Category: Alternative Transportation

Swiss rail vehicle manufacturer Stadler Rail has made headlines with its hydrogen fuel-cell passenger train, setting a new Guinness World Record by traveling almost continuously for nearly two days, covering an impressive distance of 1,741.7 miles.

While efforts to clean up railway transportation are underway worldwide, including electrification projects and the introduction of battery-electric locomotives, not all rail networks can easily support these advancements. For long-haul transportation where electrification is not feasible, hydrogen-powered trains offer a promising solution, emitting only steam and water as byproducts.

Continue reading… “Stadler Rail’s Hydrogen-Powered Train Sets Guinness World Record for Longest Journey”

While Airbus is renowned for its aviation prowess, the aerospace giant is charting a new course by announcing plans to replace its charter fleet, used to transport aircraft components across the ocean, with eco-friendly vessels starting in 2026. The decision reflects the interconnected nature of today’s global economy, where even aerospace companies maintain a worldwide presence to maximize efficiency.

To meet its production needs, Airbus operates a fleet of three chartered vessels, which shuttle aircraft subassemblies across the Atlantic Ocean from Saint-Nazaire, France, to the final assembly line for single-aisle aircraft in Mobile, Alabama. However, the increasing A320 production rate, expected to reach 75 aircraft per month by 2026, has raised concerns about the environmental impact of this shipping approach.

Continue reading… “Airbus Sets Sail Towards Greener Shipping for Component Transport”

As the aviation industry gears up for a future of non-polluting electric taxis soaring through the skies, the Paris region is set to make history during the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games. Plans are underway to introduce a small fleet of electric flying taxis, offering multiple routes and transforming the way people travel. German company Volocopter aims to be the first to commercially operate these taxis, pending approval from European regulators, with the ambition of even having French President Emmanuel Macron as a VIP passenger.

Continue reading… “Electric Flying Taxis: A Promising Yet Challenging Future of Urban Air Mobility”

Massimiliano Pane

By CHRIS STONOR

Italy-based Urban V, recently announced its intention to develop a flying taxi network for the Caribbean, reports sknvibes.com. The company is owned by Aeroporti di Roma, SAVE Group, Aeroporto di Bologna and Aeroports de la Côte d’Azur in France and has been set up for the development of global Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) infrastructure.

Urban V is presently in discussion with a Caribbean airline regarding a pilot project connecting a number of islands. The company also plans to establish stakeholder partnerships with local airports, cruise ship ports and major hotels and resorts.

Massimiliano Pane, Urban V’s Head of Business Development and Finance, commented, “We have the ambition to be among the first in the world to launch Advanced Air Mobility commercial networks. We plan to activate the first route by the end of 2024 in Rome.”

He continued, “Last October, UrbanV unveiled in Rome, Europe’s first test vertiport adjacent to one of Europe’s busiest airport hubs with crewed public trial flights.”

Continue reading… “URBAN V AIMS TO DEVELOP A CARIBBEAN FLYING TAXI NETWORK”

It’s a massive 2-ton vehicle with a huge drone strapped to the roof that just successfully completed its maiden flight. 

By: Andrei Nedelea

The arrival of commercially viable flying cars has been erroneously foretold countless times before over the course of the last century, but in recent years, with the popularization of electric vehicles, the idea that we will travel around like the Jetsons in the foreseeable future seems to be gaining traction again. Companies dedicated to providing such a product are now popping up, and other companies like China’s Xpeng are also looking allocating resources for this.

They even created a separate company, Xpeng HT, with the sole focus of creating eVTOL (electric vertical takeoff and landing) vehicles and now that company shared video of its prototype’s maiden flight during a larger Xpeng presentation in China. The final part of the video embedded at the start of the article is dedicated to the Xpeng AeroHT’s first flight – we get to see it drive out of a garage (or hangar), then it is weighed, revealing that it weighs just under 2 metric tons (4,400 pound), before firing up its eight large rotors and lifting off.

Continue reading… “Watch Xpeng VTOL Flying Electric Car Successfully Complete First Flight”

The world’s first electromagnetic ultra-high-speed propulsion ground testing facility “Electromagnetic Sled” has begun operation in Jinan City, east China’s Shandong Province.

The facility has a maximum propulsion speed of 1,030 kilometers per hour for objects of a tonne or more, setting the world’s highest speed record for high-mass ultra-high-speed electromagnetic propulsion technology.

It is a major project of strategic cooperation between the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the governments of Shandong Province and Jinan City.

Continue reading… “World’s first ‘Electromagnetic Sled’ begins operation in China”

It calls the four-passenger craft a ‘candidate for FAA certification.’

By S. Dent

Wisk Aero has unveiled its 6th-generation semi-autonomous air taxi, calling it the “first-ever candidate for type certification by the FAA of an autonomous eVTOL.” The design looks like a substantially updated version of the “Cora” air taxi we first saw fly and hover in New Zealand back in 2018. However, the company didn’t show any flight or detail the certification progress.

