Zeva has released the first off-tether flight footage for its full-scale eVTOL UFO prototype - Zeva Aero
Zeva's tail-sitting one-person eVTOL flying saucer proposes to fling its pilot head-first through the sky at high speed, encased in a stamped-composite disc body that doubles as a lift-generating wing.
It's far and away one of the strangest air taxi concepts we've seen, demanding some pretty extreme cojones of its occupants, but as we learned when we spoke to the company a couple of months ago, its unique form factor confers some interesting advantages that could overcome its obvious discomforts and make it a genuine contender in certain niches.
For starters, it's tiny in comparison to other air taxis, taking up little more room in a garage than a large motorcycle. That means it'll also land on a far smaller pad, so it could offer extra flexibility where space is tight.
For starters, it's tiny in comparison to other air taxis, taking up little more room in a garage than a large motorcycle. That means it'll also land on a far smaller pad, so it could offer extra flexibility where space is tight.
Secondly, its super-simple design, without tilting propulsion or separate lift/cruise systems, can achieve fast, agile, efficient flight – both in hover and cruise modes – in an extremely cheap and easily manufactured package.
The vast majority of commuting, reasons Zeva, is done solo, so why waste space, drag and weight adding empty seats? With a 160-mph (257-km/h) top speed and range up to 50 miles (80 km), this could prove a horizon-broadening device for developing countries – particularly ones with lots of islands.
The vast majority of commuting, reasons Zeva, is done solo, so why waste space, drag and weight adding empty seats? With a 160-mph (257-km/h) top speed and range up to 50 miles (80 km), this could prove a horizon-broadening device for developing countries – particularly ones with lots of islands.
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