The success of threadless electric drones in recent decades has led some people to wonder if construction techniques similar to those used in drones could be used to create small electric aircraft to transport people.
Electric motors are not only more reliable than conventional ones, but they are also light enough that you can place several of them on a single aircraft, offering an extra margin of safety. The ability to use multiple engines – along with sophisticated software – means greater design flexibility, opening the door to new types of vertical takeoff and landing aircraft (VTOL) that extend along the line between the conventional plane and the helicopter.
This technology was exaggerated in the late 2010s. Uber, for example, announced in 2017 that it intended to launch a VTOL taxi service in Dallas and Dubai in 2020. Instead, Uber sold its air taxi efforts to start Joby in December 2020.
But while the VTOL revolution did not happen as quickly as some of the early drivers expected, the industry is making progress. The latest signal is an announcement that United Airlines is investing in the VTOL Archer startup and has placed an order for $ 1 billion for 200 VTOL aircraft.
Archer is also raising money from Stellantis, the company formed by the recent merger of automakers Fiat Chrysler and PSA Peugeot. Stellantis will help Archer make the carbon fiber fuselage for his aircraft. The investments are part of Archer’s plan to become a public company through a merger with a Special Purpose Acquisition Society.
Although battery powered electric aircraft have several advantages, the low energy density of batteries (compared to fossil fuels) means that electric vehicles have limited range. Archer’s first aircraft, scheduled for launch in 2024, is designed for a range of 60 miles (100 km) with a maximum speed of 150 miles per hour (240 km / h). Obviously, this is not a long enough interval to replace conventional commercial airline flights.
Short jumps and big obstacles
Archer and others working with this technology envision a new class of intra-urban air service. A United customer can travel a short drive to a nearby vertiport – perhaps in a suburban parking lot or on top of an urban skyscraper. Then, the customer can fly 20 or 30 miles to an airport in 15 or 20 minutes – a trip that would otherwise take an hour by car. VTOL aircraft can also quickly transport passengers between nearby cities – for example, San Francisco to Palo Alto, Dallas to Fort Worth or Baltimore to Washington, DC.
Of course, it is theoretically possible to do this by helicopter, and some rich people already do. But supporters argue that electric VTOL aircraft have the potential to be safer, quieter and much cheaper than a helicopter. Archer says his aircraft will produce “minimal noise” and that the cost will be comparable to an Uber ride.
Archer’s initial aircraft will require a pilot. But supporters of VTOL hope that eventually we will have software sophisticated enough to steer the aircraft on its own – simultaneously eliminating the cost of paying the pilot and opening an extra seat for a passenger.
In addition to the technical challenges of designing the new aircraft, the VTOL vision also presents significant regulatory challenges. It takes the FAA several years to approve a new aircraft design. In addition, making urban air transport work on a large scale is likely to require an overhaul of the air traffic control system. A large number of small planes traveling short distances can overwhelm the existing system.