‘Midnight’ eVTOL smashes its own record in latest test flight — bringing us closer to operational flying taxis
An electric vertical takeoff and landing plane (Evtol) nicknamed “midnight” has completed its highest flight, reaching an altitude of 7,000 feet (2,100 meters).
Archer Aviation, which manufactures the midnight Evtol, hopes that the plane will become an “electric air taxis” one day. The vehicle is powered by batteries that contain many lithium-ion cells, and can transport a pilot alongside passengers with luggage.
The new ceiling is an important step for several reasons, according to representatives of the company. On the one hand, the ability to steal at an altitude of 7,000 feet would allow at midnight to operate in high density cities of skyscrapers, without having to make expensive detours, they declared in a statement.
The milestone also opens cities at higher altitudes, as well as mountainous destinations and other high elevations which would otherwise be inaccessible by Evtol.
A higher ceiling also means the potential to avoid air congestion. As evtols, drones and other low -altitude planes become more common, the ability to cross higher flight corridors will be a significant advantage and will help avoid the type of land blocking that the evols have been initially designed to bypass.
During the test flight, Midnight reached speeds of more than 120 miles per hour (193 kilometers per hour) and stole for a total of 45 miles (72 km).
Last month, the plane finished its longest flight to date, covering 55 miles (86 km) in 31 minutes at speeds greater than 126 mi / h (203 km / h). Midnight reached more than 150 MPH (241 km / h) in previous tests, allowing the EVTOL to finish trips in minutes that would take hours in a ground vehicle, according to Archer Aviation.
“Cross the 50 miles [80 km] Mark at speed is another clear step towards marketing, ” Adam GoldsteinSaid the founder and CEO of Archer Aviation, in the press release.
The successful test flight marks another step towards the company’s objective to obtain a federal certification of the aviation administration, which would mean that midnight was legally authorized to operate in the American air system. Archer also recently started the process of marketing operations in a stage towards the deployment of midnight to the United Arab Emirates (water).
These “flying cars” offer several advantages compared to traditional planes, and even traditional vtol that do not depend on electricity, according to manufacturers. The ability to take and land vertically means a much smaller urban footprint for “vertures” compared to traditional airports, for example. Electrical energy also means that evols are much quieter and cause less noise pollution in urban environments than traditional planes, while being more environmentally friendly.
