People have fantasized about futuristic cities with flying cars for decades. Yet despite the astonishing technological advances made over this time, cars have remained stubbornly fixed to the ground. However, gravity-bound travel may soon reach its expiration date. Groundbreaking new ways of designing electric aircraft are making a future with flying cars realistically viable. It’s largely due to the growing potential of Electric Vertical Takeoff and Landing (eVTOL) technology to universally change modern approaches to urban mobility.
In fact, eVTOL aircraft innovations are proving to be nothing less than revolutionary. The vertical takeoff and landing mechanism allows the widespread use of flying cars in a crowded urban environment.
Of course, the technology is still in the early phases of development. There are significant hurdles that innovative companies need to jump through to get eVTOL vehicles in the air. Even so, ongoing aviation trends support an airborne future of urban mobility.
With this in mind, those in the aviation industry must understand how eVTOL works and where the technology will likely apply moving forward.
Understanding eVTOL
Traditional aircraft aren’t a viable urban mobility solution because they require too much space to take off and land. Imagine how much runway space a city would need if each car on the road required full use of an airstrip for every stop. It simply isn’t possible to maneuver these airplanes in an urban environment. Plus, the noise pollution from hundreds of planes whizzing down every street would be debilitating.
So, for eVTOL aircraft to become a realistic solution to urban congestion, engineers need to resolve these fundamental issues. Luckily, many innovators are well on their way.
Unlike traditional takeoffs, eVTOL technology enables an aircraft to pull off a vertical take-off and landing. This eliminates the impractical need for extensive runway space. It’s made possible through the aircraft’s electric motor, which leverages two primary components to enable agile maneuverability:
- The stator is an immobile component that generates a magnetic force from electricity.
- Then, this magnetic force rotates the rotor, which drives propellers to create vertical lift. This flight mechanism also allows aircraft to hover, which further promotes their viability as a vehicle for improved urban mobility.
eVTOL vehicle innovators are also tackling the potential noise pollution issue. Much like electric cars, the technology is already much quieter than mechanical alternatives. Design features like distributed propulsion across the airframe, more aerodynamic propellers, and sound-absorbing acoustic shielding are further mitigating the sound generated by these aircraft.
The viability of eVTOL vehicles is clearly a result of their potential to overcome the existing challenges that have, until now, prevented the widespread use of aircraft in city environments.
How Electric Propulsion Works in eVTOLs
Electric propulsion technology is the driving force behind eVTOL aircraft innovation. These systems are what create enough energy efficiency for aircraft to become a realistic alternative to vehicles. They’re also behind the reduced noise impacts that would otherwise derail the entire vision of airborne urban mobility.
To enable eVTOL technology to work effectively, electric propulsion systems amalgamate various separate components. The primary two are the motors and the batteries.
Because there are hundreds of different start-ups and established businesses working on eVTOL technology, there are many different electric propulsion system designs. Simply put, at the moment, there’s no standardized way to put together an electric propulsion system. Still, the same principles guide the basics of how all the various components of these systems work together:
- The electric motor generates vertical lift through the magnetic interaction between the stator and the rotor. Electric motors offer precise control and instant torque, which enhance maneuverability. Generally, designers achieve this agility by distributing the rotors throughout the frame of the aircraft. This reduces noise pollution and makes the aircraft easier to pilot.
- The batteries form the primary energy source for eVTOL designs. But the limited capacity of even the most advanced lithium-ion batteries presents a need for further advancement to increase the potential distances a flying car could cover. Technologies like regenerative braking, which converts kinetic energy back into electrical energy when the aircraft is descending or decelerating, are increasing energy efficiency.
- The power management system is the glue that connects and controls the electrical flow between the motor and the batteries. It optimizes energy distribution, ensuring the motors receive the right amount of power for takeoff, level flight, and landing.
Urban Mobility Environmental Impact of eVTOL
One of the most important and exciting aspects of eVTOL technology development is its overall sustainability. Because of the aircraft’s electric propulsion system, it doesn’t directly produce any emissions when in operation. This means that widespread adoption could eventually lead to the replacement of fossil fuel–burning motor vehicles. Needless to say, this switch would result in an incredible reduction in harmful emissions.
For instance, it would eliminate the major contributors to respiratory illnesses like particulate matter that result from the use of fuel-burning vehicles. Plus, it would be possible to use green energy sources like solar power to charge batteries, especially as green infrastructure expands. As a result, the carbon footprint of eVTOLs would be significantly lower than that of traditional vehicles.
Of course, noise pollution is the other major consideration when most people imagine a city filled with hundreds of aircraft. But in reality, the current levels of noise pollution caused by combustion engines are higher than the potential impacts of electric motors. Plus, the added investment by innovators in noise-canceling additions to eVTOD technology is further mitigating their impact on the urban mobility soundscape.
On top of these already notable benefits are the potential increased walkability and decreased congestion that the average city street could see from airborne transportation. Cities would be able to reimagine urban design to incorporate better walking paths and more greenery. The result would not only improve air quality in the surrounding environment, but it would also reduce the “heat island” effect caused by a lack of natural spaces.
What’s more, eVTOL aircraft don’t produce as much heat as internal combustion engines. So, the temperature contrasts between the effects of the two urban mobility designs would be even more stark.
Safety and Regulations in eVTOL Urban Mobility Design
Safety is the most fundamental concern that the public at large has about the widespread introduction of eVTOL aircraft. After all, the common knowledge surrounding the dangers of driving exacerbates the idea that flying cars couldn’t possibly be safe. But this concern is more of a public perception issue than a fundamental technological challenge.
The reality is that robust safety standards are already being built into flying car designs:
- Redundancies for motors, rotors, and power sources are built into the aircraft to keep the passengers safe in the event of a malfunctioning component.
- Flight control systems provide added stability and often come with built-in safety protocols.
- Manufacturers implement the strictest safety standards for the system’s battery.
- Designers test the airborne vehicle for its crashworthiness just as they do with any other transportation method.
Of course, the regulatory landscape is still a hurdle that many eVTOL aircraft designers need to jump through. This is largely due to the relative novelty of the technology.
For instance, many innovators haven’t yet faced the certification process. In addition, the issue of implementing air traffic control for eVTOLs as an urban mobility method is thorny and complicated. The shift toward autonomous piloting methods will also require additional built-in redundancy measures. Plus, the issue of public acceptance has yet to be truly faced.
Still, the push for eVTOLs as a viable solution to urban mobility challenges has yielded some results. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) already has established guidelines and certification processes for manufacturers that set safety standards. What’s more, the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) is working on developing global standards for eVTOLs.
Despite the growing pains of emerging technology, the rapid speed of innovation continues to push the needle forward.
Shaping the Future of Urban Mobility
eVTOL technology holds immense potential to change the urban cityscape drastically for the better. Specifically, it can clear up congested streets, improve air quality, and reduce overall pollution levels.
The advanced technology is on track to provide safer, quicker, quieter, and more sustainable transportation to residents. That said, innovators still face challenges on the road ahead.
It will take a robust and well-documented record of both the efficacy and safety of these aircraft to promote widespread adoption. Industry investors and innovators alike should start updating how they track and store their paper trail now to save themselves regulatory trouble down the line.
To this end, automated record-keeping systems like ProvenAir are essential supportive tools for aviation innovation. Reach out today to learn how we can help you simplify the administrative side of eVTOL development.