Tuesday, March 26, 2024

Jetson ONE, an ultralight and fun to fly single-seat electric aerial vehicle

It seems like flying vehicles will be a trend in the future, especially since there are several manufacturers that have dared with innovative designs.

Now, a Swedish eVTOL company Jetson Aero has officially unveiled Jetson ONE, a personal electric aerial vehicle that offers flight convenience similar to that of a private car. The ONE eVTOL has already sold out its limited production run for 2022 and is now taking orders for 2023.

The single-seat aircraft is a straight-up drone-style multicoptor, with eight propellers mounted on four arms stretching from its fuselage, putting out a total power of 88 kW (118 horsepower). Its single seat is suspended in a race car-inspired aluminum/carbon airframe chassis. The pilot operates this ship via a throttle stick on the left, a joystick on the right, and a pair of pedals.

The single-seat aircraft is straight-up drone-style multicoptor, with eight propellers mounted on four arms.
The single-seat aircraft is straight-up drone-style multicoptor, with eight propellers mounted on four arms. Credit: Jetson Aero

The Jetson ONE will have flight times of 20 minutes (85kg /187 lbs pilot weight) and will be able to fly at a top speed of 102 km/h (63mph). The flight time may not be enough to offer an appropriate safety margin for finding a landing place in case of an emergency. However, the company says its eVTOL aircraft is actually equipped with a ballistic parachute that can be deployed in no time in case you’d run out of power or, worse, if more than a motor fails. The eVTOL is also equipped with LiDAR sensors-driven terrain tracking and obstacle avoidance, so you have that too to keep pilots out of trouble.

The Jetson ONE measures 2,845 mm long, 2,400 mm wide, 1,030 mm high, and weighs 86 kg, and is capable of flying a pilot weighing up to 95 kg. It is also collapsible to 900 mm wide when not in use. This personal air taxi is categorized as an ultralight aircraft in the U.S. Presumably owners will be able to fly them about on a private pilot’s license in the USA as experimental/homebuilt aircraft.

The development of this project started in 2018 with the proof of concept. Now, the company has developed the first consumer-focused model. Of course, the price is not cheap since this vehicle costs around $92,000. The company says that it’s going to deliver these things as home-built kits, 50% assembled.