{"props": {"user": null, "article": {"id": 1249, "title": "Flying Taxi Future is Coming: Advantages, Problems, Cost", "slug": "flying-taxi-future-is-coming", "excerpt": "Want to have an answer on a question - why don\u2019t we still have the flying Uber? See the article which gives the short overview of the flying vehicles.", "created_at": "2021-02-19T00:00:00Z", "author": {"id": 1288, "name": "Oleg Lisitsin", "picture": "https://engre.co/media/users/pictures/lisitsyn_av.png", "online": false}, "picture": "/media/blogs/pictures/picture_I0Lmcb7.jpg", "video": null, "content": "

\n Flying Taxi Future: Advantages, Problems, Cost\n

\n Humans have been obsessed with the idea of flying for centuries. Famous drawings of a flying machine and glider by Leonardo da Vinci are dated back to 15\n th\n century. The earliest known aircraft were gliders with wings that imitated the shape of birds\u2019\n \n wings\n \n . With them, people jumped from towers or attempted gliding off cliffs. Although such attempts frequently ended tragically, people came up with new ideas and more complex aircraft designs.\n

\n In earliest aircraft designs, the problem of overcoming the Earth\u2019s gravity was solved in several ways: using bouncy or by generating aerodynamic lift (rocket engines were not invented yet!). But there was one more problem \u2013 how to control the vehicle? The problem of control was first addressed by the Wright Brothers who pointed out that flying (staying in the air) for an airplane can be achieved easily by appropriate wing design, but\n \n controlling and guiding an aircraft\n \n in a desired path was much bigger challenge.\n

\n Century later after the first Wright Flyer flight, number and variety of flying vehicles has grown to a countless number. Aspects like safety, cost, emissions and environmental issues became major technological drives for the design and development of new aircraft.\n

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\n Flying Machine drawing by Leonardo da Vinci (1488)\n

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\n Glider with bat wings drawing by Leonardo da Vinci\n

\n Types of flying machines\n

\n From an engineering perspective, an aircraft is a vehicle that is designed to fly in the air or outer space. Flight is achieved by counteracting Earth\u2019s gravity, and can be achieved using either\u00a0static lift, dynamic lift\u00a0generated by an\u00a0airfoil,\u00a0or\u00a0downward thrust\u00a0from\u00a0jet engines. From the point of view of lifting, aircraft are classified into lighter-than-air, heavier-than-air, and space vehicles.\n

\n Lighter-than-air (LTA)\n aircraft encounter the force of gravity using\u00a0static lift (\n buoyancy force)\n .\n Lighter-than-air gas (e.g., hot air, hydrogen, helium) fills the designated volume in the vehicle. LTA\u2019s do not require prepared landing area and can stay in the air for a very long time. Their speed, however, is limited.\n

\n In a hot air balloon, a pilot has control over the vertical motion only (i.e., climb or descent), whereas horizontal flight is achieved by varying wind directions at different altitudes.\n

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\n Hot Air Balloon\n

\n Airship are equipped with engines and propellers that enable horizontal flight. Their length may reach more than 200 m with maximum diameter of about 30 m.\n

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\n A modern airship,\n \n Zeppelin NT\n \n D-LZZF\u00a0in 2010\n

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\n Heavier-than-air (HTA)\n aircraft operate by generating\n \n aerodynamic lift\n \n (fixed-wing aircraft and rotorcraft), or using engine\u2019s thrust (rockets).\n

\n Fixed-wing aircraft\n (airplanes) generate aerodynamic lift due to the aircraft's forward motion and special shape of the wings (airfoil). Airplanes require runways for takeoff and landing. Commercial airliners cruise at around Mach 0.8-0.85, whereas military fighter airplanes can fly supersonic.\n

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\n Fixed-Wing Aircraft\n

\n Rotary-wing aircraft\n (rotorcraft) have generate aerodynamic lift due to rotary motion of the rotor blades. Depending on the number of rotors, rotorcraft configurations include those with a\n single rotor (a conventional helicopter), two rotors (tandem helicopter, transverse rotorcraft, coaxial helicopter intermeshing rotors helicopter), three rotors (tricopter), four rotors (quadrotor or quadcopter), and multi-rotor configurations (hexacopters, octocopters, etc.)\n

