Aerofugia Technology Co. Ltd. (Geely) TF-2
TF-2
Aerofugia Technology Co. Ltd. (Geely)
Chengdu, Sichuan, China
www.aerofugia.com
Founded in September 2020, Aerofugia Technology Company Limited (based in China) is in the business of designing and manufacturing low-altitude UAVs and electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) passenger aircraft. The company is a subsidiary of Geely Technology Group and in 2021, Aerofugia formed a joint venture with Volocopter.
Aerofugia unveiled a full-size version of its TF-2 low flying eVTOL one pilot, four passenger aircraft in August 2022 at the Advanced Airlift Mobility Intelligence Course (AAMIC) in Shanghai, China. The cabin is spacious and has larger than conventional general aviation windows for excellent views for the passengers. The aircraft can also be customized for air cargo service.
The aircraft uses one high main wing with two booms and has a total of nine propellers for propulsion. There are two tractor propellers (two standard forward propellers), one pusher propeller and six dedicated VTOL propellers. The two outboard booms each hold two dedicated VTOL propellers. The two inboard booms each hold one tractor propeller at the front of the booms and has one dedicated VTOL propeller on the rear of each of these booms. The pusher propeller is located in the center rear of the main fuselage. All VTOL propellers are above the booms keeping passengers, aircraft crew and ground crew safe when the aircraft is on the ground. The TF-2 has tricycle fixed wheeled landing gear with a boom mounted inverted U tail.
The core highlights of the TF-2 are:
- Pure electric power with zero emissions
- No runway required as it is a vertical take-off and landing aircraft, flexible deployment can be applied in various scenarios
- Low noise and support for large scale urban operations
- Intelligent solutions with the ability to automate task planning, recommend actions and full fly-by-wire flying assistance capabilities
- Carrying one pilot and four passengers in a comfortable cabin at low cost
- Full airworthiness and high safety standards with a 10-9/h Class Safety Index 1 and a Development Assurance Level A (DAL-A)
The company says that it has made key breakthroughs in its work with dynamically tilting the aircraft’s rotors, having completed the verification process with its scaled-down prototype, offers new energy solutions and smart swarm flight controlling. Aerofugia plans to provide fast air travel services between cities with four to five times greater time and cost efficiency. The aircraft can meet the demand of zero-emissions, low noise and high-frequency commercial operations within and between close cities.
Aerofugia says the TF-2 should fly for the first time before the end of 2022. After obtaining the type certificate, the aircraft is expected to be put into service in various scenarios and cities in China sometime between 2025-2026.
Specifications:
- Aircraft type: eVTOL passenger and air cargo aircraft
- Piloting: 1 pilot
- Capacity: 4 passengers
- Range: 500 km (311 miles)
- Propellers: 9 propellers (6 dedicated VTOL propellers, 2 tractor propellers [standard front propellers], 1 pusher propeller)
- Electric motors: 9 electric motors
- Power source: Batteries
- Fuselage: Carbon fiber composite
- Windows: Larger windows than conventional general aviation plane windows allowing forward, left and right visibility for spectacular views with a solid roof above the passenger compartment
- Wings: 1 main high wing
- Tail: 1 inverted U boom tail
- Landing gear: Fixed tricycle wheeled landing gear
- Safety features: Distributed Electric Propulsion (DEP), provides safety through redundancy for its passengers and/or cargo. DEP means having multiple propellers (or ducted fans) and motors on the aircraft so if one or more propellers (ducted fans) or motors fail, the other working propellers (or ducted fans) and motors can safely land the aircraft. There are also redundancies in the sub-systems of the aircraft.
Related Aircraft:
- Aerofugia Technology Co. Ltd. AE200 X01 (technology demonstrator)
- Aerofugia Technology Co. Ltd. Air Car (concept design)
- Aerofugia Technology Co. Ltd. Transporter (concept design)
Company Insights:
Resources:
- Aerofugia Technology website
- Aerofugia Technology Co. Ltd. bilibili
- Aerofugia Technology Co. Ltd. TikTok
- Aerofugia Technology Co. Ltd. Weibo
- Article: Volocopter announces joint venture with Geely subsidiary Aerofugia, Electrive.com, Sept. 22, 2021
- Article: China’s Rising eVTOL Industry, Electric VTOL News, Nov/Dec 2021
- Article: Geely’s Vertical Takeoff and Landing Aircraft Patent was Granted, Global Sky Media, Aug. 6, 2022
- Article: Geely Aerofugia Unveils Self-developed Flying Car, Global Sky Media, Aug. 29, 2022
- Article: AEROFUGIA: GEELY’s Move From Electric Cars To Electric Flying Cars, Global Sky Media, Sept. 14, 2022
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