ACE VTOL - the new startup from Perth, W.A., with exotic electric arc plasma reaction engines - and a $250M preorder book

[onetrack]

I'm not sure if this mob is just vapourware, or if they really do have a chance of making it big in the E-VTOL industry - which has supposedly been coming for 2 or 3 decades, but which is yet to actually appear in commercial form.

 

They've got exotic designs and exotic promises - including a totally new electric arc plasma reaction engine - on which engine they claim to have 6 new patents. There's just one thing wrong at present - everything they have is still on the drawing board or computer.

 

They have no prototype, have not done any actual real-life testing, and they're talking Blockchain and AI control as well, in their control systems - which are both in their infancy when it comes to real-world use.

 

However, that hasn't stopped an American company from lobbing an AUD$250M preorder at them - which looks great in the news releases - but which has yet to translate into any tangible sales - and which order can no doubt be cancelled at a moments notice, when the product isn't delivered on time, in the required form of usefulness and reliability - and having met ALL regulatory requirements.

 

Of all the hurdles this mob have yet to jump - not the least of which is manufacturing a working, safe, prototype - the regulatory hurdles will be amongst the biggest hurdles they have to jump.

 

https://www.acevtol.com/

 

https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbestechcouncil/2023/08/16/are-electric-flying-cars-a-real-thing/?sh=7637de095b32

 

https://evtol.news/ace-vtol-slipstream-elite-concept-design

[Marty_d]

250m is pocket change to some venture capital firms, but would buy a fair chunk of the ongoing revenue if their Arc reaction motor becomes a reality.

I have to laugh at their Slipstream Elite design, is it pure coincidence that the "grille" looks like the Bugatti Veyron and the body shape like early 70s muscle cars?

[Carbon Canary]

Well the CEO has a degree in creative arts……..

His only studies in aeronautical related engineering seems to be a Cert IV from TAFE.

 

I wish him and his company well. I’ll check back again in a decade to see how his crypto investing went.

[Litespeed]

Looks like a absolutely brilliant way to separate potentially billions from the gullible but rich.

 

Fools are money are easily separated 🤑

[Area-51]

Cat shit...

[FlyBoy1960]

Any page that has the word "Investor" in the main navigation menu rings alarm bells with me !

[spenaroo]

WTF does blockchain have to do with aircraft?
its an record/accountancy thing.
 

and AI these days has basically just become the new buzz term for machine controlled or learning.

these same guys would say the the F16 and F117 is AI controlled. 

 

[old man emu]

They claim they have 6 Patent Pending. A product or process secures patent pending when a patent application has been filed but is not yet granted. A patent pending is a clear demonstration of an inventor’s intent to pursue protection of an idea. However, the full scope of protection – or indeed whether a patent will even be issued – is far from certain. As they say, 'there's many a slip between cup and lip'.

 

The granting of a patent is a complex business. A patent application must include a specification of the invention, which contains instructions adequate to enable a skilled person in the relevant area of technology to produce or perform the invention. The specification must also indicate the ‘claims’ that define the invention; that is, the scope of protection that the applicant is seeking. Australian patent law recognises two types of patent applications—provisional and complete. Provisional and complete applications may be filed to obtain either a standard patent or an innovation patent. A provisional application need only contain a description of the invention. Often, an inventor files a provisional application before all the details of an invention are known. The applicant then has 12 months to file a complete application.

 

A provisional stage patent is not enforceable unless it converts to a complete patent. Patent pending may, therefore, never amount to protection for a provisional patent. However, as there is no disclosure of a provisional patent application to the public, it is impossible to know whether the provisional application will proceed to a complete application before the 12 months comes to an end.

 

In other words, claiming to have 6 patent pendings is advertising puffery.

[onetrack]

Brett Northey appears to be extremely clever with his efforts to screw lots of money out of investors for his exotic eVTOL ideas. However, I don't see much information by way of ongoing research into his design on his Ace website - and possibly more importantly, I don't see any "qualified" experts, from the fields of aviation, physics, electronics, materials, etc., offering their opinions, advice, or design input on his website, as regards the viability or advancement of his eVTOL plans.

