The inexorable advance of the flying car sector continues with US-headquartered beleaguered Boeing announcing plans to obtain certification for its autonomous flying taxis and enter the Asian marketplace within ten years.
Self-flying and all-electric
Boeing’s chief technology officer, Todd Citron, speaking to Nikkei, said it would be working with subsidiary, California’s Mountain View-based Wisk Aero, a developer of electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) technology that Boeing invested $540 million in two years ago.
Wisk’s current “Generation 6” eVTOL craft, is a self-flying, electric, four-passenger air taxi, with a 15-metre wingspan. A single charge provides the 12-prop with a range of 90 miles (144 km) with reserves. At a possible cruising speed of 120 knots (222 kph) and altitude comfort band of 762 – 1,220 m above sea level, passengers will also find there is reduced cabin noise thanks to the raised wings and booms.
While the Generation 6 operates under close human supervision, it is equipped with “logic-driven, procedural-based, decision-making software,” says Wisk, as well as sensors and obstacle avoidance capabilities which make it “one of the safest passenger transport systems in commercial aviation” according to Interesting Engineering – an accolade that should be music to troubled Boeing’s ears.
Asian market
Within three years, Wisk has estimated some 14 million air taxi flights will take place per year, serving 40 million people in 20 cities, all CO2 emission-free. The industry could be on its way to a value of $4 trillion by 2035, its CEO Gary Gysin said. By focusing on the fast-moving Asian market, Boeing will be looking to compete with Tokyo’s SkyDrive and Germany’s Volocopter which are already positioning themselves to provide air taxi services to the 2025 Osaka World Expo.
Looking to use its manufacturing plants outside the US may be a good thing, not only logistically but reputationally since its US manufacturing is under severe scrutiny after a series of aviation safety incidents.
The aviation giant has six research and development (R&D) units in Australia, South Korea, and India. However it’s thought it will likely base manufacturing at a recently opened, dedicated plant in Nagoya, Japan, near local automotive industry firms in the Chubu region, as well as aircraft supply partners, Kawasaki, Mitsubishi, and Subaru, and Nagoya University’s talent pool. Its missions will include sustainable fuel research, such as green hydrogen fuel cell tech, the development digital design tools, as well as innovations in the fields of composite materials and advanced robotics.