\n Main advantage of rotorcraft over a fixed-wing aircraft is that rotorcraft can hover, and have vertical takeoff and landing capability. They do not require runways. However, helicopters cannot compete with airplanes in terms of flight speed, they are much slower. In addition, an operational cost of a helicopter is significantly higher than that of an airplane of a similar gross weight.\n

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\n Single Rotor Helicopter\n

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\n Tandem Helicopter\n

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\n Transverse-rotor Rotorcraft\n

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\n Coaxial Helicopter\n

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\n Quadcopter\n

\n What is air taxi?\n

\n Air taxi is an alternative to conventional transportation, which is gaining vast popularity in the modern world. Main advantages of air taxi are time savings, no traffic jams, and the ability to get to the desired destination with comfort. Air taxi promise the freedom of movement to their passengers.\n

\n Which aircraft can be used as an air taxi?\n

\n When considering existing aircraft, it is obvious that airships are too slow and bulky to be used as personal transport in urban environments; rockets are impractical (unless traveling to the Moon). Airplanes and helicopters appear to be a preferred choice of the existing aero taxi companies. While airplanes are mainly used for traveling larger distances and require runways, helicopters are perfectly suitable for urban areas equipped with helipads. The problem with helicopters is high operational costs. \u00a0Only wealthy people can use these types of transport as a taxi. Here we want to talk about new types of aircraft - a generation of safe and environmentally friendly air transport capable to deliver various goods and take people to work. And all this for a reasonable price.\n

\n Electric VTOL (eVTOL) aircraft\n

\n People have already invented electric cars and drones, so why not combine these two vehicles? A few years earlier, flying taxis seemed to be purely a feature of science fiction novels and films.\n

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\n Korben Dallas\u2019 Flying Taxi (The Fifth Element)\n

\n Over the past 10 years, there has been a boom in venture investment in the field of air taxi and other flying vehicles. Hundreds of concepts have been introduced by different companies in aerospace industry. Most of the proposed\n \n designs\n \n do not resemble neither a helicopter nor an airplane - the designers come up with their own new \"breakthrough\" concepts. Time will tell which concept will prevail in the future and which will be abandoned altogether.\n

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\n The DR-7 is a flying car being developed by DeLorean Aerospace\n

\n One of the great emerging technologies of our time are\n electric vertical take-off and landing\n , or\n eVTOL\n , aircraft. With the rapid scientific and technological development as well as huge investments in this industry, eVTOL may soon become a new generation of public transport \u2013 cheaper, safer, and environmentally sustainable. Passenger drones may change not only the transportation system, but also the way cities are designed.\n

\n What is the cost of an air taxi ride?\n

\n Using air taxi as a daily transport means affordable fares. Several companies looking to provide air taxi services estimate that the cost of air travel could be about the same as the cost of an Uber ride. Of course, this is not a short Uber ride, but a medium to long distance ride, such as 100 km, which is quite expensive.\n

\n What powers eVTOL?\n

\n Electric VTOL aircraft use all-electric and hybrid-electric system. All electric propulsion systems are mostly used for aircraft flying on short distances at medium speed. \u00a0In a hybrid-electric system, electricity is generated by a gas turbine, making these vehicles ideal for long ranges. Unfortunately, this propulsion system is hardly green, and people don't want to develop new transport vehicles that pollutes more than what they used before.\n

\n Like for cars, one of the main conditions for the large-scale use of eVTOL is the development of a wide charging infrastructure. It is also necessary to have specially equipped take-off and landing facilities such as on the tops of buildings and private landing spots. While eVTOLs do not require roads, they do require urban airspace management and traffic control.\n

\n Electric VTOL lift technology\n

\n Lift if the force that counteracts the gravity and enables flight. Several technological principles are used in eVTOL concepts.\n

\n Vectored thrust: an eVTOL aircraft that uses its thrusters for lift and cruise flight.\n

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\n Vahana, the Self-Piloted, eVTOL aircraft from A\n 3\n by Airbus. USA\n

