Airbus A³ Vahana

Vahana (Sanskrit: वाहन, Vāhana, literally "that which carries, that which pulls" . Vahana by Airbus is an electric-powered vertical take-off and landing 8-prop flying prototype financed by Airbus SV. Vahana project started in 2016 as one of the first projects at A³ (pronounced “A-cubed”), the advanced projects and partnerships outpost of Airbus Group in Silicon Valley.[1] Airbus announce that they "envision Vahana being used by everyday commuters as a cost-comparable replacement for short-range urban transportation like cars or trains".[2] Airbus targets 2020 for a production-ready version of the aircraft.[3] In 2017 small-scale models were flown to test out the Vahana concept in Santa Clara, California, USA.[4]

The full-scale aircraft made its maiden flight self-piloted on January 31, 2018 in Pendleton, Oregon, reaching 5 meters (16 feet) over 53 seconds.[5]

Design and development

The aircraft has been designed as a "low-cost, single-passenger, electric VTOL aircraft that could provide utility to a large number of people".[6]

The two most compelling configurations are electric helicopter and eight fan tilt-wing. The estimated electricity cost is $0.12 per kW-hr. For both configurations the hover performance estimates were base on blade element momentum theory. For now the electric helicopter configuration is shown to be more compelling at low ranges, while the tilt-wing configuration is more compelling at longer ranges.[7] The designer has not finalized the Vahana project and hope that "the electric tilt-wing configuration provides a DOC advantage and many other advantages such as reduced noise and enhanced safety for urban mobility".[8]

Weights

For both vehicles a common payload weight will be 250 lb (113 kg). A helicopter gearbox power density is assumed to be 6.3 kW/kg. Both configuration will assume 15 kg for avionics components and 15 kg for a crash rated seat. electrical actuators will take 0.65 kg each (8 units for helicopter and 12 units for tilt-wing). Additionally, the tilt-wing has two actuators (4 kg each). An additional 10% is for fittings and miscellaneous hardware.[9][10]

Range and direct operating cost

For the electric helicopter (the batteries are about 1/3 of the takeoff mass) - a range of about 20 km and a direct operating cost of $1.63/km.

For the electric tilt-wing (the batteries are about 1/3 of the takeoff mass) - a range of about 50 km and a direct operating cost of $1.24/km.

Performance Metrics

The cruise power of the tilt-wing is lower than the cruise power of the electric helicopter. The disk loading for both configurations is similar to those of many existing light helicopters. The electric helicopter hover power at short ranges is lower than those of the tilt-wing.[11]

Specifications (Vahana A3)

Data from VahanaAero[12] (updated June 2017)

General characteristics

Parameter Data
Crew:none (self-piloted)
Capacityone passenger (two 2020)
Length5.7 m
Fuselage length19 ft (5.8 m)
Wingspan20 ft (6 m)
Overall height9 ft (2.75 m)
Tip-to-tip distance24 ft (7.3 m)
Payload249 lb (113 kg)
Max gross takeoff (wt)1,600 lb (725 kg)
Cruise speed95 kt (175 km/h)
Range62.12 miles (100 km)[13]
Propulsors8 propellers
Motor output60 hp (8x 45 kW)
Power typeelectric/batteries

References

  1. ↑ "Welcome to Vahana – Vahana". Vahana. 2016-09-23. Retrieved 2018-01-08.
  2. ↑ "A³ by Airbus Group". www.airbus-sv.com. Retrieved 2018-01-08.
  3. ↑ "Airbus to begin testing single person 'Vahana' flying taxi in Oregon". Mail Online. Retrieved 2018-01-08.
  4. ↑ "A³ Vahana". The Electric VTOL News. 2017-06-09. Retrieved 2018-01-08.
  5. ↑ Zach Lovering (Feb 1, 2018). "Vahana's First Flight a Success". Vahana Blog.
  6. ↑ "Airbus to begin testing single person 'Vahana' flying taxi in Oregon". Mail Online. Retrieved 2018-01-08.
  7. ↑ vahanaTradeStudy: Contains results for trade study described in blog posts on vahana.aero, VahanaOpenSource, 2017-12-17, retrieved 2018-01-08
  8. ↑ "Geoffrey Bower – Vahana". vahana.aero. Retrieved 2018-01-08.
  9. ↑ "Vahana Configuration Trade Study — Part II – Vahana". Vahana. 2017-02-01. Retrieved 2018-01-08.
  10. ↑ "Airbus Vahana infographic - Helicopterra". Helicopterra. Retrieved 2018-01-08.
  11. ↑ vahanaTradeStudy: Contains results for trade study described in blog posts on vahana.aero, VahanaOpenSource, 2017-12-17, retrieved 2018-01-08
  12. ↑ "Vahana Configuration Trade Study — Part I – Vahana". Vahana. 2016-12-14. Retrieved 2018-01-08.
  13. ↑ "VAHANA by Airbus". Retrieved 2018-03-04.
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