VerdeGo Aero is focusing on the production of electric power that enables missions using distributed propulsion pods.
UAM is defined as the commercial transportation of passengers on very short-range flights of less than 50 miles .
We recognized early on that one of the biggest market needs in electric flight was for reliable, modular, standardized hybrid- electric systems that could enable a wide array of diverse aircraft types. Together with Embry-Riddle’s Eagle Flight Research Center, the company is providing critical and enabling technologies, which will fuel a revolution in electric aircraft design. Attracted by the university’s investment in research and its commitment to building a supportive innovation ecosystem, we became the founding tenant of the new Applied Aviation and Engineering Research Facility at the Embry-Riddle Research Park in February 2020. The location and supportive nature of the neighboring business ventures in the park and in the Florida Space Triangle position us at the center of innovations that are shaping the future of flight. As the technology accelerates toward a new reality, VerdeGo offers a look at the technical and market perspectives for different approaches to UAM aircraft, the forces affecting pricing and the locations where UAM is expected to emerge first. Expect Autonomy for Smaller Aircraft The convergence of electrification, autonomy, noise-mitigation technologies, and mobility as a service has the potential to create as large of an impact on short- range commercial flight as the emergence of the jet engine did in the 1950s for long- range commercial air transportation. UAM, defined as the commercial transportation of passengers on very short-range flights of less than 50 miles, provides a fast and economical alternative to surface transportation in locations where there is significant traffic congestion. Aircraft in development for the commercial UAM market fall into two size categories depending on several operational and
business model factors. The larger UAM aircraft typically carry five to seven people. These aircraft are sized such that the operating economics are viable with a human pilot onboard, and they would primarily be used in route-based operating concepts where there is enough traffic to frequently gather small groups of passengers to fill the aircraft. Meanwhile, smaller UAM aircraft typically sized for two passengers are intended to be autonomous in order to be commercially viable. The weight of the pilot with respect to the useable aircraft payload, and the cost of the pilot, make it prohibitive to have a two seat-piloted commercial aircraft. Smaller aircraft are favored for on-demand route networks where the aircraft can be profitably dispatched with a single passenger between any two points in an urban network of vertiports.
E R I K L I N D B E R G H Executive Chairman of VerdeGo Aero, is the grandson of Charles Lindbergh, who made the world’s first transatlantic flight in 1927. Lindbergh, a commercial pilot, retraced his grandfather’s flight from New York to Paris in 2002. In addition to serving on the board of the XPRIZE Foundation and as board chair of the Lindbergh Foundation, he is focused on making general aviation cleaner and quieter through electric propulsion technology.
Forces Affecting Pricing Both of these operating concepts and aircraft sizes are
viable and likely to co-exist in airline fleets serving major urban markets. However, there is a potential early advantage to the certification of the larger aircraft due to the ability to employ human pilots. Currently the regulatory framework for certifying these new VTOL aircraft under the FAA and Europe’s airworthiness standards is coming into focus and there is significant early interaction between industry groups and regulatory agencies. However, the work related to certifying new aircraft may be moving faster than the ability to certify autonomy for commercial use. The early years of the UAM market will likely be dominated by the larger aircraft under
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