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Aston Martin Volante Vision Concept Is the DB for the Skies

The Farnborough Airshow is one of the biggest events of the European aerospace industry. But aside for aircraft manufacturers, carmakers are bringing their ideas to the show as well.
Aston Martin Volante Vision Concept 16 photos
Photo: Aston Martin
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Whereas Rolls-Royce came to the show with the EVTOL concept, Aston Martin is betting on the Volante Vision Concept, another vertical take-off and landing vehicle that might take to the skies above cities in the decades ahead. In fact, the Aston VTOL has been created with the help of Rolls-Royce.

The Volante is big enough to accommodate three people and is meant to address the increasingly demanding mobility in crowded urban areas.

“Humans have always spent on average, one hour commuting to and from work,” said in a statement Andy Palmer, Aston Martin CEO. “The distance we live from our workplace has been determined by the methods of transportation available.”

“The Volante Vision Concept will enable us to travel further with our hourly commute, meaning we are able to live further away from where we work.”

There are no technical specs made available by Aston Martin, which limits itself at saying this VTOL is a flying autonomous hybrid-electric vehicle for urban and inter-city air travel.

What is known is that the concept has been designed by Aston Martin and is envisioned to be powered by some type of Rolls-Royce powertrain. For its VTOL, which we detailed here, Rolls-Royce uses the M250 gas turbine, one of the most successful Rolls-Royce engine for aviation.

This unit is paired with six electric propulsors and a battery pack. In the Rolls machine, the combo provides speeds of up to 250 mph (402 km/h) and a range of 500 miles (805 km).

It is very unlikely, due to a million of factors, VTOLs will become a viable means of transportation during our lifetime, despite claims made by companies like Uber. But half a century or more from now, urban transportation might look entirely different.
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About the author: Daniel Patrascu
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Daniel loves writing (or so he claims), and he uses this skill to offer readers a "behind the scenes" look at the automotive industry. He also enjoys talking about space exploration and robots, because in his view the only way forward for humanity is away from this planet, in metal bodies.
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