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Primary eVTOL Use Cases
Urban air mobility. Anybody who has ever been late for school, work, or a doctor’s appointment because of bottlenecked traffic will understand the appeal of jumping in an eVTOL that rises above a sea of stationary vehicles to quickly deliver a passenger to their destination. The prospect of providing what is essentially an air taxi to frustrated drivers has attracted investment and development by many eVTOL companies. Beyond the obvious benefit of improved transportation efficiency for passengers, eVTOLs also significantly reduce carbon emissions compared to helicopters. For example, a World Economic Forum study found that eVTOLs reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 90 percent compared to helicopters. The same study also found that eVTOLs could be a significant source of employment, potentially creating 2.5 million new jobs over the next two decades.
Emergency medical services. Helicopters have long played an essential role in quickly transporting patients who urgently need medical care to hospitals. This legacy makes it easy to envision cheaper, quieter, and less polluting eVTOLs replacing helicopters. "There could be very few changes required in terms of regulation because there are already routes established for emergency medical flights," said Nicolas Sockeel, a co-author of the Quick Insight and Research Engineer at EPRI who specializes in energy storage and advanced vehicles. "It could be a substitution." Companies such as Beta, Volocopter, and EHang are pursuing partnerships in which eVTOLs transport patients to hospitals, deliver doctors to the scenes of emergencies, and transport organs.
CARGO DELIVERY. Nearly 60 million parcels are delivered each day in the U.S., a number that is expected to grow quickly in coming years. While a combination of airplanes, trucks, and vans currently deliver parcels and other cargo from point A to point B, eVTOLs have the potential to accelerate delivery times, particularly in urban areas where dense traffic slows drivers. eVTOLs also offer the possibility of reducing cargo delivery expenses because they don’t require extensive ground and airport logistics systems. Delivery giant UPS partnered with eVTOL operators to explore the benefits of the aircraft in small and mid-sized markets.
Military applications. The U.S. Air Force is spearheading the development of eVTOLs for military uses through its Agility Prime program. At the end of 2021, the Air Force remotely piloted its first eVTOL, the Kittyhawk Heaviside aircraft. The military views eVTOLs as a beneficial tool for reconnaissance, transporting troops and equipment, logistics, and search-and-rescue missions.
URBAN AIR MOBILITY
Emergency medical services
Cargo delivery
Military applications
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