The Local Character of Urban Air Mobility: Opportunities and Challenges

Abstract

Urban air mobility (UAM) with electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft is emerging as a promising aviation market for both cargo delivery and passenger travel. The rise of UAM is being driven by the convergence of two technologies: autonomy and electric aircraft propulsion. Although promising, these technologies place limits on the discovery of viable markets, the timeline of introduction, and the design of operational paradigms. In particular, electric propulsion—when achieved with battery energy storage—is highly constraining in terms of aircraft payload, range, and speed performance and in terms of operational tempo and ground infrastructure. This talk will discuss recent work in modeling aircraft performance and operations for UAM and will highlight the challenges and opportunities in particular urban markets.