by Natashah Hitti, Dezeen, February 2, 2018
Designed to minimise traffic on inner-city roads, Airbus sees the electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft as a solution to the growing need for urban mobility. Anticipating speeds two to four times faster than cars, the full-scale aircraft is 2.8 metres tall (9.2 ft), 5.7 metres high (18.7 ft) and 6.2 metres wide (20.3 ft), with a flight range of about 50 miles (80 km). By using full automation and sense-and-avoid technology, the company also hopes to minimise human error to achieve higher safety levels. “We envision Vahana being used by everyday commuters as a cost-comparable replacement for short-range urban transportation like cars or trains. No more traffic accidents or train delays to impact your plans,” it added.
Small eVTOL aircraft such as this craft from Airbus and others being developed by Uber could be an attractive mode of personal transportation in the future. If these crafts became even smaller, and landing pads were installed, taking a trip in a personal drone to your destination might be a very attractive solution to the troubles of traveling alone at night.