 

Northey is effectively the exotic car salesman with the slick pitch - and no cars to sell. He's effectively saying, "give me a heap of your money, and I'll try and see if I can build an exotic car for you, that matches my vision."

He is also CEO of a company called "Blue Energy", which is purportedly a company involved in Blockchain in a big way. The problem is, Northey has picked a company which is identical to several other fully-operational companies, whereas Brett Northey's Blue Energy blockchain company appears to have little other value and substance besides promotion of his Blockchain monetary ideas. 

 

A lot of Australians are pretty blunt with their opinions on these type of people. They're generally described in a neat Australian double word term, that involves artistry, and BS.

 

Edited August 28, 2023 by onetrack

[Thruster88]

I guess it would be possible to heat the air in say a PT6 turbine using plasma arc instead of kerosene. Would it be an efficient use of energy, maybe not.

[facthunter]

Plasma thrust is useful in space where there's a limit on the mass of fuel that can be carried. Low thrust for a long period.. Nev

[bushcaddy105]

13 hours ago, old man emu said:

The granting of a patent is a complex business. A patent application must include a specification of the invention, which contains instructions adequate to enable a skilled person in the relevant area of technology to produce or perform the invention. The specification must also indicate the ‘claims’ that define the invention; that is, the scope of protection that the applicant is seeking. Australian patent law recognises two types of patent applications—provisional and complete. Provisional and complete applications may be filed to obtain either a standard patent or an innovation patent. A provisional application need only contain a description of the invention. Often, an inventor files a provisional application before all the details of an invention are known. The applicant then has 12 months to file a complete application.

Too true! Back in the 1980's I took out a provisional patent on an air suspension system for small trailers after taking out a section prize in the Royal Adelaide Show's Farm Invention Competition.  That's when I learnt that patent protection is only for the big players, and then it is only effective in countries that subscribe to the Geneva Patent Convention. Two examples of countries that don't are Spain and (surprise!) China. Even back in the 80's it would have cost tens of thousands of dollars just for a few countries. I still have all the paperwork to remind me of how naive I was as a young fella!

[turboplanner]

9 hours ago, bushcaddy105 said:

Too true! Back in the 1980's I took out a provisional patent on an air suspension system for small trailers after taking out a section prize in the Royal Adelaide Show's Farm Invention Competition.  That's when I learnt that patent protection is only for the big players, and then it is only effective in countries that subscribe to the Geneva Patent Convention. Two examples of countries that don't are Spain and (surprise!) China. Even back in the 80's it would have cost tens of thousands of dollars just for a few countries. I still have all the paperwork to remind me of how naive I was as a young fella!

The Patent Application does protect you for a while though; usually enough time to see whether (a) it works, (b) it is feasible to mass produce and (c) it was critical not to have competitors. The way life works, mostly if you're doing the research and coming up with the new concepts, the competitors trail behind you enough that you can beat them with marketing.

 

At one stage I found out that for something simple, if you do a drawing you own the copyright regardless of the claims others make, but I've never followed it up to find out where that's stated.

 

[onetrack]

The subtle part of "if you do a drawing you own the copyright regardless of the claims others make", is that copyright does not protect the idea/ideas or information, only the original expression of ideas or information.

 

https://www.ag.gov.au/rights-and-protections/copyright/copyright-basics#:~

[old man emu]

But if you created a drawing of the object, then that drawing would be a copyrighted object. Anything novel, like Bushcaddy's suspension would require parts and assembly drawings. Each of those is copyright.

 

Copyright does not protect ideas or information, only the original expression of ideas or information. So the original drawings and the written description of what the gizmo does and how to build and operate it are copyright. Copyright does not prevent someone else from independently producing the same work.

 

The costs, according to the following link are not exorbitant. Like the costs of your R&D, the patent application costs would be recovered if your invention was a commercial success. But the secondary problem is that Australia is such a small market that unless your invention sells for peanuts, you won't profit from it.

 

What Are Patents? | IP Australia

WWW.IPAUSTRALIA.GOV.AU

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A patent protects any device, substance, method or process that is new, inventive and useful. Learn how a patent can help protect your invention in the market.