The perspective of the use of electric aircraft in urban areas

2024-08-01 19:25:00, Tech CNA

Taxi rides in the near future may be made with electric planes. Aircraft manufacturers say they will revolutionize everyday travel for passengers by offering convenient, fast and consistent flights within and between cities. Some of the companies producing these planes displayed their concepts at the international fair "Farnborough 2024".

Supernal, a company backed by global car giant Hyundai Motor Group, says its newest electric passenger vehicle will revolutionize air travel in the future.

This plane will be able to transport passengers more quickly within and between cities, flying above long queues of road traffic.

"Its purpose is to change the way people move. It is an all-electric plane that can cover a distance of about 96 kilometers on a single charge, flying at a speed of 193 kilometers per hour, and can transport people to short distances, avoiding congested urban traffic," says David McBride, chief technology officer at Supernal.

The all-electric vehicle will have rotors that enable vertical take-off and landing without the need for runways.

The company also aims for flights to be automated later.

Although for some experts this concept may seem far from reality, the head of the Supernal company says that the partnership with the company Hyundai Motor Group (HMG) will allow the production of these flying vehicles on a massive industrial scale.

"We believe that we not only have the great industrial strength that Hyundai Motor Group can offer, but we can also revolutionize aviation through our company's great capabilities," said Jaiwon Shin, president of Hyundai Motor Group and CEO of Supernal. .

German company Lilium is also in the running for large-scale production of its electric EV-TOL aircraft. Its all-electric plane can take off and land vertically, but instead of rotors, it uses fans with powerful motors to move through the air.

"Our aircraft can carry six people over a distance of 175 kilometers and can reach speeds of up to 250 kilometers per hour. The cost of operating this aircraft is so low that we can offer tickets at prices of less than 2 dollars per kilometer," says Klaus Roewe, CEO of Lilium.

But the use of these vehicles must first be approved by city officials, who must designate areas from which these electric planes can safely take off and land.

Both aircraft were displayed at the "Farnborough 2024" international air show.

Aviation analyst Richard Aboulafia thinks that the real possibility of seeing these planes in the sky more often is still a long way off.

"They're hugely popular from a design and concept point of view, but in terms of mass production of them, we're still years away. So it's one of those things that people like to talk about, but there's not a lot of commercial activity about these planes," he says.

The international fair "Farnborough Airshow", which was recently held in Britain, is one of the largest fairs of the aviation industry in the world and attracts experts and enthusiasts from all over the world./ VOA