Born from the collaboration between an automotive designer and an engineer specializing in propulsion systems, the Leo Coupe is a flying taxi with a futuristic design that promises a high top speed and a range of nearly 500 km.
The list of manufacturers of air taxis keeps growing. Urban eVTOL invites itself to do so with a spectacular concept to say the least. Baptized Leo Cup, it is a adav (aircraft three-seater electric vertical take-off and landing, the design of which is unlike any other flying taxi currently in development. It is the result of a collaboration between Carlos Salaff, a designer automobile, and Pete Bitar, an engineer specializing in vertical propulsion systems.
Together, they imagined this device which currently only exists on paper. It is equipped with sixteen electric turbines each producing 54 kg thrust for vertical flight and five more at the rear for horizontal flight. The Leo Coupe is carried by a box-shaped double wing system. It will be a mini ballistic parachute in the event of a major failure.
Batteries totaling 66 kWh will be split into several pack in different places of the device in order to obtain a distribution of masses adapted. Autonomy is estimated at 450 km on a single charge when flying at speed maximum announced of 400 km / h. The cockpit places the pilot in a central position in a seat suspended from the ceiling. Thus, the two rear passengers enjoy a bird’s eye view thanks to the floor transparent. For the landing, Urban eVTOL indicates that it is working on an inflatable system with variable geometry inspired by the airbag.
A first prototype in 2022
Besides his style close to a hypercar, the design of the Leo Coupe also offers a small footprint, equivalent to that of a car. This means that it can be easily parked and land in areas much smaller than those of flying taxis with large fixed wings.
But all this is still only theoretical. Urban eVTOL plans to build a small-size prototype and test it in 2022. It will need to find investors to continue the adventure and finance the manufacture of operational full-size prototypes. The thorny stage of certification will also come, which can take several years. The company says it wants to target the least demanding markets in this area and thinks it can aim for a selling price of 290,000 dollars (around 246,500 euros at the current price). To be continued …
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