Jetson hoverbike flies CEO to work, in world’s 1st eVTOL commute

Jetson CEO flies to work

Jetson Aero – a Swedish company now taking orders for the world’s first personal flying electrical vehicle – reported Friday (June 17, 2022) that the company’s CEO flew the Jetson ONE craft from his home to work. It’s kind of like riding to work on a motorcycle … that flies. The company explained on its Facebook page:

We are incredibly proud to share that after months of rigorous trial and testing we completed the world’s first eVTOL commute.

Co-founder and Jetson ONE inventor Tomasz Patan took what the company said was an historic ride on May 21, 2022. And the company added that Patan reduced his commute time by 88%.

Making everyone a pilot

eVTOL in this case stands for electric vertical take-off and landing. In the video posted on Jetson’s YouTube page, Patan lifts off in the motorcycle-like craft from beside a rural house. He hovers briefly, then zooms out over the wooded area surrounding the home, rustling the treetops with the craft’s wake as he passes.

Jetson Aero co-founders CEO Patan and Peter Ternström said their goal is “to make everyone a pilot.” The company’s website gives more details:

We aim to make the skies available for everyone with our safe personal electric aerial vehicle. Our prototype ‘proof of concept’ was finished in the spring of 2018. And, until now, we have been very busy working on a consumer-friendly version. That project resulted in Jetson ONE, a commercially available personal electric aerial vehicle that you can own and fly.

The company boasts its premiere product is safe for anyone to pilot. The vehicle features eight drone-like propellers in four pairs, and the makers say the craft will stay aloft even if one of them fails. If a pilot does get into serious trouble, the Jetson ONE carries a ballistic parachute. It also features a triple-redundant flight computer, lidar-driven obstacle avoidance and terrain tracking, and a race-car-inspired cockpit.

This could be you! The Jetson ONE hoverbike flying over the landscape. Image via Jetson Aero.

Hoverbike selling out fast!

Is it any wonder? The entire Jetson ONE production for 2022 is already spoken for, with the first two craft earmarked for would-be pilots in San Francisco. Only three vehicles remain unclaimed for the 2023 production run, and they don’t come cheaply. The deposit for a Jetson ONE is $22,000, with another $70,000 due upon delivery.

The Jetson ONE weighs 190 pounds (86 kg) and can carry a pilot weighing as much as 210 pounds (95 kg). The craft’s top speed is limited by the onboard software to 63 mph (102 km/h), and it can stay airborne for 20 minutes, with recharging taking as long as two hours.

New Jetson ONE owners will have to be handy, as the company has taken a page out of the playbook of another Swedish company, IKEA. Like IKEA’s home furnishing items, the Jetson ONE will arrive in parts. Their website says some assembly is required:

The Jetson ONE is delivered to you in a partially assembled state, where you complete the build. No special tools are needed. If you receive your Jetson at lunch, you will be flying before dinner.

Recently, the Jetson Aero announced its CEO had made the world’s first eVTOL commute from his home to work. Image via Jetson Aero.

Bottom line: Jetson Aero’s CEO flew a hoverbike from home to work in the world’s first eVTOL (electric vertical take-off and landing) commute. The Jetson ONE is currently the only flying personal vehicle on the market.

Read: Electric cars need a clean energy source, study suggests

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