Revolutionizing Flights: Exploring the Future of Electric Aviation and Urban Air Travel

“eVTOL aircraft” is becoming a buzzword within the aerospace industry and beyond, and for good reason, as this emerging technology is pushing the boundaries of aviation in ways we haven’t seen for many decades. But many still wonder, why is now the time for eVTOL aircraft? And if now is the time, what are the hurdles that need to be overcome - and how is the industry attacking those?

In the last 100 years, you’d be hard pressed to find a more transformational development within the aviation industry than what is being accomplished with eVTOL aircraft as this new technology pushes the envelope on all aspects of our industry including electric propulsion, vertical takeoff and landing, avionics, supply chain, manufacturing, advanced materials and more. As with many other industries, this wave of innovation is being made with the promise of many improvements over traditional planes/helicopters including: safety, convenience, low noise and sustainability.

So why now? Electrifying aircraft is not a new concept as it dates back to the turn of the 20^th century. Many breakthroughs have happened over the last few decades such as the development of lightweight, efficient motors and smaller, more efficient rechargeable batteries, which directly impact the aircraft’s range and payload capacity. Several of the more recent and impactful innovations have been rapidly advanced by the automotive industry to get us to where we are today. And these technologies will continue to evolve as they are applied to the aerospace industry, leading to many more revolutionary advances which will continue to accelerate the adoption of eVTOL aircraft in our everyday lives. Simply put, the reason you’re seeing such a rapid increase in the number of eVTOL aircraft OEM’s, and rapid acceleration in their development and certification progress, is because the technology now exists to make this leap to electric flight at meaningful distances and payloads with full-scale aircraft.

Developing a safe aircraft with the performance requirements necessary to scale operations and build a new industry is a big challenge, but it’s not the only one. Here are a few others our industry faces, along with the solutions that are being applied to overcome them:

• Certification – Regulatory bodies like the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) are fully on board and working with the OEMs as fast as they can to certify the leading aircraft, but they still have to rapidly create new rules and standards to ensure the safe entry into service which takes time. The FAA has repeatedly noted they are targeting certifying the first aircraft late 2024 with initial entry into service in early 2025.

• Supply chain – Aviation suppliers are starting to change their infrastructure and their own supply base to accommodate the increased demand from the eVTOL aircraft OEMs. In addition, the demand for quick delivery is pushing suppliers to find better and more efficient alternatives to develop and test their products.

• Manufacturing – eVTOL aircraft OEMs are searching for ways to scale their aircraft production to levels previously unheard of in the industry. That is why they are partnering with automotive giants like Stellantis (Archer), Toyota (Joby), Hyundai (Supernal) and others in order to leverage their expertise in high-volume manufacturing.

• Onboard flight electronics – Equipment such as avionics, displays, flight controls and others need to be smaller, lighter and consume less power than traditional equipment. There have been great strides in integrating systems together with the help of better processors and lighter materials.

• Materials – Carbon fiber and ceramic composites, along with the use of innovative manufacturing techniques are being widely adopted in the design of eVTOL aircraft, and they continue to make technological advances so their use can be increased to save weight.

“Many breakthroughs have happened over the last few decades such as the development of lightweight, efficient motors and smaller, more efficient rechargeable batteries, which directly impact the aircraft’s range and payload capacity.”

With fierce competition among the eVTOL aircraft OEMs, comes the race to be first to market. The ultimate milestone towards that goal is achieving Type Certification from the FAA (the certification body that is leading the way). This requires significant funding, finding top notch expertise, efficient execution, and most importantly, the ability to innovate quickly. The current field of eVTOL aircraft OEMs is comprised of at least two dozen companies from all over the world, however there are only two, Archer and Joby, who are well enough capitalized, who have an aircraft that is configured to successfully support a UAM business operation (aircraft have sufficient payload, range and turnaround time to run a viable business) and who are progressing their certification programs with the FAA to support entry into service in 2025.

As mentioned, Archer Aviation, based in Santa Clara, CA, is a market leader in the electric air taxi industry. We are planning to certify our eVTOL aircraft, Midnight, with the FAA and begin operations in 2025, having already announced 2 major operational routes in New York and Chicago. Partnering with United Airlines for the operation at those locations, and with Stellantis for high- volume manufacturing, Archer is well positioned to be one of the first OEMs to operate at a major scale. The U.S. military is also very interested in exploring non-kinetic applications with Archer’s Midnight aircraft due to its ~1,000lbs of payload.

Looking ahead to the next 15 years, we can expect to see eVTOL aircraft become increasingly common in urban areas. These aircraft will be used for a variety of purposes, including passenger transport, cargo operations, emergency medical services and tourism. As battery technology continues to improve, we can expect to see eVTOL aircraft with longer ranges and higher payload capacities, making them even more versatile and useful. Furthermore, current advancements in radar, lidar, image processing and other crucial sensor technologies will enable future aircraft to fly autonomously, which will reduce operational costs and make them even more affordable for the public to use.

In conclusion, the evolution of aviation technology has been a fascinating journey, from the original Wright Brothers’ Wright Flyer to the development of eVTOL aircraft and so much more. eVTOL aircraft represent a new frontier in aviation, with the potential to revolutionize urban air travel and beyond as aircraft range increases. With continued progress in battery technology and regulation, as well as autonomous flight capabilities on the horizon, we can expect to see eVTOL aircraft become increasingly common in the coming years, an exciting prospect for our aerospace industry and communities everywhere.