Alaka’i: Taxi drone Skai flies with hydrogen

To Audi and Porsche is too BMW in the development of a air taxis boarded. Together with a US company, one has emerged with an unusual drive.

June 5, 2019, 5:23 pm,
Werner Pluta

Flight taxi Skai: refueled in less than ten minutes
(Image: Alaka’i)

Taxi drones with electric drive There are now many, But Skai of the US startup Alaka’i differs from the others by his drive.

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skai is a hexacopter that accommodates five inmates. Each of the six rotors is powered by a 100 kilowatt (kW) electric motor. These are not powered by batteries but by three fuel cells. This increases the range of the aircraft: Skai can stay in the air for up to four hours. Most of the aircraft with battery manage less than an hour.

With the flight duration also the range increases: Skai is to fly up to 640 kilometers far. For comparison: from Hamburg to Munich it is as the crow flies about 610 kilometers, from Berlin to Munich just over 500 kilometers. According to the manufacturer, distances between 16 and 240 kilometers are ideal. The maximum speed of the aircraft should be 190 kilometers per hour, the cruising speed almost 140 kilometers per hour.

Hydrogen is used as fuel for the fuel cells. Skai will give it in two variants – with a 200 liter and a 400 liter tank. To fill the tank should take less than ten minutes.

Skai is designed to fly autonomously. For safety’s sake, a pilot should initially be on board. Other security mechanisms include that Skai can land safely even if two rotors fail the service. In the event that more engines fail, Skai is equipped with a parachute, on which the air taxi can float to the ground.

Skai was developed by Alaka’i Technologies, a startup from the US state of Massachusetts. Founders include former US Air Force and Space Administration (NASA), aerospace companies Airbus and Boeing, and the US Department of Defense. The Munich-based car manufacturer BMW also participated in the development through the subsidiary Designworks. The competitors Audi and Porsche also work on such aircraft.

The first flight test could be held soon, according to Alak’i.