personal 'copter speeds over traffic jams - battery power storage

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This article is published in 29/10/2018 (216 days ago)
Therefore, the information in it may no longer be up to date. LOS ANGELES —
Rick Perkins says his commute to Los Angeles is two hours long. A. in bumper-to-bumper traffic.
But if he can get to his destination by plane during peak hours, he estimates it will only take 9 minutes for the same trip.
All he needs is his own helicopter.
As cities become more crowded, futurists, designers, and entrepreneurs are all seeking relief from the sky.
In the case of perkins, this means booking $1,000 for a "private helicopter "--
A small, relatively cheap, partially electric process designed for two people to jump short.
What caught perkins's attention was SureFly from a company called Workhorse Group. Cincinnati-
Work, which is based at work, believes it is at the forefront of electric vertical landing technology (eVTOL.
The company, in partnership with the Federal Aviation Administration, hopes to launch its first model to customers by 2021.
Workhorse, who also produces electric trucks, may have a lot of competition when it comes to Jetsons --
Traffic style.
The Japanese government recently released
Ed launched a campaign to bring companies and public institutions together to push the aircraft into the sky over the next decade. In the U. S. , ride-
Ride-hailing service Uber announced a plan last year to create flying vehicles. Like self-
Driving a car, the appearance of a personal helicopter seems to be no longer the case of if, but when.
"EVTOL technology is something we should take seriously," said James Moore, director of transportation engineering programs at the University of Southern California . ".
The key to its success is to make lighter batteries and develop regulations to control helicopter flight routes.
"How quickly we react with new technologies will be a big problem, and it can be said that how quickly we can define new road rules," Moore said . ".
Perkins, 44, lives in Burbank, California.
He was very convinced of the private helicopter, so he equipped the house on the hillside he built with an optional helipad for sale in a trendy neighborhood in the west end of Los Angeles.
Show sixbedroom, 71/2-
Last week, the helicopter was parked in the bathroom next to the swimming pool.
The price of the house is $12 million.
"With the home of the future, why not integrate it?
He's talking about mats.
"At 2020, everyone will move in that direction.
"The design of SureFly is unique in helicopters.
It will be able to use battery power and small engines to cruise for more than two hours at a speed of 112 kilometers per hour.
About $200,000, cheaper than many helicopters.
The biggest difference is that it looks like an oversized drone instead of a traditional helicopter.
SureFly does not have a tail boom, which makes it the same size as a sedan and compact enough to fit on a residential landing pad.
It floats with eight small rotors mounted on four pods.
Helicopters don't go too far or too fast like other rotary craft, but that's not the point.
"We sacrifice efficiency for safety and simplicity," says Steve Burns, CEO of Workhorse Group . ".
As a commuter ship, the helicopter will have two important safety features.
One is that if the spacecraft needs an emergency landing, the power can start and rotate it to the ground.
Second, there will be a "ballistic parachute" for additional safety "--
A parachute fired by an explosive device.
Intended to work at a height of more than 30 m.
The company is currently conducting flight tests.
Burns predicts that as a completely different thing, SureFly will sell traditional helicopters in the United StatesS.
SureFly was designed to fly more simply than a normal helicopter because of the computer flightby-
The wired system took over some tasks that could complicate the life of the pilot.
For example, it is designed without foot pedals.
"Flying is simple and safe, opening the market for skipping traffic," said Justin Jantzen, SureFly's chief test engineer . ".
This is a strong combination of Los Angeles, and INRIX is a company specializing in traffic analysis and connected car services, ranking first in the 2017 Traffic Scorecard.
Los Angeles spent an average of 102 hours in traffic jams last year, followed by drivers in New York, San Francisco, Atlanta and Miami.
Although the sound of jumping in the sky is great, there are still many problems to be solved around the eVTOL aircraft. Besides air-traffic-
Control complications and have noise problems.
While they are partially powered by electricity, private helicopters like SureFly can still make loud enough noise to disturb neighbors.
While the owner may have a landing pad at home, there are not many other places where the helicopter can land legally.
Carl Brewer, the executive publisher of Cox motor, believes there are two ways to develop personal helicopters.
One possibility is that they are still the playthings of the rich, meaning that their numbers are still small and have no real impact on traffic congestion.
The other is that they attract a lot of people and create air. traffic-
Control and storage issues. —