Advanced Air Mobility: A Look at AAM Vehicles

The concept of urban air mobility (AAM) is not a new one. One of the hallmarks of science fiction, from The Jetsons to Star Wars, is the flying car. The ability to expand two-dimensional roads into the third dimension is becoming increasingly necessary as big cities and metropolises experience growing congestion. However, AAM vehicles are no longer science fiction. While the field is still young and faces challenges to feasibility and profitability, functional AAM vehicles exist today.

AAM Vehicles of Today

Many different companies are in the development stage of creating their AAM vehicles. However, several others already have prototypes in the air. Airbus, Kitty Hawk, Lilium, and Velocopter are currently testing early versions of their electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) vehicles.

Airbus

Airbus is currently developing two different AAM offerings. The Airbus A3 Vahana is a single-seater, self-piloted AAM vehicle undergoing testing in the Pacific Northwest. The Vahana prototype has a range of 31 miles and has completed more than 114 test flights.

The CityAirbus (pictured above) is a four-seater all-electric AAM vehicle prototype. It can fly at 75 miles per hour for up to 15 minutes. Findings from the tests of the Vahana and the CityAirbus will be used as the input to the next stage of Airbus AAM vehicle development.

Kitty Hawk

Kitty Hawk is currently pursuing three electric vehicle designs, although only two of them are intended as AAM vehicles. The Cora, being developed in partnership with Boeing, is designed to be a two-seater vehicle that flies on autopilot under the oversight of a remote human pilot. It is intended to be summed via an app, is fully electric, and has a maximum range of 62 miles.

The Kitty Hawk Heaviside (pictured above) is a single-seater air taxi that, to date, has only been operated by a remote pilot. It has a maximum range of 100 miles and is designed to be 100x quieter than a helicopter.

Lilium

The Lilium Jet is advertised as the world’s first five-seater, fully-electric takeoff and landing jet. On May 16, 2019, Lilium announced that they had successfully performed a fully unmoored and unmanned test flight of their full-scale production model. The Lilium Jet has 36 different engines organized on 12 different flaps. Each flap can move independently of the others, and each engine is fully independent as well, making the Jet extremely safe.

The Lilium Jet has undergone more than 100 different tests and has demonstrated the ability to fly at over 52 miles per hour with performance similar to that of an electric car. The top speed of the aircraft is 186 mph, and it has a range of 186 miles.

Volocopter

Volocopter’s 18-rotor AAM vehicle is essentially a two-seater drone that can be piloted or fly autonomously. The 2X vehicle has a maximum flight speed of 68 mph and can cover up to 17 miles during its maximum 30-minute flight time. At the destination, the batteries of the 2X can be automatically swapped by robots, allowing it to take off again almost immediately.

The Future of AAM

The AAM vehicles that exist today are only the first in a growing market. The field of AAM is in its infancy, and events like the Uber Elevate Summit and the NASA AAM Grand Challenge are efforts to make AAM a reality. As the market for AAM expands and the technology becomes more mature, additional companies will undoubtedly enter the field as well. We’re here to help AAM innovators. Contact us today to learn more. 

 

 

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