Are cities ready with the infrastructure needed for urban air transportation? One of the key factors is infrastructure: the technology and physical assets necessary to enable the scaled adoption of piloted and fully autonomous electric and hybrid electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft for either people or cargo transportation.
Manufacturers have made progress on the aircraft themselves, but the infrastructure necessary to support and enable scaled people and cargo transportation in urban and suburban areas is not yet in place. For the elevated future of mobility to become a reality, players need to establish ground infrastructure, a robust communication and unmanned air traffic management (UTM) system, and a seamless mobility as a service (MaaS) platform.
This article aims to explore what needs to happen on the ground and over the airwaves to enable a future that includes eVTOLs.
