This is an electric aircraft developed by NASA to investigate the opportunities that new electric propulsion technologies offer to enable new forms of On-Demand Mobility that could promote a dramatic improvement in regional productivity.
source/image: NASAPAV
Conceptual design focusing on the ability of a redundant electric propulsion system to provide new capabilities for Vertical Takeoff and Landing aircraft.
The concept design was projected to be capable of flying a single person at a speed of 150 miles per hour (241 km/h),with range expected to be less than 50 miles (80 km) with 2010-vintage Lithium-iron-phosphate battery technology.
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The design specified a 13.5 foot (4.1 m) wingspan, standing 12 feet (3.65 m) tall on the ground in its take-off or landing configuration.
Specifically utilizing electric motor variable rpm to accomplish a low tipspeed prop-rotor (400 ft/sec tip speed at hover and 200 ft/sec at cruise) to accomplish an order of magnitude reduction in community noise for close proximity operations (30-40 db reduction).The variable rpm capability also achieves a 25% improvement in prop-rotor efficiency through operation at optimal advance ratios.
