Unmanned Aerial Vehicles
eVTOL: The $30 Billion Lottery
Many questions remain about the scope and viability of the emerging vertical takeoff and landing aircraft market.

The nascent electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft market has attracted more than $1 billion in seed capital, 125 aircraft designs, and numerous private sector, academic, and government studies, many of which paint a grandiose vision. NASA said two recent studies it funded suggest a vibrant future for urban air mobility (UAM). Crown Consulting predicts as many as 500 million flights a year for package delivery services and 750 million flights a year for air metro services by 2030, while Booz Allen noted the significant potential of UAM to transform the nation’s air transport system. Prototype and mock-up aircraft were the darlings of the summer 2018 airshow season.