Billionaire investor Elon Musk is literally shooting for the stars with his company SpaceX.
It looks like that's not all he has planned for the skies.
What else has his brilliant mind cooked up?
Which of his many companies will be handling this new idea?
BODYElon Musk is releasing a jet that flies like a drone.
It might sound shocking to you but this is something Twitter's favorite billionaire has
had hidden away in his mind for years.
Hang out with us and see how Mars' next coloniser wants to take over the aviation industry.
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Elon Musk, a visionary, isn't content with just making electric vehicles and trucks or
flying rockets into space.
And, certainly, he is a one-of-a-kind individual who never does anything commonplace.
So it's no surprise that he and Tesla's great team of engineers and designers are now looking
at the aviation business, and what extraordinary enterprise Elon and Tesla will be giving this
time, a supersonic VTOL electric plane.
Vertical takeoff and landing is abbreviated as Vtol.
Simply expressed, the electric plane will be able to take off and land vertically, similar
to a drone, using this technology.Let's take a look at what Elon has said in the past concerning
electric planes.
Elon originally mentioned his plan to build an electric plane in 2009.
He was speaking at a TechCrunch interview, where he discussed how as battery energy advances,
an electric plane becomesmore realistic.In the 2010 film Iron Man Two, he even expressed
his aspirations to build an electric plane to Tony Stark.
Then, in 2018, Elon admitted on the Joe Rogan podcast that he had discussed the idea of
an electric jet with some of his friends andgirlfriends.
He claimed to have a concept for an electric supersonic jet with vertical takeoff and landing.He
also mentioned that the most important duty for an electric plane would be to fly as high
as possible in the sky, and that in order to do so, the battery pack would need to have
a particular energy density because the planes would have to overcome gravitational potential
energy.
He goes on to add that the energy used in cruise is quite minimal, and that on the way
down, you can reclaim a big portion of your gravitational potential energy.In brief, because
the planes will have gravitational energy, they will not require any reverse fuel.
What role will VTOL technology play in this?
They'll have to use two distinct propulsion systems, according toElon.
The first will be used to raise the plane off the ground and into the air.
The second will accelerate the plane to supersonic speeds.
Elon continues tweeting about how eager he is to work on the concept of VTOL electric
aircraft every now and then.
Well looks like Tesla has unveiled ambitious initiative in the electric automobile business,
this time the eVTOL flying car, which is an electric vertical takeoff and landing.Elon
Musk released possible designs of the suggested model, Fee, on Twitter inJune 2020, and commented,
"Looks very cool."
Tom Abbott Davies, an industrial designer from the United Kingdom, created the design
as part of his application for a Tesla internship program.Sadly he did not receive the internship
and is now searching for work as an industrial designer for an eVTOL or hybrid electric VTOL
manufacturer.Tom began working on the Evtol automobile concept in 2014, drawing influence
from a manta ray.
His one-passenger EVTOL car has a vertically flying tree ducted fence, titanium turbine
blades, and a rear fence on a gimbal that allows it to transition to forward flight.
Three lithium-ion batteries power the car's three motors.They're a 1250 kilowatt rear
motor and two 650 kilowatt brushless motors with rotor blades.
These three motors work together to provide distributed electric propulsion, allowing
the plane to land safely even if one motor fails.Despite the fact that there has been
no official declaration from Tesla regarding their acceptance of the design, Elon's public
praise suggests that they may take inspiration from it in the future, which leads us to our
next question.
Tesla's ChallengesWhy is it taking so long to get started on the project?
Elon Musk has spoken about the different roadblocks that stand in the way of his plans to build
electric planes on numerous occasions.He admitted that money isn't the issue, but a lack of
excellent engineers is.
Another majorissue he mentioned in 2018 was the batteries.
In order for a plane to take off vertically in 2020, he claimed, they'll need a battery
with a power of around 400 to 500 Watt hours per kilogram capacity.Elon Musk replied on
the eve of Tesla battery day, saying that there are batteries in limited production
right now that exceed 400W.
He went on to say that he believes that number is the minimum for a reasonable medium-range
airplane, and that Tesla batteries will eventually approach 400 Watt hours per kilogram.However,
according to his most recent tweet, widespread production of these batteries will take two
to three years.
Elon tweeted in July 2021 that he wanted to start working on a supersonic VTOL electric
jet, but that he couldn't because he was currently working on so many other projects and his
brain would explode if he took on any more.
Elon admitted that while creating an electric aircraft prototype is a straightforward effort,
things like mass production, low cost, and obtaining a vision certificate make it a hundred
times more difficult.There are also environmental problems.
From an environmental standpoint, Elon stated that renewable energy and electric vehicles
are his top priority.And it makes sense, given flying airplanes accounted for only 2.4 percent
of worldwide carbon dioxide emissions in 2018, according to the EESI (Environmental and Energy
Studies Institute) research.
According to the World Resource Institute, transportation was responsible for roughly
24 percent of CO2 emissions in 2016, with road emissions accounting for around 72 percent
of total transport emissions.
Last but not least, there are some concerns about safety that must be addressed.What if
the battery catches fire or needs to be recharged in mid-flight, for example?In comparison to
merely checking the fuel pipes on a standard plane, it is not possible to check for flaws
in the battery on a regular basis.Company StrategiesSo, does Tesla have answers to these
issues?
Let's get this party started.
Starting with a battery issue, it appears that happy days are ahead.Tesla purchased
Maxwell Technologies, a battery company, at the Needham Growth conference in February
2019.
In their presentations, Maxwell Technologies claims that they would be able to provide
batteries with 300 Watt hours per kilogram.
They've also figured out how to produce batteries that have 500 Watt hours per kilogram.
Now, if we're talking about battery recharging issues, Tesla may have to invest in solar
power.
Solar panels on electric planes could give supplementary power supply to batteries, similar
to having a backup fuel tank in a traditional jet.We haven't witnessed any technological
improvements in aviation in the recent decade.With VTOL, that will undoubtedly alter.
However, the questionof whether electric planes are superior to conventional planes emerges.
Let's have a look.
Electric planes will be far less expensive than traditional planes since they will rely
on batteries rather than fuel.Because it will utilise VTOL technology, there will be no
need for large runways.
There will also be a reduction in the amount of noise produced when the plane is taken
off the ground.
Air travel will become significantly speedier since the flight time will be shortened by
around half.
Consider that a flight from New York to London currently takes roughly 7 hours.
London is only three and a half hours away with a VTOL electric plane.The Way Forward
So, when will the Tesla VTOL electric plane be on display?
To address these issues, we'll need to think about things like the availability of efficient
batteries, prototyping, research and testing time, aviation certificates, and government
approval, amongother things.
It is estimated that it will take at least eight to nine years to see VTOL electric planes
flying high in the sky.
So, for the time being, we'll simply have to wait and see.More Aviation PlansThe Tesla
helicopter appears to be on its way, according to designer Antonio Paglia.
Tesla's virtue as a company is embodied in this design.
Unlike the supersonic electric VTOL, Tesla does not have the time or immediate need to
build electric helicopters.
Antonio believes the helicopter will be developed when Tesla's battery technology improves to
the point where it can power flying equipment.
OutroThe futuristic-looking flying aircraft would be built for speed and efficiency.
Antonio believes the Tesla helicopter will be able to conduct safety and patrol duties,
making it ideal for departments like safety and patrol, making air and ground patrol easier,
cheaper, and more efficient.Be sure to Subscribe.