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Lilium's latest flying taxi prototype can at least hover
There are a number of flying taxi startups out there, but Lilium has stood out with its unique airplane-like design and serious aeronautical cred. Now, the company has unveiled an all-new prototype and flaunted the first successful tests with the craft. In a video, it shows the craft taking off vertically, hovering just above the ground and then landing, complete with the de rigueur employee cheering and hollering.
Rolls-Royce is the latest to develop a flying taxi
The flying taxis from Airbus and Uber may have some fresh competition, albeit not quite in the way they might have expected. Rolls-Royce has unveiled an EVTOL (Electric Vertical Take Off and Landing) concept that could carry four to five passengers to virtually any large-enough landing spot thanks to wings that can rotate 90 degrees. It wouldn't be purely electric, despite the name (gas turbines would produce the 500kW of power needed for six propellers), but it would be quiet while ferrying people up to 500 miles at a peak speed of 250MPH. Its wing propellers would fold away once at cruise height to avoid irking either passengers or people below.
Extra footage of record-setting Yates electric plane flight shows power loss, dramatic deadstick landing (video)
We've chronicled Flight of the Century founder and CEO Chip Yates' record-breaking 202.6MPH flight in his Long-ESA EV craft before. What we didn't quite touch on, however, is the power loss Yates' aircraft suffered after earning that electric plane speed record. Now Yates has released new video of the flight, which includes the moment his aircraft breaks the record, the ensuing power loss and his dramatic deadstick landing. That smile you see in the photo up there is the smile of a man who just made history and is also happy to be alive. Hey, we're glad he's safe, too. You can witness the close call yourself by checking out the video after the break. [Image credit: Flight of the Century]
Chip Yates breaks yet another record, notches 202MPH in world's fastest electric flight (video)
Chip Yates is a speed junkie in the truest sense. After nabbing the title for world's fastest EV motorcycle in April of 2011, the self-proclaimed "green technology innovator" is at it again. This time, Yates was able to conquer the sky above using the Long-ESA EV craft he and his Flight of the Century team engineered using a Burt Rutan Long-EZ and proprietary Infinite Range battery tech. The record-breaking flight in question took off from Inyokern Airport on July 19, achieving a top speed of 202.6MPH and solidifying Yates' place in the pantheon of electric enthusiasts. You can head past the break to check out a brief video snippet of the successful mission in action, but fair warning: it's not as exciting as you'd imagine. We're guessing it's one of those things you'd have to be there (in the cockpit) to appreciate.
Electric plane performs taxi tests as prelude to transatlantic attempt (video)
EV flyer Long-ESA has started high-speed taxi tests on its quest to become the first electric airplane to cross the Atlantic. Using a Long-EZ kit plane designed by Burt Rutan as a platform for the volts-only powertrain, the Flight of the Century project is the brainchild of electric enthusiast Chip Yates, who already holds the speed record of 190MPH on an EV motorcycle. The developer's plan is to use a fleet of five drones to dock with the main Long-ESA ship and exchange batteries in mid-air, giving it enough juice to make the trip. Successful ground trials should lead to flight tests later this month, with the transatlantic attempt slated for 2014, followed by EV airplane speed and altitude attempts, to boot. It remains to be seen if the complex plan might result in commercial electric aviation as Yates predicts -- but judging by the video after the break it'll be fun to watch them try.
Inhabitat's Week in Green: electric airplanes, CO2-storing bricks and solar-powered bags
Each week our friends at Inhabitat recap the week's most interesting green developments and clean tech news for us -- it's the Week in Green. This week green architecture boldly went where no buildings have gone before as Inhabitat reported on Jordan's plans for a $1.5 billion Star Trek theme park that will be powered by alternative energy. We also showcased plans for a spiraling self-sufficient skyscraper that generates its own water, food, and power, and we took a first look at a shimmering office complex in India crowned with a digital eye. Meanwhile, GE launched a shining solar-powered carousel in Manhattan and a team of researchers developed a new breed of CO2-storing bricks that are 2.5 times stronger than concrete. In other news, high-flying green vehicles charted the horizon as Pipistrel introduced the world's most powerful electric airplane and an incredible human-powered helicopter broke a world record. We also saw Ohio State unveil plans for the 400 MPH Buckeye Bullet 3 and we showcased designs for a stunning concept car with a segmented transforming skin. Autonomous vehicles were a hot topic as well -- London's Heathrow airport rolled out a set of electric personal transportation pods, and China's Hongqui unveiled a driverless car to compete with Google's vehicle (which crashed this week). It was also a big week for wearable technology as researchers developed new breed of stick-on tattoos that can track body functions and we took a look at a sonic fabric bag made from recycled audio tapes. Finally, we got set for the start of the academic year by bringing you six of the best solar-powered bags, an innovative new breed of e-paper that doesn't require electricity, and we launched a blowout back to school contest where you could win $1155 in green school supplies -- including a photovoltaic backpack and a HP Pavilion laptop.
