AIR ONE: an eVTOL for private flyers

Most of the electric Vertical TakeOff and Landing (eVTOL) aircraft being announced are for air taxis – or Urban Air Mobility, if you like – but an Israeli company has revealed an eVTOL for personal flyers.

The AIR One is a ‘sporty, easy-to-operate electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft designed for individual consumer ownership’. The company, AIR, is accepting orders already even though it not announcing the price until 2022.

AIR’s boss and co-founder Rani Plaut said, “The future of mobility is in the sky, but to get there we need to build consumer confidence in eVTOLs as a legitimate mode of everyday transport and develop vehicles on a mass-scale to bring that vision to life.

The AIR ONE personal eVTOL in flight. Images: AIR

“AIR ONE is our hat in the ring, simultaneously showing consumers the first in a line of diversified, playful models for personal flight and demonstrating cutting-edge technology that will enable high-volume production and scalability.”

AIR ONE is an all-electric two-seater eVTOL that offers a range of 110 miles on a single charge at speeds up to a claimed 155mph, with a flight time of one hour. It has collapsible wings for parking and can take off from or land on any flat surface.

Although AIR doesn’t go so far to claim that the eVTOL can be flown by anyone, it does say it has ‘fly by intent’ software to manage complex functions and navigation, ‘so that usage isn’t restricted to highly skilled pilots and trained professionals’.

Cockpit of the two-seat AIR ONE eVTOL

AIR ONE

AIR ONE Fast Facts
Max speed  155mph
Cruise speed  100mph
Range 110 miles
Max flight time 1 hour
Max power 771hp
Payload 200kg/441 lb
Charging time:
0% to 100% 1 Hour
20% to 80% 30 min