XTI Aircraft TriFan 600 Picks Up 60 Orders

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As a followup to a vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) company we covered a little while back, XTI Aircraft announced another more pre-orders for its 60 TriFan. After a good showing in Florida and extra orders coming in from the superyacht community, the total is up to 60, and counting.

XTI Aircraft TriFan 600

XTI Aircraft Announces 60 TriFan 600 Order

Things are definitely looking good for XTI Aircraft. Its TriFan 600 VTOL is finding even more interest. Last time we wrote about it, though, we didn’t have a figure for the total number of pre-orders. Now we do. The company just announced a total of 60 pre-orders.

The company reported that after displaying its 60 More XTI Aircraft TriFan 600 OrdersTriFan 600 at the Ft. Lauderdale International Boat Show from November 1–5, 2017, the superyacht community was so impressed it decided to add to the pre-order tally, bringing it up to a symbolic but also impressive 60 orders. To be clear, these orders are from a pre-sales program. Tesla would call them reservations.

The surge in interest leading up to and following the Florida boat show also included several more large investors jumping in.

Robert LaBelle, Chief Executive Officer of XTI, was enthusiastically quoted as saying: “Owners and builders of yachts with landing pads, as well as this entire community, have embraced the TriFan. … At the Ft. Lauderdale show and in the days following, we’ve now surpassed 60 orders for the aircraft.” We can understand why.

The Superyacht Community Loves VTOLs — Makes Sense

The superyacht community certainly has the means and the potential use for a VTOL. The ability to travel the globe and keep one onboard to fly to a final destination certainly makes some strategic sense. For instance, the harbors of Nice, Antibes, and Cannes in the south of France have increased their docking fees, sometimes doubling or in some cases even tripling them. This chased away a few potential clients who anchored off-sea instead. A VTOL that can be deployed from afar would certainly help this nagging problem. Once arriving near their destination, the XTI Aircraft TriFan 600 could easily bring a small party to the local airport or land on a private residence helicopter pad.

Ah, first-world problems and possibilities!

XTI Aircraft TriFan 600

Nonetheless, the VTOL market continues to develop and potential buyers seem to recognize its value. XTI Aircraft is appealing to this specific community by offering long range, speed, and comfort in a business aircraft, but with a quieter and cleaner hybrid-electric propulsion system.

As a quick reminder, the XTI Aircraft TriFan 600 will have a 6 seat configuration with a speed of 345 miles an hour and a range of up to 1,200 miles. The company claims a comfort normally associated with a luxury business aircraft. Add to this the ability to take off and land almost anywhere with its three-duct fans, the TriFan 600 can reach 30,000 feet in just 10 minutes.

Oh, Lord, won’t you buy me an electric Mercedes-Benz supercar, and please add to it an XTI Aircraft TriFan 600 for my villa near Eze.

Oh, how much for the new beauty? $6.5 million. All things considered, that is comparable to a good turboprop twin airplane.

We’re happy to see the superyacht community eyeing the potential of this incredible VTOL with another 60 orders. It may not be for all of us, but it could cut emissions.


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Nicolas Zart

Nicolas was born and raised around classic cars of the 1920s, but it wasn't until he drove an AC Propulsion eBox and a Tesla Roadster that the light went on. Ever since he has produced green mobility content on various CleanTech outlets since 2007 and found his home on CleanTechnica. He grew up in an international environment and his communication passion led to cover electric vehicles, autonomous vehicles, renewable energy, test drives, podcasts, shoot pictures, and film for various international outlets in print and online. Nicolas offers an in-depth look at the e-mobility world through interviews and the many contacts he has forged in those industries. His favorite taglines are: "There are more solutions than obstacles." and "Yesterday's Future Now"

Nicolas Zart has 572 posts and counting. See all posts by Nicolas Zart