A UK-based electrical vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) start–up has raised £5m as part of a £25m Series A round of funding.
Founded by British entrepreneur Martin Warner, Autonomous Flight is building the Y6S Plus– a battery-powered flying aircraft to facilitate short-range transportation in urban areas.
The six-seater boasts a unique category-defining flight system, operating a three-propeller design. The Y6S Plus is being designed to reach cruise speeds of 200km/h (125mph) and will have a range of 130km (100 miles) on a single charge.
A concept prototype has been designed (Y6S) and Autonomous Flight is planning to launch the Y6S Plus in 2023.
The funding comes at an important stage in the development and testing of the Y6S Plus. The flying vehicle has just completed its full simulation test and provides the first views of how the Y6S Plus will fly.
Autonomous Flight was established in Kent in 2017. The Y6S Plus is one of the world’s only full size concepts/prototypes and will be initially launched in the UK and USA, with plans for a global rollout in the coming decade.
Warner said: “We are developing an almost noiseless, clean technology that will help solve the problem of urban congestion, exploiting virgin airspace between 300ft and 2,000ft above sea-level and revolutionising travel in the world’s busiest cities.
“The electronic and autonomous VTOL market will be worth US$1.5tn by 2040, according to Morgan Stanley, and we are one of only a handful of companies in the world to have developed a full size viable concept / prototype that has led to category-defining innovation for the Y6S Plus.”
