Column: Airspace
Safety Safety is a crucial concern. Logically, climbing aboard an electric aircraft should be more reassuring for passengers than entrusting their lives to a jet airliner of which combustion engine has many thousands more components that could potentially fail or may have been inadequately maintained. Yet, it is understandable that electric aircraft of any type are relatively new and untested. It will take time for this trust to establish.
Power There is also the problem of range anxiety; i.e., that the battery may run out of energy before reaching the destination. This has been a barrier to the wider adoption of electric road- going vehicles. In the air, such anxiety could rise to new heights. Some may accept the assurance that UAM will be restricted to planned and prescribed routes of known distance that will have been flown many times on a trial basis before commercial services begin. Others may question whether errors or commercial pressure may lead to inadequate recharging between flights and, consequently, increased safety risks.
Cost UAM vehicles are likely to be expensive. A would-be operator would need to make a large investment to build a fleet for
commercial operations. Initially at least, services are likely to be accessible only to a privileged few. However, the same was once true of mobile phones. Evolving business models and economies of scale should make UAM more widely affordable.
Airspace congestion Airspace congestion is sure to affect UAM routes in the future. With problems currently afflicting transportation by road, rail and even water, the prospect of being whisked above the crowds below to reach a desired destination quickly and calmly is attractive. However, airspace delays are likely to affect the journeys of UAM passengers in the future. From another perspective, UAM could potentially relieve
overloaded road and rail networks. For now, this is of small concern, as the difficult engineering challenges and even more complex legal issues need to be worked out.
UAM take-off For UAM to really take off, big players and investors must be convinced about the market, its potential ROI and time to get there. Talk, as they say, is cheap. The time is now for startups and
established companies to get active in this space and secure their position in this industry.
12 November 2023
www.electronicsworld.com
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