The Future of Advanced Air Mobility

The ZeroG is being developed as personal hover bike, but, somewhat confusingly, Davinci Technology says it will be adapted as an autonomous eVTOL for planned air taxi service entry in 2023. Following extensive unmanned tethered testing in Thailand, the prototype made a first manned, untethered flight on November 4, 2017. 

The company says that the next version of the aircraft will be able to carry a pilot or passenger weighing up to 330 pounds. It says this production version of the ZeroG will be ready to fly during 2020 and says it will be certified and in production by 2023. The eventual autonomous version of the aircraft would be dispatched to a customer's location via an app. 

The aircraft will be able to fly for only 20 to 25 minutes and so really is suitable only for short commuter hops. It should be able to land on any flat surface, such as a driveway or rooftop. 

At the same time, Davinci's website shows plans for a hexacopter design, but almost no details are available on this program.

Timeline

Missed Projection

first delivery

Aircraft ready to enter commercial service

test flight

Following some unmanned, tethered flights conducted in Thailand, the ZeroG made its first manned, tethered flight in late 2017. 

Outlook

Our objective assessment of this program’s probable success.

FutureFlight assesses the probability of success for a new aircraft program by considering the following criteria:

  • Total investment funds available in proportion to the anticipated cost of getting an aircraft certified and in service
  • A company’s in-house capability (in terms of numbers of engineers, technical staff, and customer support teams)
  • The past experience of the company and its senior leadership in developing aircraft
  • The caliber and past experience of key program partners
  • Whether key aircraft systems have been selected and are available for use
  • Whether the preliminary design review has been completed
  • Whether the design for the full-scale prototype has been completed
  • Whether the type certification process has been formally initiated with an appropriate regulator
  • Whether the company has achieved a first flight with a full-scale prototype
  • The number of hours logged in a flight test program
  • Whether type certification has been achieved
  • The number of orders and commitment received for the aircraft
  • Whether the company has adequate facilities to begin series production of the aircraft
Our Methodology

Details about how Davinci aims to bring its new aircraft to market are very sketchy and the projected timeline seems hard to believe given the limited information about the company's resources. It is also very unclear how a small hover bike could be used for air taxi services, although possibly in Asian markets where motorbike taxis already exist this could have potential. However, Davinci has yet to adequately explain how the aircraft's autonomous controls would work. 

ZeroG Models

ZeroG Specifications

Optionally-piloted Flying Car/Hover Bike

Performance

  • Passenger Capacity
    1
  • Range
    18 mi
  • Cruise Speed
    44 mph
  • Powerplant Type
    propeller
  • Power Source
    electric
  • Endurance
    25 min
  • Max Altitude
    n/a
  • Takeoff Distance
    n/a
  • Landing Distance
    n/a
  • Empty Weight
    200 lb
  • MGTOW
    530 lb
  • Payload Weight
    330 lb

Dimensions

  • Length
    n/a
  • Width
    8 ft
  • Height
    n/a
  • Wingspan
    n/a

The initial ZeroG prototype is intended to be flown by the owner pilot. A larger version is being designed that could be operated fully autonomously for on -demand air taxi. The propulsion system consists of six ducted fans, with three located on each side of the short fuselage. It uses 12 electric motors to power each of the 12 open-mounted propellers. The propellers change angle as the aircraft switches from vertical to horizontal flight. Davinci engineers intend for the aircraft to remain operational with two of the propellers out of action. It will feature an autoland system.

The aircraft will feature 52,800 Wh LiPo 24S batteries, weighing 110 pounds. The recharge time on the prototype model is 90 minutes, but it is expected to be shorter on the production aircraft. 

Key Personnel

Dinh Quoc Tri

Founder