Melbourne-based Pegasus International Group is exhibiting its innovative flying cars at Avalon Airshow 2023, one a civil aviation variant and another decked out in police markings to reflect its pitch to the Victorian Police.
Many might think flying cars are a figment of the future, but Pegasus is making them a reality now. Jacky Yang, Chief Technology Officer at Pegasus, said the company has recorded ten sales already, and the first two cars will be delivered to customers in April.
Pegaus claims to offer the world’s only vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) car that is truly roadworthy. Yang said the flying cars are 100% Australian designed and, ‘We are very proud that it is extremely easy to fly.’
The first E-Class model flew in 2017, and the Pegasus CES was released in 2020. Yang noted that the company is now gaining traction, after having weathered COVID.
Yang explained, ‘Pegasus is not just about flying somewhere, but it’s about saving time.’ It is thus ideal for avoiding traffic congestion, for example, or for a landowner to get from one side of his sprawling rural property to another.
Looking like a single-seater sports car able to fit into any parking slot, the vehicles have retractable 5.285m-diameter rotor blades that allow it to soar into the sky via a 160hp engine. The advantage of VTOL is that no runway is needed.
Utilising carbon composites, titanium and aircraft-grade aluminium, the flying cars have a dry weight of just 265kg. They can reach top speeds of 160km/h in the air, whereas a 130km/h cruising speed would permit a theoretical range of 420km. Its ceiling is 1,800m.
The advantage of a hybrid engine is that they have an endurance of three hours, compared to something like 30 minutes if only batteries are used.
Pegasus, founded in 2009, is one of only two manufacturers in the world to have obtained national airworthiness certification.
Pegasus’ models available today are single-seaters, but by the end of the year a four-seater air taxi prototype will be completed. Other projects on the trot are a freight flying car and an air ambulance.
Other technology being integrated into vehicles is autonomous navigation. This is vital in broadening market appeal, because then there will be no need for a trained helicopter pilot to fly the cars.
Pegasus has been engaging with the Australian government and local universities to explore common interests in urban transport policy, trade relations and technology development. Yang explained, ‘We’re not trying to invent regulations as we go. As we design, we thought about how we can fit into this existing regulation.’
Pegasus is gearing up for the 2032 Brisbane Olympics, which it sees as a seminal event for air mobility. ‘We are convinced that Pegasus’ police flying cars and air taxi, air logistics and air ambulance products will provide superior security, passenger and freight transport, and emergency response services and contribute greatly to the success of the 2032 Brisbane Olympics.’
Pegasus is looking for investment to fund rapid expansion, and it is eyeing markets like the UAE that are very receptive to urban air mobility.
The firm concluded: ‘Pegasus is convinced that in the near future, the opportunity to leverage three-dimensional space to alleviate surface congestion and capacity issues will lead to the establishment of networks of flying cars dedicated to critical activities such as rapid passenger transport, sensitive freight delivery and emergency response. These networks will become an integral part of urban and regional transportation in Australia and globally.’
Fiction? Morgan Stanley in a 2021 report anticipated that this urban air mobility sector will be worth USD1 trillion by 2040. This sector is set to boom.
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