Apollo
Well-Known Member
The following AvWeek article is now available to non-subscribers:
http://aviationweek.com/commercial-aviation/autonomous-unmanned-air-transport-faces-challenges
This article discusses autonomous public transport aircraft and mentions the Hopper electric VTOL concept as well as the Joby S2. Both concepts are targeting customers in the San Francisco Bay area, where long commutes are common. The secretive Zee.aero (rumored to be backed by Google) is also developing an electric VTOL aircraft.
I find it interesting that Google and Yahoo already run commuter buses between San Francisco and the Google/Yahoo offices 40 miles away. Could these ground-bound buses be replaced by electric VTOL sky-buses someday, with the hour-long commute time cut in half? Will wealthy Silicon Valley entrepreneurs fly home in their Joby S2 or Zee.aero VTOL commuter?
Combine that with a recent Business Week article about the arrogance and hubris of young male entrepreneurs in Silicon Valley, where the goal isn’t just to get rich, but to change the world in a fundamental way. Google’s investment in robotics and autonomous cars is a natural precursor to electric VTOL commuter vehicles. Take a look at Joby’s S2 video below:
http://www.jobyaviation.com/S2/
I’d bet money this concept has captured the imagination of more than one Internet billionaire stuck in traffic. I realize the video is nothing more than a marketing tool with computer generated images. And I understand the technical challenges they face. But is it possible that Silicon Valley narcissism will play a role in developing practical VTOL aircraft within the next five or ten years? After all, the technology for drones and multi-copters barely existed 10 years ago and now they’re everywhere.
I’m also reminded of how far Tesla Motors has progressed in just 5 years. So I’ll restate the question: Could Google or other Silicon Valley entrepreneurs develop an electric VTOL aircraft that changes our commuter transportation industry, or will these efforts end up as unimportant as the Icon A5 and Eclipse jet, which were also funded by Internet millionaires?
Lord, please don’t let this thread turn into a flying car wasteland.
http://aviationweek.com/commercial-aviation/autonomous-unmanned-air-transport-faces-challenges
This article discusses autonomous public transport aircraft and mentions the Hopper electric VTOL concept as well as the Joby S2. Both concepts are targeting customers in the San Francisco Bay area, where long commutes are common. The secretive Zee.aero (rumored to be backed by Google) is also developing an electric VTOL aircraft.
I find it interesting that Google and Yahoo already run commuter buses between San Francisco and the Google/Yahoo offices 40 miles away. Could these ground-bound buses be replaced by electric VTOL sky-buses someday, with the hour-long commute time cut in half? Will wealthy Silicon Valley entrepreneurs fly home in their Joby S2 or Zee.aero VTOL commuter?
Combine that with a recent Business Week article about the arrogance and hubris of young male entrepreneurs in Silicon Valley, where the goal isn’t just to get rich, but to change the world in a fundamental way. Google’s investment in robotics and autonomous cars is a natural precursor to electric VTOL commuter vehicles. Take a look at Joby’s S2 video below:
http://www.jobyaviation.com/S2/
I’d bet money this concept has captured the imagination of more than one Internet billionaire stuck in traffic. I realize the video is nothing more than a marketing tool with computer generated images. And I understand the technical challenges they face. But is it possible that Silicon Valley narcissism will play a role in developing practical VTOL aircraft within the next five or ten years? After all, the technology for drones and multi-copters barely existed 10 years ago and now they’re everywhere.
I’m also reminded of how far Tesla Motors has progressed in just 5 years. So I’ll restate the question: Could Google or other Silicon Valley entrepreneurs develop an electric VTOL aircraft that changes our commuter transportation industry, or will these efforts end up as unimportant as the Icon A5 and Eclipse jet, which were also funded by Internet millionaires?
Lord, please don’t let this thread turn into a flying car wasteland.
