Electrical conditioning box Changes the electricity from AC to DC for use in the propulsion pods.
Drive shaft Connects the diesel engine to the generators.
Electric generator
Thermal control systems
The premium business travel market segment alone could utilize more than 200,000 aircraft globally. These are gigantic fleets from a conventional aerospace perspective, but they are a modest number of vehicles when approached from an automotive viewpoint. Supply chains for UAM aircraft will look more like McLaren or Ferrari production than Ford or Toyota’s manufacturing. Our research suggests the market will likely require up to $20 billion of annual aircraft production using enabling technologies that are under development now at research institutions such as Embry-Riddle and companies such as VerdeGo. New aircraft designs that leverage the innovations underway in propulsion, efficiency, controls and noise mitigation will enable new types of aircraft to operate as good neighbors from new vertiport locations. The result is the largest new aerospace market segment since the emergence of jet air travel in the 1950s. We are on the verge of a step change in aerial mobility and the
Megacities An Ideal Global Market
UAM is a global phenomenon more akin to commercial airline flight than general aviation. The majority of the largest, most congested cities in the world are outside the U.S., and these are the most desirable early markets. It is important to note that UAM already exists in São Paulo, Brazil with a large fleet of helicopters serving a significant number of urban vertiports. To begin meeting the needs of UAM’s growth, VerdeGo is developing the world’s largest diesel-electric aerospace hybrid system at its facility in the Embry-Riddle Research Park. This system is designed for installations requiring up to1megawatt of power, while using globally available Jet A fuel. Even if the market is limited to just the premium business travel segment, VerdeGo forecasts a fleet of more than 500 aircraft would be necessary to serve the demand in a typical megacity of 10 million-plus people. While this represents a very small fraction of the total travel needs of the city, and it will have a negligible impact on surface travel volumes, it is a huge growth market for aerospace.
“To begin meeting the needs of UAM’s growth, VerdeGo is developing the world’s largest diesel-electric aerospace hybrid system at its facility in the Embry-Riddle Research Park.”
innovation ecosystem built around Embry-Riddle is leading the way.
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