Eight months ago, Zeva Aero conducted groundbreaking flight tests of an electric flying saucer that will warm the hearts of any sci-fi fan. Now, the Tacoma, Washington-based startup has changed the design⁠ — Zeva’s Z2 looks more real, although he doesn’t look like a UFO.

“It’s not just science fiction,” says Zeva CEO Stephen Tibbitts.

Tibbitts explains what’s changed since January and why in the latest episode of the Fiction Science podcast, which focuses on the intersection of science and fiction.

The company’s first full-scale prototype, known as Zeva Zero, was developed to compete in the GoFly Prize, a $2 million competition for single-seater flying machines.

After Zeva put the Zero through its first untethered flight tests in a meadow south of Seattle, Tibbitts and his team decided to change things up for the Z2. “We’re working on something that we think will solve some of the problems Zero has,” he says.

Zeva’s Z2 goals are basically the same as for Zero. That is, to create a flying vehicle that takes off and lands vertically and circles for horizontal forward flight. One person can fly 50 miles, and he can reach a top speed of 160 miles per hour.

The streamlined Z2 design retains the look of a flying saucer, but calls for larger, more efficient propellers mounted in four large motor pods. Zeva will also incorporate the latest battery technology. The new design may not comply with his GoFly Prize design specs, but it offers better stability during takeoff.

“We don’t have a prototype yet,” says Tibbitts. “We’re working on it. We have quite a few CADs. [computer-aided design] Work before demolition. But once you cut out the molds and start making composite parts, it should go pretty fast. ”

Zeva aims to have the Z2 prototype available for testing later this year.

Tibbitts is proud of what his team has accomplished since the company was founded in 2017. So far, Zeva has raised more than $200,000 from his founders, friends and family, plus equity in his crowdfunding campaign. Tibbitts said the company now has six “semi-full-time” employees and 25 of his experts close by for advice.

“What’s amazing about Zeva is that they built more than 4.5 100% full-scale flight prototypes on a budget of $700,000,” says Tibbitts. Zeva is currently gearing up for a multi-million dollar Series A funding round.

Will Zeva be able to keep up with the big companies that are also working on electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) vehicles? Will there be companies like Bell, Joby Aviation and Boeing-backed Wisk Aero? said it could occupy a niche in

“A lot of it has to do with concentration,” he says. “We are focused on getting technology into the hands of people who just want to fly. Other companies are focused on urban air mobility. I believe it has a wide range of uses in

In Tibbitts’ view, initial applications may include providing rapid-response aircraft to first responders and law enforcement officers. He also notes that the U.S. military is considering his eVTOL for a variety of uses.

“If you look at what the Navy wants, they want small, compact aircraft that can take off on their own,” says Tibbitts. “They want to be able to store these containers on container ships … and then launch them so they can be moved from ship to shore or from ship to ship to supply goods. We want it to be, not necessarily with people around.”

After Zeva understands the design, the business plan should probably set up a pilot production line in the Puget Sound area. “I would boldly say that this could also be the home of the future Gigafactory, in that if we follow the Tesla model, we can set the elements to break these things down and make a lot of them.” Tibbitz says.

Zeva will have an initial price tag of $250,000.

“I think we have a margin at that price,” says Tibbitts. “But ultimately we also want to bring the cost down to something that is achievable for consumers in five, six, seven years. So buy a Lamborghini or buy a Zeba. , you can choose between

Tibbitts credits his inspiration to sci-fi flying cars, dating back to the bubble car featured in The Jetsons and the magnetic air car that appeared in Dick Tracy’s comic strips from the 1960s. But he says the actual flying machines slated to emerge in the coming decades will look quite different.

“I think the ultimate goal for the next 20 years is to combine eVTOL technology with high-speed cross-country travel,” says Tibbitts. “Everyone wants a business jet that can take off and land vertically, and indeed there is Air Force research underway in that area.”

In February, the Air Force selected 11 companies to push high-speed eVTOL concepts. One of those companies is Jetoptera, which is based in Edmonds, Washington. Another company on the list, VerdeGo Aero, was co-founded by aviation pioneer Charles his Lindbergh’s grandson, Bainbridge Island resident Eric Lindbergh.

The Zeva may not have been on the Air Force’s list this time around, but Tibbitts clearly has high-speed flying in its sights. “It’s the next big step, to have a machine that can take off and land virtually anywhere, but also go very quickly to its destination at 300 miles per hour or more,” he says. .

So, if Zeva has been in business long enough, make a note of the Z10’s passing skies.

Check out the original version of this item in the Cosmic Log for Tibbitts’ best recommendations for transcendence sci-fi. Also stay tuned for upcoming episodes of the Fiction Science Podcast by Anchor, Apple, Google, Overcast, Spotify, Breaker, Pocket Casts, Radio Public and Reason.