Company Co-Founded By Erik Lindbergh To Advance $30 Billion Urban Air Mobility Market

Daytona Beach, FL-based VerdeGo Aero has announced the launch of Integrated Distributed Electric Propulsion (IDEP) systems for the rapidly growing Urban Air Mobility market.

The company, which was co-founded by Erik Lindbergh, is leveraging its expertise with hybrid powertrains, electric aerospace propulsion, and attitude control of VTOL aircraft to deliver end-to-end powertrain solutions for customers in the Urban Air Mobility market.

More than 100 aircraft companies around the world are now competing for a share of the Urban Air Mobility “Flying car” market. Many of these new aircraft concepts were inspired by small-scale consumer drone designs. There are critical differences in propulsion systems, aircraft control, and safety that make developing a 2,000+ lb aircraft far more challenging than a lightweight drone. Recent demonstrations have illustrated how difficult it is to scale up past the size of a light single-seat recreational VTOL aircraft with limited range, control and excessive noise.

“My grandfather’s 1927 solo flight across the Atlantic jumpstarted the multi-billion dollar long-range air travel market, and today our team is excited to provide the building blocks for short-range air transportation” Lindbergh said. “As our customers focus on designing, developing, and producing more than 20,000 aircraft by 2035, VerdeGo will be helping them open up this $30B+ transportation market.”

VerdeGo Aero’s IDEP systems are designed as end-to-end solutions with integrated hardware and software to provide energy, redundancy, power distribution, propulsion, and attitude control for a wide array of vertical takeoff (VTOL) and distributed electric propulsion (DEP) aircraft platforms. The first generation IDEP systems are sized for 2-3 seat (200-350 hp) and 5-7 seat (500-800 hp) aircraft and contain hybrid generators that enable Urban Air Mobility aircraft to be viable with technologies available today. Electric motors are used to drive rotors that provide responsive attitude control regardless of aircraft weight, without the control lag found in traditional systems. Backup batteries and distributed propulsion units provide a high degree of redundancy and safety.

As battery technologies mature, VerdeGo’s modular IDEP systems will also be configured with rechargeable battery packs providing the primary power. “Everyone has their crystal ball for the timing of new battery technologies” said Dr. Pat Anderson, CTO of VerdeGo Aero. “We have been working for more than a decade with the global battery experts who project it will be 15 to 20 years before commercial levels of performance are achieved from a purely battery-operated VTOL aircraft. VerdeGo’s first-generation IDEP hybrid systems enable aircraft manufacturers to get into the air with technologies available today, with an upgrade path as soon as batteries are available.”

“Commercial VTOL aircraft require high amounts of energy and require a fast turnaround on the landing pad. Our first generation IDEP system offer 4X the endurance and 12X the refuel/recharge rate of all-battery based drivetrains” said Eric Bartsch, COO of VerdeGo Aero

(Source: VerdeGo Aero news release. Image provided)

FMI: www.verdegoaero.com