We\u2019re experiencing a myriad of multi-rotors lately, mostly in the vertical lift on demand, sky-taxi\u00a0 category.\u00a0 Workhorse, a company specializing in electric vehicles, has introduced the Surefly, an eight-rotor, hybrid-powered two-seater with actual pilots in mind.\u00a0 Workhorse will reveal the aircraft at the Paris Airshow on July 19, possibly filling in the blanks for the internal-combustion engine and electric motors on the machine.<\/p>\n
The company started with an award-winning conversion of a Pontiac Sky and has leapfrogged into the creation of unique electric vehicles.\u00a0 These include not only Surefly, but \u00a0a hybrid pickup truck, a hybrid medium-duty step van useful for local deliveries, and Horsefly \u2013 an eight-rotor drone capable of delivering 10-pound packages.\u00a0 Horsefly is launched from the step van, especially helpful in rural areas.<\/p>\n
Surefly, as noted, has few listed specifications, but we can guess the 7.5 kilowatt-hour battery packs are Panasonic 18640 units, since the company is partnered with Workhorse and their batteries form the packs on the pickup and the step van.\u00a0 A battery pack and controller at the motor end of each foldable arm enables short cable runs.\u00a0 Full redundancy on each arm will allow continued flight even with the loss of several components.\u00a0 Stephen Burns, CEO of Workhorse, says they decided that there could be no single point of failure that would bring the copter down.\u00a0 That would be a hard landing with the machine\u2019s 1,100 pound \u201ccurb weight\u201d and its 1,500 maximum takeoff weight.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s also set up to enable simple control and safeguard the pilot and passenger.\u00a0 Burns wanted his son to be able to fly Surefly to school and avoid traffic jams along the way.\u00a0 The young man graduated from high school before that became a reality.\u00a0 Still, Burns sees certification possible by 2019, although he admits regulatory hurdles are harder to overcome than technical ones.<\/p>\n