Electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) pioneer AutoFlight has released its latest proof-of-concept [POC] video for its air taxi, Prosperity I.
In the latest design, POC#2, new optimised lifting propellers allow for a higher hover efficiency, while the two pushing propellers that were previously on either side of the air taxi have been replaced with one centre propeller with twin motors to enhance cruising abilities.
Final design
This most recent design, unveiled just four months after the first iteration, is very close to the final design which will be released later this year, AutoFlight said.
Prosperity I was designed for transfers between parts of a city, airport commutes, connecting two nearby cities or enabling trips to the countryside while avoiding traffic on the ground. It is expected to be ready for commercial flight in 2026, and could make a trip that takes hours by car last only 10 minutes with Prosperity I, without being any more expensive than a car taxi ride.
30 successful transitions
Mark Henning, Managing Director of AutoFlight Europe, said: “POC#2 is a new milestone for us, and we are pleased to have achieved over 30 successful transitions in the last few weeks with a full-size aircraft. This further demonstrates the great potential of our lift and cruise configuration which combines simplicity and safety. We will encompass all these key experiences and learnings into the final, full scale, design of Prosperity I which we will be revealing later this year.”
AutoFlight CEO Tian Yu, who has over two decades of experience designing and building electric aircraft, and 300 electric aviation-related patents, said: “We’re delighted to announce POC#2 for Prosperity I. This takes us another step towards our vision of unlocking the skies for mass individual transport in the air by creating safe, efficient eVTOL aircrafts.”
$100 million investment
The milestone is the latest of a series of significant developments for AutoFlight including the establishment of a European base in Augsburg, the appointment of Mark Henning (formerly of Airbus) as its European Managing Director, as well as $100 million investment from next-generation mobility investor Team Global.
