Robathan SAI eVTOL

SAI eVTOL
Fenton Robathan, Industrial Designer
FeralGods Design Company
London, England, United Kingdom
www.feralgods.com

In 2019, Fenton Robathan founded FeralGods Design Company in London which is a design, engineering and fabrication company to develop both electric ground vehicles and electric aircraft, from concept to prototype. Robathan is a 2019 Royal College of Art (London, England) Industrial Design graduate with a Master of Arts (MA) in Intelligent Mobility. While at the university, Fenton succeeded in competitions with companies including Toyota Logistics, Hankook, Nissan, IBDC, Hyundai Kia, the Royal College of Art and also had a sponsorship from Jaguar Land Rover. He is actively looking for funding and can be contacted through his business Contact web page.

Robathan has a strong interest in quiet, compact, modern, functional, visually appealing and clean battery-powered powertrains for electric vehicles due to the technological advances in electric motor technology, battery technology, solar panel technology and also due to the low cost of controllers needed for stabilized flight of electric aircraft. Robathan's goal is to help shape the future of electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft for Urban Air Mobility (UAM) as well as designing electric aircraft for other applications such as air racing, vacation and adventure trips.

The meaning behind the name, FeralGods Design Company, refers to how our ancient ancestors thought that flight could only be accomplished by the gods. Since the eVTOL industry is only in its infancy and because we don't actually know all the incredible ways eVTOL aircraft will flown by pilots or by artificial intelligence (AI), or the vast types of missions they will be used for, Robathan equates the future abilities of eVTOL aircraft and their pilots, to be similar to wild gods.

The "SAI eVTOL" (electric vertical takeoff and landing) concept design is a one passenger medium range tail sitting aircraft for rural and Urban Air Mobility (UAM). For VTOL flight, the aircraft positions its wing, with eight propellers, in the vertical position. For forward flight, the aircraft rotates its wings to the horizontal position. The aircraft has the special feature of being a tail sitter aircraft. Meaning, when the aircraft takeoffs or lands, it actually sits on the rear of its wings.

The passenger pod is counterbalanced to keep the seat horizontal at all times during forward flight, VTOL flight or when on the ground. The aircraft uses disc brakes to mechanically keep the seat in an optimal position and has an ergonomic design for comfort. The passenger may also adjust the angle of the passenger pod based on their own personal preference during any phase of flight. The aircraft also has extra room for a small amount of luggage and personal belongings.

The aircraft can fit in a standard parking space. In addition, when on the ground, the wings can also fold up if necessary, to easily fit in a small space. The aircraft has been designed to make battery swaps easy, allowing almost continuous use of the aircraft during busy flight times. The SAI eVTOL aircraft has the option to be fitted with a fuel cell hybrid-electric powertrain to extend its range.

Specifications:

• Aircraft type: eVTOL aircraft
• Piloting: 1 person
• Cruise speed: Unknown
• Range: Unknown
• Propellers: 8
• Electric Motors: 8 or more
• Power source: Batteries
• Wing span: 4.8 m Wide (15 ft, 9 in) X 1.7 m Height (5 ft, 7 in) X 2 m Length (6 ft, 7 in)
• Fuselage: Carbon fiber
• Windows: Panoramic egg shaped window, allowing forward, left, right, up and down visibility, for spectacular views
• Wings: Mid-wing (rotates for vertical and forward flight). When landed, the wings can also fold up to fit easily in a small space.
• Landing gear: Rear of the wings
• Safety Features: Distributed Electric Propulsion (DEP), provides safety through redundancy for its passengers and/or cargo. DEP means having multiple propellers and motors on the aircraft so if one or more motors or propellers fail, the other working motors and propellers can safely land the aircraft.

Resources:

• FeralGods Design website  
• FeralGods Design Facebook    
• FeralGods Design Instagram 
• FeralGods Design LinkedIn     
• Fenton Robathan Behance website    
• Fenton Robathan Twitter   
• Fenton Robathan LinkedIn  
• Article: Regional Single-Passenger Aircrafts, Trend Hunter, Aug. 23, 2019
• Article: SAI Tailsitter eVTOL Concept by Fenton Robathon, Tuvie, Aug. 23, 2019