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\n Bell Nexus 6HX. USA\n

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\n Hyundai\u2019s S-A1 Air Taxi. South Korea\n

\n Multirotor: rotors generate lift, whereas cruise flight is achieved by tilting the lift vector in the direction of motion.\n

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\n VoloCity by Volocopter GmbH. Germany\n

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\n Neo Aeronautics Crimson S8-SR. Singapore\n

\n Lift + cruise: completely independent thrusters used for cruise flight and for lift.\n

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\n EmbraerX DreamMaker. USA\n

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\n Esprit Aeronautics Lancer ePAV. UK\n

\n Leaders in the eVTOL air taxi market\n

\n The major companies that are working on airframes and their invented aero taxis. A list of all eVTOL companies and their websites information can be found at\n \n https://evtol.news/aircraft\n \n .\n

\n Joby Aviation\n

\n Joby Aviation has built and flight-tested its five-seat, six-rotor eVTOL air taxi. It has 322 km/h (200 mph) top speed, 240 km (150 mile range).\n

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\n Joby Aviation Air Taxi\n

\n Joby says it started the airframe certification process in 2018, and expects it to be complete sometime before 2024.\n

\n Lilium\n

\n German startup Lilium created transitioning eVTOL with 36 ducted fans on tilting banks, five seats, 300 km/h (186 mph) top speed, 300 km (186 miles) range. Lilium expects its air taxi to be fully operational in various cities around the world by 2025.\n

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\n Lilium five-seater Air Taxi Prototype\n

\n Volocopter\n

\n German aviation company Volocopter\u2019s non-transitioning eVTOL with 18 rotors, two seats, 109 km/h (68 mph) top speed, 35 km (22 mile) range. At the same time, Volocopter also unveiled the world\u2019s first flying taxi station, VoloPort solution.\n

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\n Volocopter VC200\n

\n Airbus\n

\n Non-transitioning coaxial 8-rotor multicopter, 4 seats, 120 km/h (75 mph) top speed, 15-minute range.\n

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\n The 4-seat CityAirbus eVTOL Air Taxi Prototype\n

\n Airbus company has built two main eVTOL candidates: the\n \n single-seat transitioning 8-rotor Vahana\n \n , and the big\n \n 4-seat coaxial 8-rotor CityAirbus\n \n .\n

\n Uber\n

\n Uber has been working on its own urban flying taxi service, with plans to launch a piloted service by 2023.\u00a0Autonomous, pilot-less aircraft are expected to follow by around 2030. In 2019, Uber announced it was joining forces with Joby Aviation (\n \n Forbes\n \n ).\n

\n Why we don\u2019t have eVTOL air taxis today?\n

\n In order for these machines to become generally available, they still have several major challenges to overcome and this will serve an answer to the general question \u201cwhy air taxi aren\u2019t used?\u201d\n

\n The major problem of eVTOL is battery capacity. Lithium batteries do not allow to carry enough energy yet providing an opportunity only for short flights (about 20-30 minutes), while charging them requires several hours. This is not commercially viable.\n

\n The second problem is certification. eVTOL aircraft are an entirely new category of aircraft, and the process of certifying, testing and regulating them is going to be monstrously expensive and definitely time consuming.\n

\n Another major problem is safety. Air taxis are designed for flights at relatively low altitudes, and this urban airspace must be fully controlled to keep even a small number of these flying machines safely in the sky. The dispatch systems that will manage urban air transport are not yet ready for it. Besides, when it comes to unmanned aircrafts, unfortunately, air taxi autopilots are not perfect, they do not guarantee a high level of safety for the passenger.\n

\n Modern eVTOLs still have high noise levels, which will prevent them from landing outside people's homes, schools and offices without causing inconvenience.\n

\n It is unlikely that in the near future it will be possible to make air taxi a widely available and affordable means of transportation. Some experts believe it will remain a premium vehicle for wealthy people only. After all, it is not always profitable for operators of such services to maintain prices at an affordable level.\n

\n All these problems are being worked on by the development companies of new types of flying machines. But the question of how long to wait is still open.\n

", "category": {"id": 2, "name": "Infrastructure solutions", "slug": "infrastructure-solutions"}, "is_liked": false}}}