Rolls-Royce Unveils Hybrid Flying Taxi in Farnborough

A man poses alongside screens presenting the Rolls-Royce EVTOL aerial taxi concept at the Farnborough Air Show in southwest London on July 16, 2018. AFP

FARNBOROUGH, United Kingdom – The British engine maker Rolls-Royce unveils plans this week to develop a hybrid electric vehicle, dubbed the "flying taxi", which takes off and lands vertically and could be airborne in five years.

The London-listed aerospace giant, which is based in Derby in central England, showed at the Farnborough Air Show for the first time, other players have embarked on the market segment.

Rolls said he hoped to build a prototype version of his vertical takeoff and landing electric vehicle (EVTOL) in the coming days. The Rolls-Royce EVTOL aircraft will accommodate four or five people, with a flight radius of 500 miles (805 kilometers) and a top speed of 200 miles per second. hour.

In this market, you will see something like flying in three to five years, and we will demonstrate the system in two years, "said Rob Watson, leader of the Rolls-Royce power team. 19659006] "By the end of next year" The hybrid vehicle, which until now has cost millions of pounds to develop, will use a traditional gas turbine engine with an electric system wrapped around the car

Rolls-Royce is also looking for an all-electric product but not as advanced as the EVTOL offer.

"There is an emerging market for all-electric aircraft, but we believe that you need a level of "Watson says to AFP

Hybrid Propulsion

" So all electric is the way to go around the city, but if you want to travel 200 or 300 miles, if you want to run London to Paris, then you go wan

"We're therefore, hybrid propulsion systems will begin to make this market. "

Rolls is not alone in the hybrid market of the "flying taxi".

Other companies studying the sector include Uber, an American taxi company, Kitty Hawk, supported by Google, Lilium Aviation in Germany, Safran in France and Honeywell in the United States.

The thrust of electric propulsion in the aerospace industry with the auto industry, where electric cars are gaining ground in terms of popularity and performance.

"Think of it as the car industry … Historically, everyone had an internal combustion engine, and over time you add more electrical capacity and then you start seeing electric cars," adds Watson.

"Similarly, we are introducing a hybrid propulsion system into this market because we believe it offers you this range."

David Stewart, Aviation and Aerospace Consultant and Associate at Oliver Wyman , told AFP that the aerospace industry was facing pressure to become more environmentally friendly

"I think electric propulsion is a Stewart says, who will talk in Farnborough on Tuesday.

"We are a long way to electric energy to replace kerosene, but never say never."

He warned that Rolls-Royce's flying taxi concept was actually a development platform for testing new technology.

The real market will probably be an enlarged version of 10 to 15 seats that can serve a wider variety of applications. Watson adds, "Over time, you have more electrical capacity for bigger and bigger planes – and that's really what we're thinking of today."

"We're learning today" The technology we will need tomorrow. "/ cbb

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