All body panels were wet laminated, and vacuum consolidated using female moulds to provide the optimum surface finish.ĮNATA chose Sicomin’s advanced epoxy laminating systems for the structure of the Antelope, combining excellent mechanical performance with optimised processing characteristics. The internal structure is made up of sandwich panels using carbon fiber fabrics and a nomex honeycomb core material. This carbon fabric is built up from uni directional layers at different orientations using 2 to 3 layers of 30 grs, depending on the areas. The external surface sandwich panels were moulded from low-density PEI foam and ultra-thin biax carbon fiber non crimp fabric. The company used its robotic milling capability to rapidly mill a set of 32 moulds that were used to manufacture the car body. ![]() Within the challenging deadline of 60 days, ENATA Aerospace delivered the Antelope which is 2.5m long, 1.5m wide and has a full carbon fiber frame with a body weight of only 9 kgs.ĮNATA’s philosophy is defined by high performance, and to achieve this across all their applications - from advanced aerial vehicles, to powerboats and cutting-edge architectural projects – designs are underpinned by advanced composites technology. ENATA Aerospace’s interactive customer progress report system provided daily updates allowing the graduates to monitor the manufacturing process. The company used ultra-light aerospace materials and techniques to meet the highest quality and tolerancing standards, and to keep the weight to an absolute minimum. The achieved speed will then generate lift from the body of the car and the Antelope will continue to fly like an airplane. The Antelope is expected to make its inaugural flight in eight to ten weeks.ĮNATA Aerospace – well known for its advanced unmanned aerial vehicles, radio-controlled planes and multicopters - was selected by the RCA graduates to build the ½ scale demonstrator in-house at their facilities in Sharjah, UAE. This will be followed by a transition to tilted fans. The next step will be to take off like a helicopter. The flying car initially demonstrates the ability to hover and tilt to achieve forward motion. This year’s graduates designed the Antelope: a one-seat, carbon fiber, multi-rotor flying vehicle. The London-based Master of Arts course attracts designers from across the globe and reflects a world that increasingly requires vehicles to connect, share, electrify and become autonomous. Sicomin has worked with ENATA since 2016 and was the natural choice when it came to the selection of epoxy resins for this exciting project. The Antelope was designed by graduates of the Royal College of Art Intelligent Mobility program who chose ENATA Aerospace, UAE to manufacture this innovative flying car concept. Flying vehicles are being developed all around the world and could become the future of urban transport. I doubt this will help.The Antelope flying car with its sleek, futuristic design looks like something out of a science fiction movie, but the concept is far less pie-in-sky than several decades ago. Car use already shapes our cities and the locations of shops and leisure at the detriment of city-centres and to the exclusion of those that don’t drive. In that respect this isn’t progress towards a lower consumption future, even if they are battery-electric. “It is just an issue of physics that flying must use more energy than surface transport. We spoke to Dr Gary Fuller, air pollution scientist from King’s College London and author of the Invisible Killer. The vehicle will be quickly and easily rechargeable, taking around 5-7 minutes to charge during peak hours.ĭespite these sustainable claims, some scientists are still sceptical. ![]() Distributed propulsion describes the flight system in place to increase performance in fuel efficiency and emissions, as well as a reduction in noise. In order to reduce carbon emissions, Hyundai has ensured that the flying car will be 100% electric, utilising ‘distributed electric propulsion’. A map made by the World Air Quality Index displays the pollution in a visual way, which helps us understand the severity of the problem. The alarming statistics also show that, of a survey of 4300 cities worldwide, only 20% of urban populations live in areas that comply with WHO air quality guidelines. The World Health Organisation reports that some 3.8 million premature deaths are attributed to outdoor (ambient) air pollution every year. The Hyundai S-A1 AFP Forum What about air pollution?
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