According to Wisk, the four-seat aircraft can cruise between 110 and 120 knots (138 MPH) at a height of 2,500 to 4,000 feet above ground level. It’s a VTOL (vertical takeoff and landing) aircraft with a 12-propeller design, featuring tilting propulsion units in front and fixed units aft for lift. It offers up to 90 miles of range and has improved control and efficient energy management over previous versions, according to the press release. 

Continue reading… “Wisk Aero’s latest flying taxi has four seats and can fly itself”

TOYOTA, Japan, Sept. 30, 2022 /PRNewswire/ — SkyDrive Inc. has unveiled the design of its commercial model flying car — the SkyDrive SD-05.

SkyDrive is planning to use the SD-05, currently in development, to launch air taxi service in the Osaka Bay area during the world exposition scheduled for 2025 in Osaka, Japan.

“This is another big step towards the realization of flying cars and sky roads,” said Takumi Yamamoto, SkyDrive design director. “Two years have passed since the announcement of the SD-03, which successfully completed its public manned flight test in August 2020, and we are very happy to be able to announce its successor, the SD-05.”

Headquartered in Toyota City, Aichi Prefecture, SkyDrive is a leading developer and manufacturer of flying cars (*1) and cargo drones in Japan.

Continue reading… “SkyDrive Unveils SD-05 Flying Car Design, Aiming to Begin Air Taxi Service in 2025”

It can fly for 40 minutes and go up to 100 km per hour (Picture: Masatoshi Okauchi/REX)

By Anugraha Sundaravelu

Flying motorbikes are not something that exist in science fiction anymore.

On Thursday, a hoverbike built by Japanese manufacturers made its debut at the Detroit Auto Show.

Drawing inevitable comparisons to the speeder bikes of ‘Star Wars’, the futuristic bikes are scheduled to launch in the United States next year.

The XTURISMO hoverbike is made by Japanese startup AERWINS Technologies and can fly for 40 minutes, reaching speeds of up to 100 km per hour.

‘I feel like I’m literally 15 years old and I just got out of “Star Wars” and jumped on their bike,’ said Thad Szott, co-chair of the auto show after taking a test drive – or, perhaps, a test hover.

‘I mean, it’s awesome! Of course, you have a little apprehension, but I was just so amped. I literally had goosebumps and feel like a little kid,’

Continue reading… “A Star Wars-like hoverbike is set to launch in the US next year”

With its intuitive cockpit, Doroni says you only need 20 hours of flight training and a license to fly its H1. 

By MICHAEL VERDON

Miami-based Doroni has started to accept pre-orders for its “personal” flying machines. The company recently showed off the cockpit of its H1 aircraft at the EAA AirVenture in Wisconsin, using VR headsets to simulate takeoff, flight and landing.

Doroni is going after a different market than most eVTOL manufacturers, which are building air taxis for intra-city use. Instead, it’s targeting personal pilots, much like the Jetson, with an aircraft it claims will be intuitive and much easier to fly than a helicopter or conventional airplane. 

Company officials yesterday said in a webinar that they plan to “democratize” general aviation with a “semi-autonomous” aircraft designed for safety. CEO Doron Merdinger said anyone with a standard car driver’s license and 20-hour training course should be able to fly the H1.

Continue reading… “This New Electric ‘Flying Car’ Can Be Piloted With a Driver’s License—and It Will Fit in Your Garage”

Successful test saw 2.8-tonne vehicles travel at speeds of 230kph while floating 35mm above the road 

By Anthony Cuthbertson

A car equipped with magnetic levitation (maglev) technology has been successfully tested on a highway in China, according to local media.

The 2.8-tonne vehicle hovered 35 millimetres above the road surface, powered by electromagnetic force and guided by pre-installed conducting rails.

The test, carried out by researchers at the Jiaotong University of Chengdu, aimed to calculate the feasibility of adopting maglev technology in this manner on a broader scale.

Maglev cars could significantly increase the lifespan of the vehicles, while also reducing energy consumption and increasing their range.

A dedicated lane for maglev cars could also offer safety benefits and be coordinated in a way to prevent traffic jams.

Continue reading… “China tests maglev cars that hover above highway”

It’s generating some serious buzz.

A Canadian startup called TransPod wants to revolutionize ground-based transportation by sending magnetically levitated trains through vacuum-sealed tubes at ludicrous speeds.

It’s a highly ambitious — and immensely expensive, nevermind comically vague — concept that’s generated some serious buzz in recent weeks.

And we can’t shake the feeling that we’ve seen this kind of design before. Remember the “Hyperloop?”

The Hyperloop is a concept popularized by Tesla CEO Elon Musk eons ago. But despite millions in funding, the handful of Hyperloop companies in existence have yet to break any meaningful ground — and we can’t help but wonder if TransPod will suffer a similar fate.

According to the company, its “FluxJet” is “a hybrid between an aircraft and a train,” and relies on electricity alone for propulsion.

Each pod is just over 80 feet long and can fit up to 54 passengers. Within cities, the train will more or less operate like a maglev monorail, but out in the open, it’s designed to blast through vacuum-sealed tubes, like the Hyperloop.

Continue reading… “Startup Says Train Powered by “Veillance Flux” Could Travel 620 MPH”