Jetson ONE flying car demonstrates the future of personal commuting

Posted on 23/06/2022 by JC Torres

Jetson wants to make everyone a pilot, at least everyone who needs to get to work and back home quickly.

Our highways are getting congested, and there is almost no easy solution to that, especially with the growing number of vehicles on the road. The most common quick-fix is to build more highways, though some are attempting to dig up new ground as well. There are also plans to build super-fast trains (some that also tunnel underground), but that only works if you happen to be going somewhere near a train station. They say that the shortest path from point A to point B is a straight line, but you can only really travel that path if you’re flying overhead over all obstacles. Naturally, that’s a utopian dream of many inventors and commuters, one that might be close to reality as far as one Swedish company is concerned.

Designer/Inventor: Tomasz Patan (Jetson)

Flying cars have been in works of science fiction for decades. The idea of flying freely in the skies, without having to share seats with dozens of strangers, has appealed to the imagination ever since man first dreamed of flying. In recent times, however, that dream has almost become a future necessity if the problem of traffic congestion and personal travel is to be ever solved.

The Jetson ONE is one (no pun intended) of those solutions currently in active development, and it may have just taken one step closer to making that dream come true. Company co-founder and inventor Tomasz Patan took a working prototype for a spin and commuted from home to work as if flying on a racecar turned helicopter was the most normal thing in the world. The company hasn’t released exact details yet, other than the regular commute time was slashed by as much as 88% while delivering Patan safely to his destination.

The vehicle is just the latest in the growing number of eVTOLs or electric Vertical Take-Off and Landing aircrafts being developed for personal use. Unlike a private jet and more like a helicopter, an eVTOL like the Jetson ONE takes off and lands vertically (hence the name), which saves up on having to put a runaway anywhere a flying car has to fly or land. And similar to a Tesla, many eVTOLs are designed to run on electricity rather than fuel to avoid one of the biggest sins of automobiles.

The Jetson ONE and others like it try to cut the time and hassle of commuting, but most of them work for only one person or at most two passengers. This raises concerns about the legality of driving (or flying) such vehicles, whether you’d need to be a licensed pilot to even use one. Of course, by that time, there might be new tests and certifications in place similar to driving land-bound vehicles.

These flying cars, however, might also introduce a new kind of traffic congestion given their very personal nature and design. Unlike a sedan, you can’t exactly “eVTOLpool” rides, which means there will be dozens, if not hundreds, of these flying cars zooming in the air in that future scenario. It might also mean a lot of manufacturing waste, just like what we have with regular cars, turning the idyllic dream into a sustainability nightmare. Fortunately, we’re still far from reaching that point, despite the success of this test flight, but it’s about time we prepare for the inevitable rather than being caught unaware like with self-driving cars.

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This single passenger flying saucer wants to take zero-emission electric vehicles to new heights

Posted on 25/01/2022 by JC Torres

Flying saucers have always been associated with aliens and conspiracy theories, but they might become more common in our skies if this out-of-this-world electric vehicle truly takes off.

There are two or three trends in the automotive industry that are trying to bring the future to the present. Electric vehicles, while not exactly new, still haven’t become the norm. Self-driving cars continue to tickle the imagination in some while striking fear in others. Some visionaries, however, want to take personal transport to the skies, and one startup is mashing ideas together in what may be the oddest looking flying “car” yet.

Designer: Zeva

The Zeva Zero definitely looks more like a flying saucer than a flying car, even if the goals and some of the technologies are similar to other attempts at making personal transport vehicles that traverse the skies to avoid earth-bound traffic. For one, it utilizes vertical take-off and landing, a.k.a. VTOL, more similar to a helicopter than an airplane.

On the one hand, this has the benefit of saving parking space, so to speak, because the flying saucer launches and lands in an upright position, contrary to what you’d expect from a flying disc. This even has the advantage of allowing the Zeva Zero to “dock” vertical against walls of buildings with a system that the startup calls the SkyDock. That said, the Zero actually goes horizontal when it comes time to actually move from point A to point B, taking advantage of the aerodynamics of a saucer being propelled by rotors.

Beyond the unique design, however, Zeva also has the big goal of making personal air travel more eco-friendly but turning the Zero from a VTOL to eVTOL by using eight zero-emission electric motors to drive its propellers. That said, a single flying saucer has the capacity for only one passenger, who is also the aircraft’s pilot, so the costs on the environment could still add up in the long run, especially in manufacturing these vehicles.

Nityia Photography

The post This single passenger flying saucer wants to take zero-emission electric vehicles to new heights first appeared on Yanko Design.

Lazzarini Design’s gargantuan helium-powered airship glides on water too

Posted on 13/01/2022 by Gaurav Sood

Italian design outfit Lazzarini Design Studio is known for its larger-than-life concepts that give us a deep dive of transportation in the future. Their new concept design breaks all the confined barriers of propulsion on water and in the air, taking things to the next level with the Air Yacht.

This compressed helium-powered flying yacht (yes, an airborne yacht!) is targeted towards private owners who will stop at nothing, and push the envelope of adventure – laden in luxury and style. The mega yacht (or should I say a big catamaran) measuring 492 feet will be a revolution in the aviation industry with its twin airships filled with helium. These gigantic airships will be connected via a central carbon deck measuring 33 feet wide consisting of a master cabin, living area, and a large dining section. The outer edges of the airship have five en suite staterooms each, so taking along best buddies for the adventure of their lifetime is certain.

Designer: Lazzarini Design Studio

Propulsion assistance for the airship is actuated via the solar panels on top. The ultra-light batteries store power and deliver it to the eight contra-rotating electric rotors on the side when required. To propel such a large airship a huge amount of helium gas is required, and the Air Yacht stores it in honeycomb-like hives holding close to 14.1 million ft3 of compressed helium. As a result, this craft can fly for 48 hours non-stop, at a speed of 60 knots!

The filthy rich can also have the optional Helipad to extend their adventure into places where the Air Yacht cannot go due to its huge size. Right by the helipad is an exquisite swimming pool for sun-soaked leisure days. All these features make this flying vessel an exclusive possession for the affluent whenever someone is enchanted by Lazzarini Design Studio’s ideation. When it’s time to land the rotors shift the position downwards for the needed thrust to land smoothly. The helium is depressurized and the ballast anchoring system keeps it steady on the water while being propelled forward at a speed of 5 knots.

Having talked of all the advantages of such aircraft, we also have to dig our memories and remember the LZ 129 Hindenburg disaster. The perils of highly inflammable hydrogen gas have been replaced by non-inflammable gas for a safer journey while being airborne. But the gas leaks and the whole rig coming down crashing on the ground due to lack of adequate helium pressure in the airships cannot be counted out. But at face value, this aircraft is absolutely something the future will take with both hands open. I just hope, the advanced future technologies will solve the little loopholes with such aircraft for safer expeditions.