Electric Jet Startup Could Become 'Uber in the sky'

DooKey

DooKey

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Eviation Aircraft, an Israel-based startup is working on self-piloting, electric aircraft and wants to use them to whisk passengers from regional airports to their final destination. The idea is to use a smarphone app similar to Uber and simply request a flight once you get to the regional airport. I think Eviation Aircraft is onto something. I know I would use this service if it was fast, safe, and reliable.

Eviation Aircraft chief executive Omer Bar-Yohay pictures a day not too far away when summoning a bargain plane ride with a smartphone will be as easy as hailing Uber. The Israel-based startup working on a self-piloting, electric aircraft was at the WSJD Live conference here Tuesday with a vision of "Uber meeting Tesla in the sky."
 
I've heard that flying is going to replace driving any year now since I was a kid 30 years ago in Popular Mechanics. Call me a little jaded at this point, but I don't see this happening for at least another 50 years.
 
I don't see how this could be inexpensive. I know they are saving money by not having a flight crew however with only a very small amount of passengers and a handful of flights per day someone has to pay for the plane and its upkeep.
 
The fuel costs mainly. If electric the savings will be huge. But how does an electric "jet" even work? I thought fuel was fundamental to jet engines. Props I can understand.
 
interesting, its basically a plane powered by model engines.
 
Is this being done as a joke. Take every tech story and wrap them up into one.

Dilbert comic?

It flies!
It's electric!
It's like ride sharing!
No pilot. It's Autonomous
It uses a smart phone app!
 
The FAA will never allow it. They'd have to give up absolute control over air travel, and they just won't do that. There is a reason why flights are scheduled weeks to months in advance: the FAA. They have to have the schedule of flights far in advance of taking off, and exactly where the flight is intended to go. With commercial travel, that's weeks. With personal aircraft, there is a still a deadline, and the requirement of a destination, but I don't know how far out that has to be. I do know nobody can just hop on a plane and take off to wherever they want with no notice, except the President or military aircraft.
 
EODetroit said:
The fuel costs mainly. If electric the savings will be huge. But how does an electric "jet" even work? I thought fuel was fundamental to jet engines. Props I can understand.
Click to expand...

A "jet" engine is just high pressure air pushed through a shroud. Fuel enhances it and makes it faster, but an electric motor pushing a turbo fan with overlapping fins through a narrow tube would qualify as one as well. The electric concept just isn't as fast as a fuel drive concept.
 
Good luck. Airports are so ridiculously regulated there is no way in hell you can just magically land planes at a moments notice. "Oh hey guise, make some room on the tarmac we're coming in, you don't mind right?"
 
Of course electric is better than fossil fuel if only because we are running out of it and the emission negation, but I can't help but feel like we are investing in plugging the hole in the dam and not addressing the whole problem. Electric vehicles still need to be made from traditional materials in a traditional manner and what will become of all of these batteries? I simply see a new type of garbage problem down the road. Cleaner air but landfills continue to grow, this time with a sharp rise in batteries.

I feel like we should be investing in recycling methods as vigorously as we are in electric.
 
Is this going to be similar to the autonomous flying taxi they just approved for testing in the Arab Emirates? I think that one flies at a low enough altitude to stay out of the main air traffic lanes.
 
EODetroit said:
The fuel costs mainly. If electric the savings will be huge. But how does an electric "jet" even work? I thought fuel was fundamental to jet engines. Props I can understand.
Click to expand...
Instead of the jet they have an electric motor. Passenger jets are typically high bypass ratio aka a big fan strapped to a jet. The jet itself is around 20% of the thrust or less.
 
dgingeri said:
The FAA will never allow it. They'd have to give up absolute control over air travel, and they just won't do that. There is a reason why flights are scheduled weeks to months in advance: the FAA. They have to have the schedule of flights far in advance of taking off, and exactly where the flight is intended to go. With commercial travel, that's weeks. With personal aircraft, there is a still a deadline, and the requirement of a destination, but I don't know how far out that has to be. I do know nobody can just hop on a plane and take off to wherever they want with no notice, except the President or military aircraft.
Click to expand...

Depends on the country. In some you don't even have to file a flight plan (you probably should for your own safety) and you can literally jump in and take off as long as the plane is maintained/up to spec.
 
Prisoner849 said:
Of course electric is better than fossil fuel if only because we are running out of it and the emission negation, but I can't help but feel like we are investing in plugging the hole in the dam and not addressing the whole problem. Electric vehicles still need to be made from traditional materials in a traditional manner and what will become of all of these batteries? I simply see a new type of garbage problem down the road. Cleaner air but landfills continue to grow, this time with a sharp rise in batteries.

