By : Amir Taha
Future mobility design house Frank Stephenson Design is today named the Director of Design of AutoFlight’s latest eVTOL (electric vertical take-off and landing) Prosperity I.
It is the third eVTOL project overseen by Frank Stephenson Design, putting it at the forefront of the future mobility design industry.
With over thirty years of expertise from world-leading companies including Ferrari, Maserati and McLaren, BMW and MINI, Frank is known for a design philosophy that blends art with science, whilst using the latest eco-friendly technology to shape the future of design mobility.
Stephenson’s role with AutoFlight involves the design of the interior and exterior of the whole vehicle, with light weighting and luxury the foremost consideration for future mobility users.
The team at Frank Stephenson Design includes world-renowned designers and pioneering innovators which are instrumental in the recent upgrades for Prosperity I. The vehicle has successfully completed multiple full-scale test flights last year and has already claimed a world record for the longest flight by an eVTOL aircraft on a single electric charge in February 2023.
Frank Stephenson, Founder of Frank Stephenson Design, said: “During my career, I’ve aspired to create vehicles that are efficient, safe, technically brilliant, and beautiful and I’m hugely excited to now be applying these principles to the eVTOL industry.
“The aviation landscape is shifting, and we are on the cusp of entering a new era where electric air transportation is affordable and available to everybody. The AutoFlight name is synonymous with simplicity, safety, and efficiency. I’m delighted to be part of its fantastic team and join them on their inspiring journey.”
Mark Robert Henning, Managing Director of AutoFlight Europe said: “Frank is one of the world’s most renowned and influential designers of our time. His unique style is already evident on Prosperity I with its sleek, sculpted, uncluttered and dynamic feel that has been inspired by a natural sense of flow and dynamics. It’s uplifting to work with him as we bring our vision of unlocking the skies for mass individual transportation to life.”
The last 12 months have seen a series of milestones and significant developments for AutoFlight including the establishment of a European base in Augsburg, the appointment of Mark Robert Henning (formerly of Airbus) as its European Managing Director, as well as a $100 million investment from next-generation mobility investor Team Global. More recently, Prosperity I has had 105 sales to date and is on the fourth prototype, with the final design of Prosperity I being unveiled in Q3 of this year.
Prosperity I has been built for transfers between parts of a city, airport commutes, connecting two nearby cities or enabling trips to the countryside while avoiding traffic on the ground. When ready for commercial flight in 2026, it is expected that a trip that takes an hour by car will be reduced to about 10 minutes with Prosperity I, whilst being safer and not much more expensive.
