Development of Airbus’ air taxi could accelerate

The European maker has disclosed who will be supplying the electrical power system and cockpit design for their eVTOL prototype. Eaton and Crouzet were awarded the contracts for these two key parts, which should speed up the development of the CityAirbus NextGen vehicle. The European manufacturer has picked Crouzet, a seasoned company, to construct the cockpit design and air taxi control equipment.

The unique design allows the pilot to only set the flight path instead of controlling the vehicle’s position. The sophisticated flight control system adjusts the electric motor power accordingly. The pilot still has the option to switch between autopilot and manual flight mode.

Eaton’s role is to effectively distribute the power from Airbus’s battery to the 8 electric engines of the air taxi. The integrated electric powertrain solution ensures the aircraft can continue flying safely even if the battery performance decreases during flight.

Source: Airbus