Under the strategic partnership, Volatus has become Ace’s ‘preferred infrastructure partner’, which will help the duo to establish a joint business development relationship in the eVTOL market.
The Australian venture, in July 2023, got a USD 250 million order for its flagship personal eVTOL aircraft, the GT Slipstream, from another United States-based prominent eVTOL retailer Aeroauto.
In today’s episode of the ‘Start-up of the Week’, International Finance will talk about Ace VTOL.
Ace VTOL & Plasma-powered Air Transportation
Ace, which has won awards like “Most Innovative eVTOL Aerospace Company 2023”, “Aviation Technology of the Year Award 2022”, “Aviation Design Project of the Year Award 2022” and “Aviation R and D Project Award 2022”, known for designing eVTOLs, with a sharp focus on the reduction of noise, emissions, and energy consumption.
The vehicles’ modular designs and scalable architecture enable easy maintenance, upgrades, and expansions, thereby helping the product to stay future-proof in a dynamic market, where demand and technology, both are changing faster than anyone’s anticipation.
Ace’s eVTOLs also come with competitive pricing and flexible financing options, as each and every vehicle gets manufactured and thoroughly certified by the Australian venture’s experienced and dedicated team of engineers, pilots, and industry experts.
At the heart of these eVTOLs, you have the ‘Arc Reaction Engine’, which is an all-electric vectored thrust advanced fluidics engine, combining heat from a continuous plasma arc into the central inductive airflow for increased thrust performance.
The engine has advanced fluidics, which a ducted rim-driven e-motors, driving high-velocity airflow towards the engine exhaust and ultimately creating a low pressure through the powerplant’s central region.
The engine also comes with an axis tilt for a transition between hover and flight modes, while its electromagnetic design directs the ‘Plasma Induction System’ to follow desired thrust vectors. The whole process also optimizes the performance-to-weight ratio and reduces manufacturing man-hours.
The ARE engine also has three individually powered AC electromagnetic bearing/ e-motors per engine pod, to provide emergency landing power. Also, the powerplant schematics help the battery load to remain at a lower level during take-off and landing, while providing emergency power reserves during the main system failure.
To minimize noise pollution, the engine also has ducted contra-rotational compressors and acoustic lining, apart from incorporating reverse braking scavenge recharging to capture additional energy during vehicle shutdown. Also the ARE system maps and records air quality during each flight, thus delivering jet-like performance without harmful emissions.
An Impressive Product Line-up
Ace’s flagship product is its multifunction airframe called ‘Trinity’, which, apart from accommodating 5-7 passengers, is piloted by an autonomous/remote-piloted mechanism. Trinity, which is suitable for medium to long-range high-speed flights, also comes along with ample cargo space.
Trinity’s cabin also offers spacious legroom and ergonomic seating, apart from being the first eVTOL to accommodate wheelchairs. Ace has customised the same airframe forcargo and ambulance services too, while the private version of the vehicle comes with Ace’s ‘Remote Pilot Subscription’, along with a four-seat luxury cabin, armed with refrigerated minibar, augmented reality-based in-flight entertainment, retractable undercarriage ensures and a life raft.
Next is ‘Slipstream Elite’ for luxury and business travel. This air car is an unparalleled product in the eVTOL market, providing seamless business integration, high speed, and unmatched convenience.
The Elite can switch between high-speed and low-speed flight modes, while possessing the ability to manoeuvre through tight spaces with ease. Also, it needs a small landing footprint (eliminating the need for expansive runways or helipads).
Slipstream Elite also features seamless business integration, enabling its owners to stay connected and productive while on the go. Tools like built-in face ID entry, touch screen, and control panels help passengers to make video calls, and manage their business schedules during the transit.
The final one is Ace’s first retro muscle eVTOL ‘GT Slipstream’, which captures the spirit of classic car racing while integrating the latest advancements in eVTOL technology. The vehicle has a lightweight design to ensure high speed and agility, along with a GT trim that adds to the eVTOL’s overall aesthetics and performance.
GT Slipstream has manual and remote-piloted modes, dual joysticks, a side-by-side seating arrangement for the pilot and co-pilot, an electrochromic roof to reduce cabin brightness and glare, and a safety parachute.
All the above eVTOLs come with the dual redundant SAaS system, which ensures the vehicles’ safety through two independent systems, one for engineering and the other for flight management. The flight management system also uses Blockchain and Holochain technologies to create a tamper-proof record, ensuring that every eVTOL aircraft maintenance and operation adheres to industry standards before every flight.
The eVTOL FMS also optimizes the aircraft’s energy consumption by planning the most efficient routes for each flight, apart from reducing operational costs and increasing profits by optimizing the eVTOL aircraft’s utilization rate. The system also manages large amounts of data generated from each trip, thereby making it easier for operators to manage and track flight performance and airworthiness.
Also, the FMS comes with a monetization feature, where revenue streams can be generated by charging fees for vehicle usage, maintenance, licensing, and certification.
The Road Ahead
The global eVTOL aircraft market size was exhibited at USD 11.15 billion in 2022 and will be around USD 35.79 billion by 2032, growing at a CAGR of 12.37% during the forecast period 2023 to 2032.
“The deployment of air mobility urban aircraft will likely drive the growth of the global market for eVTOL aircraft,” says Ace, as the venture eyes to be an industry force. In fact, Ace taking the game to the next level by progressing into Meta Racing with Boeing-funded Neurobotx, a start-up which is working in the areas of neuroscience, VR, AI and robotics.
“Ace VTOL with Neurobotx will be making every GT Slipstream individually available on this platform to race against our Factory Race Team Barchetta in preparation for simulation training and racing,” the venture commented.