Toyota invests $394m in Joby Aviation's flying taxis

Post by malandrew » Thu, Jan 16, 2020, 3:07 AM UTC

OnlineGladiator wrote: post #15

robotresearcher wrote: post #13

Earlier quoted context omitted.

They aim to be much cheaper to run. Helicopters are mechanically complex so require a lot of maintenance, and have multiple single points of failure so you can’t skip the maintenance, and are demanding to learn to fly. The hourly rate of a helicopter is high. Electric motors are simple and reliable and all these companies use multiples so have some redundancy. Multi-rotors require computer control for stability. With…

Sure, they're trying to make it cheaper. But all of the eVTOL designs I've seen can't autorotate, making them much less safe (contrary to your implication about redundancy). Everything I've seen about this space is people with big checks trying to cut corners to enter a new market, and it seems ripe to fail much like the 737-MAX. https://www.forbes.com/sites/jeremybogaisky/2019/12/01/insid... And that's ignoring all…

Post by OnlineGladiator » Thu, Jan 16, 2020, 3:12 AM UTC

malandrew wrote: post #21

OnlineGladiator wrote: post #15

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Sure, they're trying to make it cheaper. But all of the eVTOL designs I've seen can't autorotate, making them much less safe (contrary to your implication about redundancy). Everything I've seen about this space is people with big checks trying to cut corners to enter a new market, and it seems ripe to fail much like the 737-MAX. https://www.forbes.com/sites/jeremybogaisky/2019/12/01/insid... And that's ignoring all…

What makes you think people aren't working on all the problems you think they are ignoring? I personally know at least one person working each and every one of the problems you mentioned.

Post by leeoniya » Thu, Jan 16, 2020, 3:17 AM UTC

imposterr wrote: post #5

joshribakoff wrote: post #3

Earlier quoted context omitted.

From what I gather most companies in the space plan to land and take off from rooftops. That leaves a lot more options for stations and edges connecting them leading to a denser network than something like a subterranean train which requires dedicated stations with tunnels in between them

There's actually examples of this in the world now. In São Paulo, the rich take helicopters between buildings [1]. [1] https://www.theguardian.com/world/2008/jun/20/brazil

Post by duxup » Thu, Jan 16, 2020, 3:30 AM UTC

freepor wrote: post #6

the_duke wrote: post #2

There are a lot of companies working on "flying taxis". All of those seem to have a large footprint with lots of rotors, meaning they will need dedicated landing/take off zones. This seems to limit their usability a lot, turning them more into a short range point to point helicopter service. Not to mention the noise pollution. Those things are all loud. Combine that with limited speed and range, and I just don't see…

The people with the money for these have the political power to force others to deal with the noise. Already, helicopters have remarkably few restrictions. If you can afford one, you can fly it almost anywhere you want.

Post by ianai » Thu, Jan 16, 2020, 3:35 AM UTC

darkteflon wrote: post #26

This is pretty much everything you need to know about Toyota - everything you need to know about corporate Japan - wrapped up neatly in one anecdote. Toyota can’t make a plug-in electric car to save themselves but for white elephants like flying cars and smart cities they are all in.