ALBAWABA - Airbus has unveiled its latest electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft, designed to carry four passengers with noise levels during flight lower than a hairdryer.
This development significantly reduces the factor of noise pollution, offering a futuristic vision of electric vertical aircraft flying over crowded cities.
It took Airbus nearly five years to manufacture this initial prototype, called CityAirbus NextGen, which targets a range of up to 80 km and a flight speed of 120 km/h. Airbus revealed the CityAirbus NextGen at the opening of the new CityAirbus Test Center dedicated to testing electric vertical takeoff and landing systems in Germany, and the first prototype is scheduled to make its maiden flight this year.
The CityAirbus NextGen prototype is considered an electric vehicle designed for a variety of urban flights, including passenger transportation, medical services, and eco-tourism.
Airbus. (Shutterstock)
Airbus states that it is collaborating with operators and airlines to fly this prototype worldwide, with plans for flights in Italy, Germany, Norway, Japan, and regions in Latin America. Initially, a pilot will fly the CityAirbus NextGen, although it is equipped with an operational autonomous flight mode that may enable independent flight in the future.
The aircraft weighs two tons, with a wingspan of approximately 12 meters, a V-shaped tail, fixed wings, and a distributed electric propulsion system with 16 electric power units and eight electric fans, making it not a small aircraft. When Airbus presented the NextGen design in 2021, it promised that these features would maintain noise levels of less than 65 decibels during flight and less than 70 decibels during landing.
Joby Aviation also owns an electric vertical aircraft with noise levels of 45.2 decibels during flight, and the company claims that this sound level is quieter than typical conversation.
Airbus is one of many companies working on the future of electric aviation, including Beta with the CX300, a aircraft with a wingspan of about 15 meters, as well as prominent players such as Boeing and Embraer.
Both Joby Aviation and Archer Aviation are developing battery-powered electric vertical aircraft similar to Airbus' aircraft, with support from companies such as Toyota, Stellantis, Delta, and United Airlines.