I feel like we should be investing in recycling methods as vigorously as we are in electric.
Click to expand...

there's no money in recycling which is why it's never invested in, until there's a resource shortage that requires it building new will always be cheaper than using recycled materials.
 
Prisoner849 said:
Of course electric is better than fossil fuel if only because we are running out of it and the emission negation, but I can't help but feel like we are investing in plugging the hole in the dam and not addressing the whole problem. Electric vehicles still need to be made from traditional materials in a traditional manner and what will become of all of these batteries? I simply see a new type of garbage problem down the road. Cleaner air but landfills continue to grow, this time with a sharp rise in batteries.

I feel like we should be investing in recycling methods as vigorously as we are in electric.
Click to expand...

That's why I believe we should be focusing on biofuels instead of batteries. Carbon neutral, all the benefits of liquid fuel, and minimal changes to infrastructure.
 
Read the story.
Best part

Eviation plane batteries are spread out in more than a dozen places, so "no matter what hits you, some part of the aircraft will have the power to keep you going," according to Bar-Yohay.


What, they are expecting incoming fire
 
N4CR said:
Depends on the country. In some you don't even have to file a flight plan (you probably should for your own safety) and you can literally jump in and take off as long as the plane is maintained/up to spec.
Click to expand...

The FAA in the US are iron-fisted tyrants. They've already killed a previous attempt at a "plane uber". They'll never allow it to happen, no matter the technology.
 
naw man the best part is "ladies and gentlemen, this is your captain speaking... We have run out of battery power sooner than expected and we are going to have to make an emergency landing on the water"
 
I'm all for electric, but for a plane I want the pilot to have his/her ass on the line right along with me, although I probably would accept them sitting in a chair with a spring loaded sabre to impale them if they lose the passengers. ;)
 
dgingeri said:
The FAA will never allow it. They'd have to give up absolute control over air travel, and they just won't do that. There is a reason why flights are scheduled weeks to months in advance: the FAA. They have to have the schedule of flights far in advance of taking off, and exactly where the flight is intended to go. With commercial travel, that's weeks. With personal aircraft, there is a still a deadline, and the requirement of a destination, but I don't know how far out that has to be. I do know nobody can just hop on a plane and take off to wherever they want with no notice, except the President or military aircraft.
Click to expand...
But but there's an app that does it for you!
Plus this is an isreali startup so don't be so anti-semetic...
 
Hard to believe they could possibly make an aircraft fly with heavy electric batteries and come anywhere near touching the efficiency of a jet engine powered by petroleum. Think of how large the batteries would need to be for a 747 with all the weight and range that type of aircraft needs.

Sounds like baloney to me.
 
Jtal said:
Read the story.
Best part

Eviation plane batteries are spread out in more than a dozen places, so "no matter what hits you, some part of the aircraft will have the power to keep you going," according to Bar-Yohay.


What, they are expecting incoming fire
Click to expand...

You DID see the part about the company was in Israel? Being prepared for incoming is a good survival skill.

dgingeri said:
The FAA in the US are iron-fisted tyrants. They've already killed a previous attempt at a "plane uber". They'll never allow it to happen, no matter the technology.
Click to expand...

The plan they blocked allowed non-commercial pilots to participate. In the US, Private Pilots are only allowed to share expenses, so by rule, each flight would result in a loss for the pilot. Congress has made it pretty clear they don't want 50 hour pilots flying airplanes for hire.


If the plan is for the planes to use commercial pilots, it might work if they can solve the technical issues.
 
RealBeast said:
I'm all for electric, but for a plane I want the pilot to have his/her ass on the line right along with me, although I probably would accept them sitting in a chair with a spring loaded sabre to impale them if they lose the passengers. ;)
Click to expand...
Well thats why jumbo jets don't have ejector seats.
 
rofl, for fucks sake, how about we jump the "drone" hurdle before we start putting this stuff in the air.
 
drescherjm said:
I don't see how this could be inexpensive. I know they are saving money by not having a flight crew however with only a very small amount of passengers and a handful of flights per day someone has to pay for the plane and its upkeep.
Click to expand...

Is renting out small aircraft profitable?

Pilots are expensive. I can imagine something like this being profitable by opening up a new option for commuters in ways that haven't previously been possible with small commercial aviation thanks to lower operating costs and the internet. Just tap the app and go to the airport when a slot opens up, it auto-schedules you a ride to your destination after you land.

If these guys don't figure it out somebody else will.
 
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