CycloTech CruiseUp eVTOL Cyclotech CruiseUp is one of the newest entrants on to the eVTOL scene but rather than the run-of-the-mill aircraft that we have now grown accustomed to that all use propellers in some form to provide vertical lift and then transitionary motion into cruise, this one is using a different technology. Remember the Voith Schneider Propeller (VSP) which was pioneered nearly 100 years ago by Ernst Schneider. This propeller is in use in all kinds of marine related applications around the world from harbor tugs, single and double-ended ferries, offshore wind farms, etc. The propulsion system for the Cyclotech CruiseUp looks just like the Voith Schneider Propeller but in a horizontal configuration. They call them CycloRotors.
One of the advantages of this setup is that the CruiseUp can thrust in pretty-much any direction so it doesn't have to physically tilt a pod or canard that has the propellers mounted to in order to redirect the thrust like on many other eVTOL designs. CruiseUp is anticipated to be able to travel up to 62 miles (100 km) on a single charge and this is at speeds of up to 93-mph (150 km/h). The use for the aircraft is anticipated to be as shuttles and air taxis in the future. With that type of range and speed it would be ideal for the dense suburbs and cities of New York and Los Angeles. Eventually it will also be available for personal use.
"CycloRotors are the entry ticket to the mass market of sustainable aviation with an addressable market of millions of vehicles per year. We make your car fly," says Markus Steinke, CycloTech’s Chief Development Officer. There is no indication of what pricepoint the CruiseUp will potentially be available to customers at. "With the dimensions of 6.7m x 3.3m CruiseUp is just 50% bigger than current cars and way smaller than most of the air taxi concepts and thus fits into our domestic environment," said Andrea Marchsteiner, CycloTech CruiseUp Project Manager. While the unveiling and PR behind the CruiseUp maybe new the concept for the craft isn't. This has been under development for a while...more than a decade.
The CycloRotor concept is not unlike a paddle boat wheel accept the angle of attack of the paddles (blades) constantly changes in concert with a swashplate system that adjusts the thrust in any desired direction, much like the cyclic control system on a helicopter. For more information: CycloTech Franzosenhausweg 53a 4030 Linz Austria www.cyclotech.at ***
