Aston Martin and Rolls-Royce
Luxury concept aircraft presented
Aston Martin has unveiled the 'Volante Vision Concept', a luxury concept aircraft with vertical take-off and landing capability. The aircraft, created in collaboration with Cranfield University, Cranfield Aerospace Solutions and Rolls-Royce, has a hybrid electric drive.
"As the population in urban areas continues to grow, congestion in cities is becoming more challenging. We need to look at alternative solutions to reduce congestion, reduce pollution and improve mobility," explains Dr. Andy Palmer, CEO of Aston Martin. "Air travel will play a crucial role in the future of transportation, the Volante Vision Concept is the ultimate luxury mobility solution."
With room for three adults, the future study is a flying, autonomous hybrid electric vehicle for urban and intercity transportation, designed to provide fast, efficient and congestion-free luxury travel. "People have always spent an average of one hour traveling to and from work. How far we live from our workplace is determined by the means of transport available," explains Dr. Andy Palmer. "The Volante Vision concept will allow us to travel further with our hourly commute, which means we will be able to live further away from our workplace."
Development partner Rolls-Royce has already supplied hybrid electric systems for other applications such as ships and trains, and is very excited about the technology's potential in aerospace, according to the company. "This is a great opportunity to work on a ground-breaking project using powerful hybrid-electric propulsion technologies for personal air mobility concepts that could transform the future of transportation," said Rob Watson, Director of Rolls-Royce Electrical.
You might also be interested in
Autonomous luxury aircraft
Because sports cars are increasingly stuck in traffic jams, Aston Martin wants to take to the air.
read more...Siemens sells eAircraft to Rolls-Royce
At the 2019 Paris Air Show, Siemens and Rolls-Royce signed an agreement for the sale of Siemens' eAircraft unit, which develops electric and hybrid-electric aircraft engines.
read more...The first aircraft that can compensate for turbulence
A new invention uses sensors to reduce the effects of turbulence on airplanes by 80%. TU Wien is now presenting the concept to the public for the first time at the Airshow in Paris.
read more...Electric regional aircraft - faster and cheaper
Zunum wants to present the first hybrid-electric aircraft for twelve passengers as early as 2022. Siemens also considers large electric aircraft to be realistic - preferably superconducting.
read more...Electric range and charging network
BMW i3 without range extender in Europe in future
At the end of September, BMW announced that it would achieve an electric range of up to 260 km with new 120 Ah high-voltage batteries. According to media reports, the range extender is now to be dropped for the i3 model in Europe.
read more...Flying robots - as agile as a fruit fly
The flying robot developed by researchers at Delft University of Technology can perform complex flight maneuvers based on the model of the fruit fly. Based on this, more maneuverable drones should become feasible - also in terms of price.
read more...Production of the cult scooter with electric drive
Piaggio starts production of the 'Vespa Elettrica' in September 2018 - including innovative man-machine networking. The electric version of the famous scooter is manufactured at the Pontedera plant in the province of Pisa.
read more...Robot-controlled fast charging system for electric vehicles
Together with industrial partners, Graz University of Technology has developed a robot-controlled fast charging system for electric vehicles. For the first time, it also enables the serial charging of vehicles in different parking positions.
read more...Surfboard with battery and water jet drive
The electric surfboard 'Rävik' reaches a top speed of up to 56 km/h. It was developed by the Swedish company Awake Boards.
read more...