AutoFlight BAT600 (defunct)

BAT600 (defunct)
AutoFlight
Shanghai, China
www.autoflight.com

AutoFlight was founded in February of 2018 by Yu Tian, creator of Chinese drone company Yuneec International. The company's Global Headquarter is in Shanghai, China. The company is in the business of designing and manufacturing electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) passenger aircraft for advanced air mobility (AAM). The company also designs and manufacturers heavy-lift eVTOL air cargo drones. The company also manufacturers hybrid-electric VTOL aircraft. Originally, the company's European location was named AutoFlightX but that named is no longer used and the current global company name is AutoFlight. The company has locations in Los Angeles, California, USA and in Munich, Germany.

BAT600 passenger eVTOL and hybrid-electric VTOL concept design aircraft (defunct)
The BAT600 (defunct) was designed by Yuneec in 2017 and was expected to offer this two passenger eVTOL to its customers. The aircraft was originally to be flown by one pilot, carry one passenger and their luggage. The aircraft had a canopy over the cockpit providing excellent views for both pilot and passenger. The aircraft was originally to have the option to purchased with a battery packs as a power source or could be purchased with a hybrid-electric power source.

While the cruise speed of the aircraft was unknown, the aircraft was expected to have a flight time of two hours for the all-electric model. The hybrid-electric flight time was expected to be five hours. The aircraft has nine propellers on the aircraft. There are eight VTOL propellers and one pusher propeller on the aircraft. The aircraft has one low main wing, two booms and has an inverted U tail boom. The aircraft has two forward stacked and two rear stacked propellers on each boom on the aircraft. The aircraft was intended to be made with a carbon fiber composite fuselage for a high strength to low weight ratio. The aircraft has fixed tricycle wheeled landing gear.

On July 17, 2018, it was announced that the company would join Volocopter, Lilium, and Quantum Systems at the new Oberpfaffenhofen eVTOL test facility. Whether this happened or not is unknown. In the several years of the initial design, the company had hoped to have a flying prototype by the end of 2018 but the project was cancelled.

Specifications:

• Aircraft type: Passenger eVTOL or hybrid-electric VTOL concept design aircraft (now defunct)
• Piloting: 1 pilot
• Capacity: 1 passenger
• Cruise speed: Unknown
• Flight time: 2 hours (all-electric), 5 hours (hybrid-electric)
• Maximum takeoff weight: 600 kg (1,322 lb)
• Propellers: 9 propellers (8 VTOL only propellers, 1 pusher propeller)
• Electric motors: 9 electric motors
• Power source: All electric or hybrid-electric power source
• Fuselage: Carbon fiber composite
• Window: Canopy over cockpit
• Wings: 1 main low wing
• Tail: Inverted U tail
• Landing gear: Fixed tricycle wheeled landing gear
• Safety features: Distributed Electric Propulsion (DEP) uses multiple propellers or electric ducted fans, each powered by electric motors, to increase safety through redundancy. If one or more components fail, the remaining ones can still ensure a safe landing. There are also redundancies of critical components in the sub-systems of the aircraft providing safety through redundancy. Having multiple redundant systems on any aircraft decreases having any single point of failure. If there is a complete power failure, the aircraft can land conventionally at an airport or on a road.

Related Aircraft:

• AutoFlight Albatross V400 (production model)
• AutoFlight Carryall V2000CG (production model)
• AutoFlight F240 Hot Wheels (defunct)
• AutoFlight Firefighting (production model)
• AutoFlight Prosperty (production model)
• AutoFlight Prosperity I V1500M (prototype)
• AutoFlight V600 (prototype)
• AutoFlight V880CG (prototype)
• AutoFlight V1000 (prototype)
• AutoFlight V1200 (concept design)

Company Insights:

• Pitchbook
• Crunchbase
• Tracxn

Resources:

• Autoflight website
• Autoflight YouTube Channel
• Autoflight Instagram
• Autoflight LinkedIn
• Vertiflite Article: German Ultralight VTOL Innovations, Ian Frain, Sept/Oct 2016
• Article: Per Flugtaxi an die Weltspitze, OVB Online, July 17, 2018
• Article: AutoFlightX Breaks Cover, Electric VTOL News, Apr. 18, 2019
• Article: Oshkosh e-AirVenture, Vertiflite, Sept/Oct 2019
• Article: AutoFlightX Prepares for Takeoff, Vertiflite, Nov/Dec 2019