Adrian
CityAirbus – a flying bus instead of a bus
October 2, 2021
A sci-fi reality – traveling around the city in a flying bus could become a reality in just a few years. All thanks to an innovative Airbus project. CityAirbus, as the prototype flying taxi is called, could fulfill many functions in cities, but for this to happen, it must be environmentally and socially friendly.
On September 21st in Toulouse, during the company's first #AirbusSummit "Pioneering Sustainable Aerospace," Airbus announced plans for the new CityAirbus. The decision was no accident; interest in eco-friendly urban air transport is growing, and the emerging Urban Air Mobility (UAM) market is beginning to take off. Launching a new generation of CityAirbuses, this fully electric vehicle features fixed wings, a V-tail, and eight electrically powered propellers as part of a unique distributed propulsion system. Designed for a wide range of applications, it can carry up to four passengers in zero-emission flight.
"We are committed to co-creating a completely new market that sustainably integrates urban air mobility while addressing environmental and social challenges. Airbus believes that the real challenges lie as much in urban integration, social acceptance and automated air traffic management as in vehicle technology and business models. Building on all these opportunities, we aim to deliver safe, sustainable and fully integrated services to society," said Bruno Even, CEO of Airbus Helicopters.
The CityAirbus is being developed to fly a distance of 80 km and reach a cruising speed of 120 km/h, making it ideal for use in large cities across a variety of applications.
Noise levels are a key factor for city flights; Airbus's extensive experience in noise-friendly design ensures the CityAirbus's noise levels are below 65 dB(A) in cruise and below 70 dB(A) during landing. It is optimized for performance in hover and cruise. The CityAirbus NextGen meets the highest certification standards (EASA SC-VTOL Enhanced Category) and is designed with simplicity in mind. The CityAirbus NextGen will offer best-in-class operating and maintenance economics.
Airbus draws on years of research, innovation, electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) testing, technology development across its entire product portfolio, and decades of aircraft certification experience. The Vahana and CityAirbus prototypes have completed a combined 242 flight and ground tests and have flown approximately 1,000 km. Airbus also conducted extensive subscale testing, wind tunnel campaigns, and leveraged its computational and modeling power. CityAirbus NextGen is currently in the detailed design phase, with the prototype's first flight planned for 2023.
"We've learned a lot from the test campaigns with our two prototypes, CityAirbus and Vahana," said Even. " The CityAirbus NextGen combines the best of both worlds, with the new architecture providing the right balance between hovering and forward flight. This prototype paves the way for certification, which is expected around 2025."
Beyond the vehicle itself, Airbus is working with partners, cities and city dwellers to create the ecosystem necessary to enable these new technological solutions to truly serve society.
material thanks to: Airbus Helicopters
