The whole eVTOL space is definitely starting to grow in 2023, moving from a crazy flood of concepts and ideas a few years ago to a broadly cautious, measured, sensible kind of sector, It has gone through a thorough process of acquisition. These machines are certified and ready for production.
Nonetheless, AMSL Aero is a unique and interesting company in this field. Not just the fact that we’re working on this machine in Australia, but it’s on the other side of the globe with most of the action taking place in China, Europe and America. But because the Vertiia is a very different aircraft than the others.
Its boxwing shape should make it one of the most compact eVTOLs on the market, capable of carrying up to five people in a footprint that fits in a few parking spaces. Designed to run on batteries, it boasts an absurd range of three to four times what most competitors claim from batteries alone.
AMSL Aero
But Australia is sprawling, larger than the 48 neighboring US states, and about 1/13th the population. If you want to build a useful air ambulance or regional commuter aircraft underneath, you need to be able to handle some distance. And it could also help the company in foreign markets. Co-founder Andrew Moore said in a video call, “If you can solve the long-haul problem, short-haul is easy. You can only build short-haul aircraft.” So long distances are impossible,” he said.
Moore said the decision to design the Vertiia for hydrogen powertrains from the ground up was a significant advantage and that even if the powertrain were certified and ready, competitors would have to re-engineer their aircraft to run on hydrogen. I don’t think it will be easy to design. use. “It’s almost a complete redesign if you haven’t thought about it from the beginning,” he says.
As part of this, hydrogen fuel is stored outside the cabin. The Vertiia stores hydrogen in tanks attached to the wing tips. “He’s one of the big advantages of box wings,” says Moore. It introduces a significant drag penalty, but for us it really helps reduce drag. ”
AMSL Aero
The current prototype, which took its first tethered flight test in the first week of February, is fully battery-powered and lacks much of the sleek-looking bodywork found on production aircraft. The footprint and wingspan are about the same as the final production plane, but the cabin is much smaller, big enough for two or three He rides in tandem instead of five.
Work is currently underway on the flight control system, and in the coming years, AMSL plans to extend Vertiia’s envelope. “We do a lot of testing on hover,” Moore says. Step by step, update, tweak, tune. ”
AMSL has delivered the first hydrogen fuel cell powertrain and work has begun on that side as well. “We’re working on it,” Moore said. The same goes for hydrogen tanks. We are moving towards some partnerships in that area. ”
AMSL Aero
After raising its A$23 million (US$16 million) Series B funding round in September last year, Moore said AMSL was “financed and ready for the next phase of development, but always We’re looking for opportunities to accelerate, and what we’re developing has immediate application – the ambulance industry here buys and operates fixed-wing aircraft and helicopters to rescue people from outback farms. What we offer is lower cost than what they are currently using, but we also offer a much better service with zero emissions and very flexible landing requirements. and that puts us in a great position. And when urban air mobility becomes a reality and the infrastructure and landing sites to support it are in place, we will take advantage of it. It would be a great place to do it.”
Another potential advantage of working in Australia, according to Moore, is that there aren’t many other airliners going through the certification process with CASA, the local aviation authority. “CASA is very enthusiastic about it,” he says Moore. “We have an ongoing and close relationship. CASA and FAA have previously jointly certified aircraft in Australia and are well on their way to international certification. As one of the few companies to certify, we will be number one, while companies currently seeking to certify in the U.S. include other urban air mobility companies, as well as helicopters and airliners. CASA has several advantages from that perspective. It has not certified many eVTOLs, but it balances it with its very strong relationship with the FAA. I think you can.”
“There is an incredible amount of relief and joy in seeing a prototype take off,” says Moore. “It feels great. And it’s very confirming. It’s an aircraft that’s a bit different than other aircraft, so it’s great to have some naysayers and be able to prove them wrong!”
The AMSL team will have a booth at the Avalon Airshow outside Melbourne next week.
Source: AMSL Aero
