GLENAIR
would need in excess of 6000 Tons of battery power to replace its 147 Tons of rocket fuel. And one can only imagine the kind of lift design that would be required to get that baby off the ground. And therein lies the challenge for the nascent air taxi or Urban Air Mobility (UAM) industry. In fact, the only realistic circumstance in which eVTOL air taxis (electric vertical takeoff and landing)—flying in and out of urban air terminals—would be able to function solely with battery-powered propulsion is in small, ultralight aircraft with limited carrying capacity, limited flight duration, and limited range. Nevertheless, industry experts agree a market exists in high-density urban settings made up of individuals who will pay for fast air trips to popular destinations, rather than slog it out on congested city streets. This has every major aircraft manufacturer—as well as countless other entrepreneurs—actively engaged in eVTOL air taxi R and D. Incumbent OEMs including Boeing, Airbus, Embraer, and Bell all have active programs. And the many aerospace system manufacturers including Raytheon, GE, SAFRAN, Rolls-Royce, Honeywell and others are also hard at work developing new classes of electric and hybrid propulsion systems, fly-by-wire controls, electric motor controllers and more. The major automobile manufacturers are also fully engaged including Hyundai, Toyota, GM, and others. And not surprisingly,
much of this work includes all-electric as well as hybrid designs that leverage other sources of power such as small form-factor kerosene engines and hydrogen fuel cells. Indeed, it may turn out that the most viable air taxi designs are small jet engine configurations augmented with backup battery power, similar in concept to hybrid automobiles but with the fossil- fuel engine acting as the primary power source generating electrical power, or with electrical motors reduced to auxiliary roles, such as emergency backups in the event of engine failure. THE RISE OF THE AIR TAXI Vertical Take-Off and Landing aircraft with the ability to transport passengers or cargo short distances in the urban landscape may be either piloted or autonomous, and operate with environmental controls designed to moderate their impact on urban populations.
Artist’s conception of an eVTOL design with combined lift-and-cruise functions on articulating wings and horizontal NOTAR tail section, a system that uses a tail boom and fan to build a high volume of low-pressure air, utilizing the Coandă effect.
QwikConnect • July 2021
3
Powered by FlippingBook