Urban eVTOL (UEV), the startup joint venture between Electric Jet Aircraft and Salaff Automotive focusing on more car-like eVTOL (electric vertical takeoff and landing) aircraft, announced that its vision for aerial mobility has won a NASA HeroX award. In addition, the vision’s Leo Coupe eVTOL uses an Electric Jet Aircraft propulsion system backed by a U.S. DARPA (Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency) contract for R&D.

The NASA HeroX challenged creators to map societal, economic, technological, environmental, political, and regulatory trends that will shape the future of aviation. It just so happens that UEV has been at work creating an ecosystem vision for aerial mobility through its Leo Coupe and Vertistop transportation hubs. The DARPA contract is for the electric jetpack designed by Electric Jet Aircraft Founder and UEV Co-founder Pete Bitar that uses clusters of electric jets for lift.

Bitar is also the developer of the VertiPod family of eVTOL aircraft. One of those, the EJ-1, is said to be the world’s first, patented electric jetpack. Another, the VertiCycle, is a flying, electric motorcycle that recently was one of two full-sized aircraft to qualify and compete for the Pratt & Whitney Disruptor Prize, as the first competition in the GoFly Prize. The VertiCycle is also a primary contender for the $1 million, Boeing-sponsored GoFly Grand Prize.

Bitar and Carlos Salaff of Salaff Automotive are the brains behind the Leo Coupe, which the two creators wanted to be more car-like that is typical with more airplane- or helicopter-like eVTOLs.

Salaff penned the “automobile for the sky” around the electric jet propulsion system created by Bitar. He has a lot of experience designing beautiful cars. After graduating from the Art Center College of Design in 2003, Salaff began his career at Mazda’s North American Design Studio where he played design roles in several influential concept and production vehicles including the Nagare and Furai concepts and Mazda 3 and MX-5 production cars. In 2013, he founded Salaff Automotive, and at the 2018 Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance debuted the C2 supercar concept vehicle.

Bitar and Salaff formed UEV in the spring of 2020 during the coronavirus pandemic “with great hope and optimism for a bright future.” They imagined a near future where society transitions from a ground-mobility culture to a sky-faring one, where life on the ground and in the air becomes “greener, less stressful, and more peaceful for all.”

The joint venture is also based on their belief that a massive leap could and should be made in the design of eVTOLs. The compact, shrouded, and redundant electric jet propulsion system is a key enabler of the compact forms of the Leo Coupe and Lynx cargo drone.

The three-seat Leo Coupe is more compact than most eVTOLs at just 10 x 20 ft (3 x 6 m) and can fit in most two-car garages. Its size enables it to be privately owned, used as an air taxi, and especially where space is limited and ground infrastructure is underdeveloped or nonexistent. Using a fuselage of carbon-fiber-composite, it can fly at up to 250 mph (402 km/h), as long as 75 min with reserves, and has a long maximum range of about 300 mi (482 km).

The propulsion system’s clusters of electric jets enable safety through redundancy. Shrouded within its wings are non-exposed rotors, eliminating danger to those around the vehicle. According to a New Atlas article, the aircraft will have 16 VTOL ducted fans, six of which are for forward flight.

Gull-wing doors provide access to an airy cabin with seating for three adults including the pilot. Until fully autonomous tech is mature, the company believes that an experienced human pilot should be on board for added safety and security. Easy-to-learn semi-autonomous controls are said to simplify flying.

The pilot’s seat “floats” above a see-through floor, enhancing “the exhilaration of flight” for the passengers behind. During flights, passengers can benefit from the aircraft’s 5G connected system. They can check into a hotel, finish a document, arrange connecting travel, or just enjoy the sweeping views while relaxing on the way to their next destination.

The Leo Coupe’s compactness allows it to be accessible from most places and spaces as a primary air-taxi use case. The company is targeting single-ride costs to be comparable to those of leading automotive ridesharing.

The aircraft’s small size makes it suitable for fire rescue, medevac, Coast Guard, tourism, exploration, and most any terrain without developed road infrastructure. Its size also enables flexibility in locating the easy-to-build Vertistop hubs, which can be deployed on existing urban rooftops or for transportation hubs not only for the Leo but also for parking and charging electric cars. Rather than create costly, large, new infrastructure, the company believes its approach will make the growth of eVTOL networks more rapid, less expensive, and more ecological.

For the cargo drone version of the platform called the Lynx, it has a simple and rapid rear-loading cargo system. Its minimal flying wing design lowers weight and produces higher speeds compared with non-winged drone types.

The Lynx shares its efficient, shrouded, and compact propulsion system with the Leo Coupe manned aircraft, allowing safer entry to places/spaces that may be difficult to navigate with large, open propellers. Its compact 18 x 20 ft (5.5 x 6 m) dimensions give it a wide range of useful service areas, allowing takeoffs and landings in tight spots. At the same height as a standard Humvee, the Lynx is said to allow for cargo loading at a comfortable height.