LYTE Aviation, the world’s newest advanced air mobility innovator and market disruptor addressing advanced urban mobility and connectivity, has reveaeds its 40-seat (hybrid) eVTOL SkyBus and SkyTruck programme . Its LA-44 SkyBus and complementary SkyTruck cargo variant, designed around a 4.5 tonne payload, is the accumulation of three years’ R&D. The result is a game-changing, vertical take-off and landing vehicle – designed to be five times more fuel efficient than current helicopters.
The SkyBus will offer a range of 1,000 km with a max speed of 300 km/hr, using mainly technology available today. The LA-44 is a hybrid electric tandem tilt-wing design, disrupting other futuristic looking next-gen designs. A full-scale prototype is being planned within 24 months.
LYTE Aviation’s SkyBus’ design features two separate propulsion systems, one electric and powered by hydrogen fuel cells, the other turbine powered by jet fuel / SAF.
Freshta Farzam (Founder & CEO) explained the design: “The use of turbine engines will likely remain unavoidable for the foreseeable future, so in order to achieve useful and business-sensible ranges as well as quicker time to market, we have opted for a hybrid, partly electric VTOL.”
“My personal inspiration with this operating concept stems from the Rotodyne aircraft of the 1950’s. Imagine 70 years later after accomplishing those 350 successful test flights, what can be achieved thanks to the advances in technology that we have seen, and continue to see.”
LYTE Aviation’s LA-44 design, presented for the first time today, is powered by four conventional turbine engines, running on sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) complemented with four electric motors at the wingtips for control and stability, powered by hydrogen fuel cells.
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