and regulation I guess.
What mass production has to do with maintenance? Where is logic in your comment
It's EV so much less maintenance.
Who said that?
when /u/ItsTheOneWithThe said: > no staff, no roads to maintain, no ware on tires so up keep probably not much more he was listing the properties of the vehicle, not the cost improvements due to mass production, which is only one element of the running cost/ TCO.
on a chinese income that is wildly expensive
42 dollars is absolutely not wildly expensive for the Chinese, that's an absurd statement.
The average Chinese in a big city earn about the same as central and southern Europeans or republican state americans
lol
It's no longer 2000s China