Terrafugia TF-2 Tiltrotor (defunct)
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TF-2 Tiltrotor
Terrafugia
Woburn, Massachusetts, USA
www.terrafugia.com
https://terrafugia.com/tf-2/
The TF-2 Tiltrotor is a vectored thrust Vertical Take-Off and Landing (VTOL) aircraft which will transport exchangeable passenger and cargo pods that become the underside of its fuselage.
The Tiltrotor is fixed wing with two wide diameter propellers that tilt vertically for ascent and descent and it uses tractor propellers in flight mode. The electric motors are roughly in the center of each wing and the outboard wing tilts with the rotors. Adjustable height landing gear are aft of the motors and on the down facing rudder. The TF-2 Tiltrotor has a speed of 315 km/h and a range of roughly 500 km with its maximum payload of 500 kg. It will be autonomous but will have a pilot in the permanent cockpit.
The vehicle would carry and swap out streamlined pods that make up a lower fuselage. These pods could carry up to four passengers or cargo. While landed custom trucks (originally hybrid but ultimately fully electric like the TF) with an automated loading and unloading system and carrying pods behind their cabs would exchange pods with the aircraft within two minutes. With the quick transition and no passengers loading or unloading the cost to operate the vehicle is estimated at $400 hr.
Terrafugia achieved widespread publicity after its first aircraft in 2009; the fixed-wing Terrafugia Transition was billed as “the world’s first practical flying car”. In late 2017 Terrafugia was acquired by the Chinese company Zhejiang Geely, which also owns the Volvo and Lotus car brands. This injected new capital into the Transition production, allowing acceleration in the company's eVTOL development. The company is studying two competing concepts under the designation of TF-2. These two different designs are a Vectored Thrust Tiltrotor model and a Lift + Cruise model. Both are considered to be compatible with the Uber Elevate concept.
This concept was abandoned in summer 2018 in favor of the TF-2 Lift+Push approach now being pursued. For more information on Terrafugia's other aircraft, please see the Terrafugia TF-X, Terrafugia TF-2, and Terrafugia TF-2A aircraft pages.
/both.png "Terrafugia TF-2 Tiltrotor and Lift + Push")
/tf2-v2-lift-push-and-truck-angle-2_1_orig.png "TF-2 (Lift + Push) and Truck")
Proposed Specifications:
| Configuration | Tiltrotor | |
| Passengers | 4 | |
| Maximum takeoff weight | 7500-8000 lb
3400-3630 kg |
|
| Payload with 30 min fuel res | 900-1100 lb
410-500 kg |
|
|
Max cruise speed |
170-180 kts
315-333 km/h |
|
|
Range at max payload |
240-300 nm
445-555 km |
|
| Cost per flight hour | $380-$420 | |
Flight Simulation:
[embed]http://videos.weebly.com/uploads/4/0/5/9/4059119/tf2_v2_edit06_tilt_946.mp4[/embed]
Company Insights:
Resources:
- Website: Terrafugia TF-2
- Article: The Demand for On-Demand Mobility, Vertiflite, Jan 2017
- Article: Air Mobility Bonanza Beckons Electric VTOL Developers, Vertiflite, March 2017
- Article: Terrafugia Acquired, eVTOL News, August 23, 2017
- Press Release: Terrafugia Inc: 100-Day Update Since Acquisition by Zhejiang Geely Holding Group, Terrafugia, February 28, 2018
- Article: Terrafugia Unveils New TF-2, eVTOL News, January 2, 2019
- Article: Geely Unveils Terrafugia TF-2A, eVTOL News, January 9, 2020
- Article: Terrafugia Flies Subscale TF-2A, eVTOL News, March 2, 2020
