Yee Flying Car (concept design)
Yee Flying Car (concept design)
Pan Jiazhi, Zhu Wenxi and Lai Zexin
South China University of Technology
Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
The Yee flying car was designed in 2010 by industrial design students Pan Jiazhi, Zhu Wenxi and Lai Zexin at the South China University of Technology (SCUT) in Guangzhou, China. The flying car won the Gold Award for Best Creative Future at the First International Concept Car Design Contest in Beijing, China. The team of students designed an electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) flying and roadable vehicle for advanced air mobility (AAM) before the terms eVTOL and AAM came into existence.
The Yee Flying Car was designed as a one passenger long range eVTOL flying and roadable vehicle designed specifically for the single professional who lives far from a sprawling urban area and needs to commute to the city during the work week. The eVTOL flying car uses two propellers in the rear of the aircraft for forward flight and has one main high wing to keep the aircraft aloft. In fact, the wing has an advanced forward-swept wing design for high maneuverability when in flight. There is a canopy over the cockpit allowing spectacular views while in the air or when driving on the road.
For road travel, the high main forward-swept wing folds parallel to the fuselage and act as outriggers to steer the vehicle. When the wing is folded, the rear portion of the wing is positioned close to the ground and there are small wheels inside the rear wing so the vehicle can be steered by the wings. The propeller guards have tire trend on the outside of the guards allowing the vehicle to drive on the road. When the propeller/wheel assembly is parallel to the fuselage, the vehicle is ready for road travel.
The propellers are made of several parts. There are six propellers connected with an outer rim, there is a structurally strong wheel rim and then there is a no-flat tire which is on the outside of the wheel rim. All of these parts fit together making the propeller assembly. The electric motors are in the center of the propeller/wheel assembly. There is a boom that attaches to the outside center of the rim allowing the propellers to be positioned for flight or driving mode. The tail of the aircraft has two horizontal stabilizers.
The aircraft has aviation lighting, road front headlights and tail lights. The designers foresaw the importance of building vertiports that have solar panels to charge the vehicle's batteries.
Specifications:
- Aircraft type: Roadable eVTOL passenger vehicle concept design
- Piloting: 1 pilot
- Propellers: 2 propellers
- Electric motors: 2 electric motors (possibly 4 more electric motors for the wings and propellers to fold in and out from the fuselage)
- Power source: Batteries
- Fuselage: Carbon fiber composite
- Window: Canopy over cockpit
- Wings: 1 main high forward-swept wing
- Tail: 2 horizontal stabilizers
- Landing gear: Retractable wheeled landing gear.
- Road travel: For road travel, the high forward-swept wing folds down and small wheels are located on the road edge of the wing. The rear two propellers fold parallel to the fuselage and the outside rim of the propellers is the tire tread.
- 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 of critical components in the sub-systems of the aircraft.
Resources:
- Article: YEE Has Been Designed To Make Your Dream Of A Flying Car Come True, Tuvie, 2010
- Article: The YEE Flying Car is a Futuristic Car For City Dwellers, Trend Hunter, May 26, 2010
- Article: The YEE flying car concept, New Atlas, May 28, 2010
- Article: YEE: Concept flying car for the future speedsters, Luxury Launches, May 28, 2010
- Article: YEE – Concept Flying Car no Longer Just a Dream, Extravaganzi, May 30, 2010
- Article: YEE flying car concept is a new paradigm for future transportation, Spicytec, July 2010
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