Tesla Flying Supercar
At $92,000, known as the Jetson, the vehicle’s eight electric motors give it a top speed of 63 miles per hour, and its Tesla battery cells allow for a flight time of up to 20 minutes. The vehicle can reach an altitude of 1,500 feet above ground level and support a pilot weighing up to 210 pounds.
It’s known as an eVTOL, or electric vertical take-off and landing aircraft, the same design already used for many flying-car concepts. But with a weight of only 190 pounds, it’s been categorized as ultralight, meaning you don’t need a driver’s or pilot’s license to operate it.
The Jetson One is actually based on US regulations. It’s FAA Part 103. There are some countries that maybe flying the Jetson is still not regulated. 85% of clients are based in the US.
It took a few prototypes. The first proof of concept finished back in 2018. There was a very successful flight just after one month. Surprisingly, it took only a few weeks to finish the first prototype.
The official Jetson was revealed in 2021.
It’s easy to operate because of the flight computer onboard and all steering is a fly-by-wire system. That means you have just two joysticks. You can learn how to fly it in literally five minutes.
Its flight-stabilization system includes lidar sensors that help it steer clear of power lines, trees, and buildings. And, if you cut the throttle to zero, the vehicle can land itself.
In June, company cofounder Tomasz Patan released a video of himself using the aircraft for a quick three-minute commute from his home to his office. According to Patan, the flight decreased his commute time, normally by car and on public roads, by 88%.
Still, current laws don’t allow people to use it for inner-city commutes. Under US rules, this type of aircraft is not permitted to fly near airports or densely populated areas.
There is a mandatory training for customers. It’s a two-day training. It’s a very short training. And during that training you’ll learn how to operate the Jetson One. And also, you’ll learn about the regulations and how to fly it in compliance to those regulations.
However, many buyers are on a long list to buy the aircraft. Jetson’s entire production of the One for 2022 is already sold out. The company is now only accepting orders for production in 2023.
The company was surprised by the amount of interest. They hoped they were going to sell maybe 25 units during the year after the release of the first movie. But it turned out they sold those 25 within a week. So far, they have sold more than 400 units. Eventually, they do plan to manufacture a few thousand that will be delivered within three years time. They will also, with time, increase the battery capacity to allow for a longer flight time.
Right now they have started working on the next generation of the Jetson flying vehicle. In general, the mission for the company, the vision, is to solve the transportation and move the ground-based transportation up to the air, making cities a super cool place to drive for picnics.
Super cool flying to Cali Technology!
