Workhorse shows electric pickup truck and helicopter in Manhattan

Workhorse, with its 120 employees, hopes to beat the bigger players to market.

I wasn't entirely sure what I was expecting an electric helicopter to look like, but what I found waiting for me at New York's Flyron Plaza was not. It wasn't because it didn't look like a helicopter; to some extent it did. It just looked more like a drastically oversized throttle with seats.

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Workhorse, the company that makes the helicopter, hasn't let anyone move into the hardware, which is still undergoing testing by the FAA. But company CEO Steve Burns was there to talk about the "helicopter," which is called SureFly. And, for good measure, he also showed off an electric pickup that runs less than the dramatic W-15 monitor.

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If pickup trucks and helicopters seem largely unrelated, that's only because they're at opposite extremes of the company's business interests. Workhorse is currently building vans to deliver electricity, and is testing one with a drone-based delivery system integrated into the roof of a van. (During our conversation, Burns mused about the possibility of using the drone to deliver burgers from a nearby Shake Shack to a 25th-floor terrace in one of the buildings that overlook the plaza.) Either way, both suit the company's interests.

Are they up?

But a helicopter is a bigger step than a drone. "Why now?" asked Burns, ignoring the obvious question. "The buildings are there." In fact, the helicopter and pickup's power systems are based on identical principles - ones that have reached the mass market in forms like the Chevy Volt. Although the chopper is electric, it is not battery-powered. Instead, the battery acts as an emergency aid in the event of a failure of its main source of electrons, a small diesel generator.

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This approach is what allows SureFly to achieve much longer flight times than helicopters with all batteries, which typically max out at around 20 minutes. SureFly can stay in the air for about an hour. The electric power system also allows the helicopter to lose its large central blades and tail rotors, while gaining a four-armed, throttle-like configuration that ends with two oppositely rotating propellers.

Burns told Ars that the onboard electronics in the helicopter could control each of the propellers individually and make adjustments thousands of times per second. This is what allows SureFly to remain stable even if there is a heavy pilot on one side and no passenger on the other, forcing the pilot's propellers to work much harder. The configuration also gives some redundancy, as Burns said the SureFly can still fly after losing one propeller on hand.

Reverse rotation also cancels the forces generated by the rapidly rotating blades, which eliminates the need for a tail rotor (Burns said getting rid of the tail can reduce overall power consumption by up to 20%). To spin or rotate horizontally, controllers simply slow down one set of blades and speed up the other, generating forces that flip the SureFly around.

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While the electronics are quite sophisticated, the control systems are relatively minimalist. There is nothing like the wall of gauges found in traditional aircraft. In fact, there is nothing in front of the pilot. The cockpit only has seats, a traditional stick control, and a tablet. Minimalism is one of the things that keeps the SureFly under 800 lbs (1,700 kg), which in turn allows for up to 180 lbs of payload, whether that be people or baggage.

Down to Earth

W-15 is at the other end of Workhorse's interests and it is aimed directly at the mainstream. Burns pointed out that pickup trucks are the top selling vehicle type in the U.S. and there is no electric pickup on the market yet. Workhorse decided to bring a proven approach to the W-15: enough battery to last 80-100 miles on electricity alone and a small gasoline engine that can drive a generator to extend its range indefinitely. Workhorse sourced the engine from BMW and the batteries from Panasonic.

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Like the SureFly, the W-15 is all carbon fiber, making it lightweight. But that doesn't mean it can't get heavy; it can handle over 1,100 lbs (2,500 kg) of cargo and can tow over 2,700 lbs (6,000 kg).

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Right now, Workhorse is hoping to sell those trucks to companies with large fleets (Burns said Duke Energy is an early buyer). Avoiding the consumer market allows them to keep things simple, offering only one color and options. Despite having only 120 employees right now, Burns says Workhorse intends to be able to produce 30 of the pickups per day by the end of next year. Helicopter production will have to wait for FAA approval.

Source: HERE

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