Â
MOBi-One V3 (concept design)
Airspace Experience Technologies, LLC (ASX)
Detroit, Michigan, USA
www.iflyasx.com
Founded in Detroit, Michigan, USA, in 2017, by Anita Sengupta, Jon Rimanelli, JP Yorro and RJ King, , Airspace Experience Technologies an aerospace startup and is in the business of making affordable hybrid-electric vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) and/or electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft for advance air mobility (AAM) and other multiple uses. The MOBi aircraft is an all electric tilt-wing under development with a modular payload design. Airspace Experience Technologies started a funding rounds under the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission’s CF and D regulations in partnership with SeedInvest to raise $8 million to support development work. The company also launched a Series A funding round in March 2020 and welcomes new investors to join their urban air mobility opportunity.
The MOBi-One V3 VTOL passenger concept design aircraft carries a total of five passengers with the option to for autonomous flight or pilot optional flight. The aircraft can be outfitted with a hybrid-electric or all electric battery-pack powertrain. The cruise speed is 149 mph (240 km/h) and has a maximum speed of >300 mph (483 km/h). The all electric powertrain range is >65 m (105 km) and its hybrid-electric powertrain range is >260 m (418 km). The maximum payload for the aircraft is 1,100 lb (454 kg).
The MOBi-One V3 aircraft differs from MOBi-One V1 due to its four stacked coaxial co-rotating propellers mounted in four locations on the front of the tilt-wing, for a total of eight tilt-wing mounted propellers. Each stacked coaxial propeller assembly has two propellers and each propeller has five blades. It is unknown if the propellers have a variable pitch blade in design or not. The tilt-wing for the aircraft is used for both forward and VTOL flight.
The rear of the fuselage has an opening in the middle, so if someone is on the ground looking up at the aircraft, they can see through the rear of the fuselage and see the sky or clouds above the aircraft. The tail is a V-tail design with a VTOL ducted fan in the middle of the V-tail. The aircraft uses tricycle fixed wheeled landing gear which allows for a conventional takeoff and landing, easy ground taxiing, to easily move the aircraft by hand on the tarmac and is another method to land in an emergency, if the wings fail to tilt in the vertical position.
In December 2018, the company reported it has flown five sub-scale prototype vehicles, including one-third and one-fifth scale prototypes and work on a full-sized prototype is on-going. Airspace Experience Technologies has said it will have a full-scale working prototype by March 2022 for demonstration flights.
Airspace Experience Technologies foresees the aircraft as an air taxi, personal, corporate and government passenger transportation, emergency medical services (EMS), police use and military tactical intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR). A pod shaped ground car for ground transportation has also been proposed.
The MOBi-One V3, was announced on Jan. 15, 2018 at the North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) in Detroit, Michigan (USA). On Jan. 27, 2021, the Sigma Six was announced at Vertical Flight Society’s 8th annual Electric VTOL Symposium on with a graphic presentation which included some specifications.
The company plans to deliver up to 2,500 aircraft in the United States’ 50 largest cities by 2025-26. It will start with the cargo version in 2023, begin passenger service in 2024 and offer pilot-optional autonomy by 2030. Airspace Experience Technologies has estimated the cost of materials for each aircraft will be less than $500,000.00 USD, and have calculated a possible sales price for their aircraft in the range $1 million USD. The company has also estimated the cost for an air taxi one-way ticket to be about the same as an Uber Black ride (An Uber premium service which is roughly $8-12 per mile, in 2020 US dollars).
Specifications:
- Aircraft type: Hybrid-electric VTOL or eVTOL tilt-wing passenger or cargo concept design aircraft
- Piloting: Autonomous or pilot assisted
- Capacity: 5 passengers (When piloted, 1 pilot and 4 passengers)
- Cruise speed: 150 mph (241 km/h)
- Maximum speed: >300 mph (483 km/h)
- Electric range: >65 m (105 km)
- Hybrid-electric range: >260 m (418 km)
- Maximum payload: 1,100 lb (454 kg)
- Propellers: 9 propellers (Each tilt-wing propeller assembly is a stacked coaxial co-rotating propeller assembly with each propeller having 5 blades, and there is 1 rear stationary VTOL fan in the tail of the fuselage)
- Electric Motors: 9 electric motors for the propellers and there are more electric motors for the tilt-wing
- Power source: Hybrid-electric or battery packs
- Fuselage: Carbon fiber composite
- Windows: Panoramic windows with wrap around window design allowing forward, left, right and top visibility, for spectacular views
- Wings: One high tilt-wing
- Tail: V-tail with VTOL fan in center of V-tail
- Landing gear: Tricycle wheeled fixed landing gear
- Safety Features: Distributed Electric Propulsion (DEP), provides safety through redundancy for its passengers and/or cargo. DEP means having multiple propellers and motors on the aircraft so if one or more motors or propellers fail, the other working motors and propellers can safely land the aircraft. The electric propellers are disabled, the aircraft can land like a plane on a runway or road.
Related Aircraft:
- Airspace Experience Technologies (ASX) MOBi-One V1 (concept design)
- Airspace Experience Technologies (ASX) MOBi-One V2 (concept design)
- Airspace Experience Technologies (ASX) Sigma-6 Cargo Drone (concept design)
- Airspace Experience Technologies (ASX) Sigma-6 (prototype)
Company Insights:
Resources:
- Airspace Experience Technologies website
- Airspace Experience Technologies Twitter
- Airspace Experience Technologies Instagram
- Airspace Experience Technologies LinkedIn
- Article: AirSpaceX Reveals Electric VTOL Aircraft at North American International Auto Show in Detroit, PR Newswire, Jan. 15, 2018
- Article: AirSpaceX’s autonomous, electric air taxi lands in Detroit, New Atlas, Jan. 15, 2018
- Article: Detroit’s ASX Reveals Electric VTOL Aircraft at 2018 North American International Auto Show. dbusiness, Feb. 12, 2018
- Article: Verdego Aero to supply ASX, Prolog, Jan. 15, 2019
- Article: MOBi-One, Future Flight, Feb. 2020
- Article: ASX teams up with Spirit AeroSystems for affordable eVTOL UAM, Electrek, Feb. 25, 2020
- Article: ASX and Spirit AeroSystems Developing Affordable eVTOL Aircraft for the Mass Traveling Public, PR Newswire, Feb. 17, 2020
- Article: This New Electric Aircraft Uses ’60s-Era Tech to Take Off Like a Helicopter and Fly Like a Plane, Robb Report, May 28, 2020
