V.MO Sky Garden (full scale mockup)

V.MO Sky Garden (full scale mockup)
Volkswagen Group China
Beijing, China
www.volkswagengroupchina.com.cn

The Volkswagen Group China was founded in 1984 and is headquared in Beijing, China. In 2020, Volkswagen Group China established a Vertical Mobibility project to develop sustainable electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) passenger aircraft to improve personal mobility for urban, rural and offshore areas. The company's development mission is "In China, for China".

On July 27, 2022, Volkswagen Group China unveiled it's first eVTOL prototype aircraft named the V.MO Prototype 001.

The Volkswagen Group China revealed on March 23, 2023, the V.MO Sky Garden eVTOL passenger aircraft, a full scale mock-up. The aircraft holds four passengers, has 10 propellers, has 10 electric motors, has tandem high wings, a contoured fuselage and has fixed skid-type landing gear. The aircraft has an estimated range of 200 km (124 miles) with a flight time of 60 minutes. The aircraft might be planned to be both manually piloted or flown autonomously. The aircraft has one large forward window, two wide large windows on the side of the aircraft and a sun roof. The interior of the aircraft is quite modern providing a relaxing atmosphere for passengers. The colors of the exterior of the aircraft include black, green (almost a sage green) and white.

There are eight dedicated VTOL propellers located on two booms that are parallel to the fuselage and are attached to the wings. There are two rear pusher propellers dedicated for forward flight and have no protective shielding. On one of the drawings of one of the company's earlier prototypes, the two rear pusher propellers have protective shielding. The rear wing has winglets and are shaped differently than the V.MO Flying Tiger (Prototype 1). The fixed skid landing gear is also shaped differently than the Flying Tiger (Prototype 1) aircraft. All propellers can turn independently of each other providing excellent maneuvering in calm to gusty winds.

In 2023, the company plans to perform more in-depth flight testing with their prototype aircraft. The company plans to market their aircraft to high net-worth customers for urban air taxi services.

Specifications:

• Aircraft type: eVTOL flying prototype passenger aircraft
• Piloting: Remote or autonomous. The production aircraft will be fully autonomous.
• Capacity: 4 passengers
• Range: 200 km (124 miles).
• Flight time: 60 minutes
• Propellers: 10 propellers (8 VTOL propellers, 2 pusher propellers)
• Electric motors: 10 electric motors
• Power source: Swappable battery packs
• Fuselage: Carbon fiber composite
• Windows: 1 large forward window and 2 long and tall side windows and a sun roof, for spectacular views for the passengers
• Wings: Tandem high-wings
• Landing gear: Fixed skid-type 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:

• V.MO - Flying Tiger (Prototype 1)

Company Insights:

• Crunchbase
• RocketReach
• Tracxn

Resources:

• Volkswagen Group China website
• Volkswagen Group China LinkedIn
• Volkswagen Group China Wikipedia
• JAC Motors Wikipedia
• Article: Meet the V.MO – Volkswagen Group China unveils state-of-the-art passenger drone prototype, Volkswagen Group News, July 27, 2022
• Article: Volkswagen China unveils flying vehicle prototype V.MO, joins XPeng's exploration of air mobility, CNEVPOST, July 27, 2022
• Article: Volkswagen Group China Unveils its ‘Flying Tiger' Electric Vertical Take-Off and Landing (eVTOL) Passenger Aircraft Prototype, FutureCar, July 27, 2022
• Article: VW Becomes Latest Carmaker To Enter Advanced Air Mobility Market with eVTOL Aircraft Plans, Future Flight, July 27, 2022
• Article: VW Group China presents prototype of eVTOL aircraft, Gasgoo, July 27, 2022
• Article: Volkswagen launches eVTOL dubbed Flying Tiger in China, Electrive, July 28, 2022
• Article: The story of the ‘Flying Tiger’, Volkswagen Group China, July 29, 2022
• Article: Volkswagen Group China unveils its first eVTOL passenger drone prototype: V.MO, Green Car Congress, July 30, 2022
• Article: Volkswagen joins the eVTOL race with new ‘Flying Tiger’ aircraft, eVTOL Magazine, Aug. 2, 2022
• Video: V.MO, Volkswagen Group China, Mar. 23, 2023