French pilot sets big speed record in tiny electric airplane (video)
It may not be all that fast in the broader world of aircraft speed records, but French pilot Hugues Duval still has a fair bit to boast about with his latest accomplishment. Not only did he actually fly the aircraft pictured above -- which weights just 200 pounds and has a wingspan of 16 feet -- but he manged to hit a top speed of over 175 miles per hour, breaking his own record for the fastest all-electric airplane by about 15MPH. Not surprisingly, the plane itself (powered by two 35 horsepower electric motors and a pair of 1.5 kWh batteries) is better suited for short hops and the odd record attempt than any long-haul flights, as it's not able to fly for much more than 25 minutes at a time even at a more reasonable 65 miles per hour. Video after the break (en Français, of course).
eGenius electric plane takes flight with Airbus backing
It's been mere months since we introduced you to Deutschland's PC-Aero Elektra One, and now the Germans are at it again with the maiden flight of a new electric flying machine: eGenius. The aircraft successfully completed a 20-minute flight on May 26th, followed by a two-and-a-half hour trip on Sunday. Where the Elektra one boasted cruising speeds of 160 km/h (about 99 MPH), eGenius is capable of hitting 235 km/h (146 MPH) for up to 400 kilometers (248.5 miles). It sports a 60-kilowatt motor, weighs 850 kilograms (1,874 pounds), and has some big backing from the likes of Airbus. Considering its relatively limited range and equally limited capacity -- it fits two humans with a combined weight of 397 pounds -- we have a feeling it'll be a bit before we're popping pretzels on one of these bad boys.
PC-Aero ready to fly the Elektra One, Germany's latest electric-powered plane
Germany started with electric cars and bikes, and now it's taking things to the air with the PC-Aero Elektra One. This single-seat ultralight plane has a composite airframe, 16-kilowatt motor with a range of 400 kilometers and a max flight time of three hours. At a cruising speed of 160 km/h (about 99 mph for us anglophiles), the aircraft won't be setting any speed records, but given that it's being designed as an eco-friendly way to enjoy "leisure aviation," you should've expected it to travel at a leisurely pace, indeed. The Elektra One hasn't taken to the air just yet, but PC-Aero plans to perform the first flight test later this month, so we can look forward to seeing another electric plane flying overhead in the near future. Check the video after the break to see and hear the future of aviation for yourself.
Inhabitat's Week in Green: electric vehicles gear up to race, Apple's new HQ, and living architecture
Each week our friends at Inhabitat recap the week's most interesting green developments and clean tech news for us -- it's the Week in Green. This week we revved up Chevrolet's Volt and hit the streets for an elusive test drive of the hotly-anticipated electric vehicle. We also saw electric aviation soar to new heights as the pint-sized Cri-Cri airplane broke the electric aircraft speed record. The world of EV racing is also picking up the pace as GreenGT unveiled an all-electric supercar for the Le Mans race and Honda's CR-Z Hybrid beat out scores of gas-guzzling autos in a 25 hour vehicular marathon. High-tech architecture broke new ground as Apple announced that world-renowned architect Norman Foster is designing its new headquarters, and researchers revealed work on a living skin that could one day reinforce buildings and infrastructure with a hard, coral-like armored coating. We also watched as a crop of gorgeous bubble gardens popped up in the streets of Paris, and an abandoned warehouse in Brooklyn was updated with a high-tech transforming facade. In other news, this week the energy world was buzzing about a new type of organic solar cell inspired by wasp exoskeletons, and the largest photovoltaic plant in the United States officially opened in Nevada. We also saw several eco technologies take hold on the home front: researchers developed a hot solar-piezoelectric hybrid fiber that could be used to create energy-generating clothes, and Lavish & Lime rolled out a cute set of digital shower timers that are perfect for kids.
