Engineering:Jetson One
| Type | eVTOL aircraft |
|---|---|
| Inventor | Tomasz Patan |
| Inception | 2017 |
| Manufacturer | Jetson Aero |
| Available | Available |
| Website | jetsonaero |
The Jetson ONE is a type of personal aircraft known as an eVTOL. It is a 102-horsepower battery-operated aircraft with eight electric motors. The personal aircraft is produced by Swedish company Jetson Aero and it is manufactured and tested in Arezzo, Italy. To fly the single-seat aircraft, the operator does not need to have a pilot license nor have any special training. It is equipped with a parachute and it can operate even if one of its engines fails.
Background
In 2017 Tomasz Patan and Peter Ternström started Jetson Aero with the goal of "making everyone a pilot".[1] In 2018 Patan designed a personal flying car. The design was improved upon and in 2021 Patan invented a new model called the Jetson ONE eVTOL. Jetson Aero, headquartered in Sweden, manufactures the Jetson One.[2] In 2022 the company offered the Jetson Ones for US$92,000 each.[3] In 2022 the company began manufacturing the Jetson One in Poland.[4]
In 2022 the company moved production and testing of the Jetson ONE from Poland to a facility in Arezzo, Italy. The CEO of the company is Stephan D'haene and he announced that the company obtained approval from the Italian Civil Aviation Authority (ENAC) to fly the aircraft in Italy's uncontrolled airspace.[4] In 2023, the company announced that they had raised US$15 million to fund the project. They planned to begin delivering the next Jetson Ones in 2024.[5]
Specifications
The aircraft will be powered by high discharge lithium-ion batteries and by eight electric motors which generate 102 horsepower.[6][5] Battery powered flight time is limited to 20 minutes and there is a top speed of 63 mph (101 km/h).[5] The vehicle comes with a charger which can recharge in one hour at 230/240V or two hours with 110V power. Batteries may be removed and changed to avoid waiting for charging.[7] The person piloting the aircraft must be less than 210 lb (95 kg).[5] The individual motors powering the aircraft resemble drones. The aircraft can fly at an altitude of 1,500 ft (460 m). It weighs 190 lb (86 kg) and the fuselage is built of aluminum and a carbon-Kevlar composite. It is being offered for US$98,000.[8]
The aircraft is capable of flight even if one of the engines fails. It is equipped with lidar sensors to avoid obstacles. There is a rapid-deploying ballistic parachute and the aircraft has a mode which allows the craft to hover without operating the controls.[7] It is controlled by joysticks, and it has a throttle lever to adjust power.[6] The left controller operates the aircraft's altitude and the right controls the direction. The single-seat aircraft is considered a recreation vehicle and it is considered to be an ultralight by the US Federal Aviation Administration, so it does not require that the operator get a pilot license or have special training.[9][7][1]
Reception
A video that Jetson Aero posted to YouTube received 48 million views, and was featured on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. The company attracted investors who included musical artist Will.i.am and Rikard Steiber.[1] In October 2023, the American business magazine Forbes announced, "Flying Cars Are Here, And You Can Buy This One For Less Than $100,000".[10]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Takahashi, Dean (3 October 2023). "Jetson raises $15M from Will.i.am and others for personal electric flying vehicle". VentureBeat. https://venturebeat.com/games/jetson-raises-15m-for-personal-electric-flying-vehicle/.
- ↑ Myers, Lynne (21 June 2022). "Watch: Jetson completes the world's first ever eVTOL commute" (in en). designboom | architecture & design magazine (Design Boom). https://www.designboom.com/technology/jetson-completes-worlds-first-ever-evtol-commute-06-21-2022/.
- ↑ Drăgan, Otilia (2 December 2021). "The Famous $92K Personal Electric Aircraft Is Almost Sold Out, in Record Time" (in en). autoevolution (Auto Evolution). https://www.autoevolution.com/news/the-famous-92k-personal-electric-aircraft-is-almost-sold-out-in-record-time-175524.html.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Burgos, Matthew (18 October 2023). "Jetson ONE becomes the first certified ultralight eVTOL allowed to fly all over italy" (in en). designboom | architecture & design magazine (Design Boom). https://www.designboom.com/technology/jetson-one-worlds-first-certified-ultralight-evtol-italy-10-18-2023/.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 Daleo, Jack (3 October 2023). "Artist will.i.am Headlines $15M Investment in Flying Car Company Jetson". FLYING Magazine (Flying Magazine). https://www.flyingmag.com/artist-will-i-am-headlines-15m-investment-in-flying-car-company-jetson/.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Reynolds, Carlos Ferrer-Bonsoms, Nathan (13 January 2022). "You could soon fly to work in a $92,000 flying car that can reach 63 miles per hour". Business Insider (Business Insider). https://www.businessinsider.com/new-flying-car-goes-63-mph-20-minutes-costs-92000-2021-12?r=US&IR=T.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 Teague, Chris (15 February 2022). "Jetson ONE Is A $92,000 'Flying Sports Car'". Autoweek. https://www.autoweek.com/news/a39092293/jetson-one-is-a-dollar-92000-flying-sports-car/.
- ↑ Knutsson, Kurt (19 October 2023). "It's a bird. It's a plane. No, it's a flying jet ski". Fox News (It’s a bird. It’s a plane. No, it's a flying jet ski). https://www.foxnews.com/tech/bird-plane-no-flying-jet-ski.
- ↑ Trop, Jaclyn (8 June 2023). "These 5 eVTOLs Let You Take to the Skies Without a Pilot's License" (in en-CA). Yahoo Sports. Robb Report (Yahoo). https://ca.sports.yahoo.com/news/5-evtols-let-skies-without-140000318.html.
- ↑ "Flying Cars Are Here, And You Can Buy This One For Less Than $100,000" (in en). Forbes Media LLC. 12 October 2013. https://www.forbes.com/video/6338862173112/flying-cars-are-here-and-you-can-buy-this-one-for-less-than-100000/?sh=4e75f9286a83.
External links
- Jetson One on YouTube
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