Meet our CityAirbus NextGen, our all-electric, four-seat eVTOL prototype. All-electric, the CityAirbus NextGen, is a four-seat vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) prototype. Based on a lift and cruise concept, it boasts an 80-km operational range and a cruise speed of 120 km/h – making it perfectly suited to a variety of flight operations in our cities and communities.
source.image: Airbus Helicopters
CityAirbus NextGen’s unique configuration incorporates innovative design elements that make for a robust and seamless architecture: Fixed wings. A V-shaped tail. Eight electric-powered propellers as part of its uniquely designed distributed propulsion system.
source.image: Airbus Helicopters
CityAirbus NextGen was designed with quiet flights in mind from the beginning, allowing for smooth integration and use in urban environments. Airbus powered on the aircraft in December 2023 and will now undertake initial testing of the propulsion system, motors, and rotors as well as avionics and flight controls before its planned first flight.
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Airbus said that while the eVTOL would be equipped with an operational automated flight mode, it would be first operated by a pilot to help the urban air mobility market.
The idea for an efficient air transport service between strategic locations in urban and suburban environments – and what we now call CityAirbus NextGen – first originated from our belief that urban and advanced mobility can be moved into the sky to provide communities with additional ways to reach their destination, by complementing existing means of transport. With decades of experience certifying aircraft, Airbus successfully developed two electric VTOL demonstrators, CityAirbus and Vahana.
