South African urban air mobility (UAM) startup Pegasus Universal Aerospace, founded in 2012, has an interesting electric vertical take-off & landing (eVTOL) aircraft that can also operate as an electric conventional take-off & landing (eCTOL) airplane.
The hybrid turboshaft/electric-powered Pegasus One VTOL is branded by the company as the “Vertical Business Jet.”
So far, Pegasus is aiming for a 2,300 hp turboshafts and electric motors. Designed to carry 6 to 8 people, it has a 4,400 km (2,375 nm, 2,733 miles) of range taking off from a runway or 2,124 km (1,146 nm, 1,319 miles) if taking off in VTOL mode.
This is enough to cruise at around 800 km/h (430 knots, 500 miles).
The other good news is that the aircraft can access difficult areas where noise ordinances are stricter. In these cases, the Pegasus One VTOL will use its electrical power during takeoff and landing to further lower its noise footprint.
The company is selecting key suppliers for avionics, its retractable landing gear, and motors. So far, GE Aviation is the choice.
Asia is particularly a good market for eVTOL aircraft and UAM. The rising number of high-net-worth individuals and the limited air mobility infrastructure makes an aircraft capable of landing anywhere a helicopter can, but with increased range and speed very appealing.
Reference- Clean Technica, Pegasus website, eVTOL news website