Electric Jets and the Future of Cities - Jet Fuel Podcast Episode 01

The introductory episode of this podcast comes with a brand new take on jet fuel. What makes a jet a jet? And what is really meant by fuel? JET FUEL PODCAST EPISODE 01 Batteries are getting lighter and cheaper, motors are getting smaller and faster, computers and regulators are getting smarter. What does this mean for the flying machines of the future? And how will business and pleasure look like with access to new dimensions to aerial mobility. Kittyhawk Heaviside: Kittyhawk exemplifies most of the great positive trends in electric aviation. With light, plentiful engines, Heaviside has performed over 250 successful test flights. It has demonstrated transition between hover and cruise on multiple missions and exhibits greater locomotive efficiency than cars at higher speeds and over longer distances. Sitting on billions of dollars of Google money from Larry Page, the company has high hopes for its R&D. Focusing on manufacturing and operating efficiency, Kittyhawk has positioned their product as a value-added transport solution with never before seen capabilities. Lilium Jet: Lilium has pioneered the electric jet. By making use of Electric Ducted Fans, instead of open rotors, several trade-offs are made compared to the majority of eVTOL concepts. Ducts mean propulsive efficiency is greater, more thrust is achievable with the same size motors, which propels the craft to higher ‘jet’ speeds than its open rotor counterparts. This is helped by lower drag coefficient of ducted fans vs open rotors and reduces vorticity drag and boundary layer ingestion issues. The Lilium Jet 7-seater concept includes an ambitious variety of hover and high-speed transport mission profiles. Commutes, transport, freight and deliveries could all be introduced to a brand new world of aerial infrastructure that promises to transform what is meant by the word ‘city’. Jetoptera J2000: Jetoptera’s fluidic propulsion system is doing away with fans, props and rotors. By channeling compressed air into geometrically flexible ‘thrusters’, the J2000 is able to generate thrust in any direction to serve all sorts of VTOL mission profiles. The secret ace up their sleeve is energy independence. Whether a bank of batteries powers an electric air compressor, or a gas turbine does, the FPS will be able to convert that energy of the into any vector of thrust efficiently. But to hear about how this development could change the landscape of aviation, stay tuned for the next episode of the Jet Fuel Podcast.