Wildfires worldwide are causing death and destruction across the globe. In California more than 3 million acres have burned, 3 of the 5 largest fires in state history are still burning all at once. Which includes 29 fatalities, 37 non-fatal injuries w/ thousands more forced to flee their homes. In Oregon, 268,000 acres have burned with 10 deaths but only 5% containment. In Washington state wildfires burned over 626,000 acres, 181 homes had been lost and 1 death occurred as a result. In Australia 15.6 million acres have burned so far, killing 25 people, destroying 2000 homes, and killing over 1 billion animals. That is a total of 65 lives lost and millions of acres of land burned down not to mention the buildings and structures that have been consumed by the fires. Currently, Californians are buying their own fire trucks on Craigslist in hopes of escaping these fires. But can fire trucks really help them escape when the land all around them is in flames and the only way to get out is to fly out?

Imagine if these individuals had a ZEVA in their garage- then they would be able to escape from the fire safely. This is due to the vertical take-off and landing capability which eliminates the need for an airstrip and allows for an easy and fast take off from virtually anywhere. Imagine first responders remotely piloting ZEVA vehicles to extract people in danger. ZEVA is fast; it can get 1st responders on the scene faster than any other mode of transportation, cruising at 160 mph. ZEVA is a multi-mission capable vehicle with the ability to resupply, extract, and locate trapped people.

The transportation market is in great need of a first responder vehicle like the ZEVA. If we had a fleet of autonomous eVTOL vehicles for emergency response and relief today perhaps the current fire disaster situation would not be as severe and many potential lives could have been saved. This technology needs more attention and investment for the health and sustainability of our world.