Akihabara News (Tokyo) — SkyDrive’s ambition to become Japan’s leading eVTOL (flying car) company gained additional weight with a flurry of important new partnerships and a crucial design change.
When it was announced over a year ago that SkyDrive was linking up with storied auto and motorcycle maker Suzuki Motor Corporation on technology research and development, manufacturing plans, and mass-production systems, it already sounded quite promising, though few details were provided.
This week it was revealed that SkyDrive would be establishing a wholly-owned manufacturing subsidiary firm which would utilize a Suzuki facility in Shizuoka Prefecture to mass produce its first line of eVTOL aircraft.
At the same time, it was revealed that the SkyDrive eVTOL is gaining size and weight over the original SD-05 design, and becoming a three-seater (not a two-seater) with a longer flight range.
In fact, the entire configuration has altered to some degree. The company appears to be dropping the designation “SD-05” altogether in favor of an eVTOL aircraft which will be branded simply as “SkyDrive.”
This new design is about 40% larger than the original SD-05 specifications, with about double the anticipated flight range at 15 kilometers. The extra seat will allow a pilot to transport two passengers to their objective, making the vehicle more practical for consumer taxi services.
Mass production of the SkyDrive eVTOL is now expected to begin next spring.
In the initial announcement of the SkyDrive-Suzuki partnership last year, it was stated that India would become the “initial focus” for the aircraft, but the new statements make no reference to this earlier notion.
Thales to Provide Flight Control System
Also announced this week is that the French firm Thales has been tapped to provide the flight control system for the SkyDrive eVTOL.
Arnaud Coville, SkyDrive’s chief development officer, explained that “Thales’s flight controls have long been trusted in the aviation industry. As an eVTOL manufacturer, SkyDrive values safety above all, and we believe that partnering with Thales in flight control, which is a key safety-related technology, will enable us to achieve the safety objectives of our aircraft.”
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