Test flight completion of Volar eVTOL

London-based startup Bellwether Industries completed a series of test flights for its flying ‘hypercar’, Volar eVTOL. In a video shared by Bellwether, the fully-electric Volar eVTOL was seen taking off and landing back safely. Designed for inner-city travel, the half-scale prototype of the flying ‘hypercar’ flew at an altitude of 13 feet with a speed of 40 kilometers per hour. The current prototype can accommodate 2 passengers but the final model will be a four to five-seater to carry families. eVTOL seeks to replace cars for private owners and provide on-demand transport like Uber to reduce congestion on the roads. Bellwether classifies the Volar as “a new category of transport, an urban air mobility aircraft for private use”. Kai-Tse (KT) Lin, Chief Operating Officer and Co-Founder of Bellwether Industries said, “Our volar flies smoothly and proves our efforts that go into innovation and technology. We are confident in our volar and will strive for perfection with continuous improvement.”

The future of urban air mobility

The flying ‘hypercar’ eVTOL stands for electric vertical takeoff and life aircraft. It can take off and land vertically and includes a hidden propulsion system. The compact and environmentally friendly flying hypercar is the first eVTOL without a large wingspan or exposed blades. Final model of the vehicle can carry four to five people at 3000 ft with a top speed of 220kph. “We believe that people commuting in the sky is inevitable within the next 10 years. Therefore, we create a volar for anyone to fly anytime and anywhere to any point,” the firm said. The team spent the past two years conducting “several phases of iteration” to improve the vehicle’s flight performance. The test “demonstrated stability and controllability of the prototype and would be the start of a series of development projects”, the firm said. The test flight took off last November and it was revealed a day after Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) held its first legal forum to review legislations for flying taxis.

Conclusion

According to the report, the full-scale prototype of the Volar eVTOL is set for its tests by 2023. By 2028, it is expected to be available for on-demand transport and 2030 for private owners. As Bellwether said, everyone has the right to fly. The Volar eVTOL proves that the revolution of transportation evolves and it is inevitable. Flying won’t even have to be on planes, it can now happen in vehicles! All photos used are credit to the owners.