Industry Leaders Evaluate eVTOL Revolution | Aviation International News

Unmanned Aerial Vehicles

Industry Leaders Evaluate eVTOL Revolution

Expert panel mulls the near-future of eVTOL.

Scott Drennan (pictured), Bell v-p of innovation, waxed futuristic about the prospects for eVTOL aircraft, citing data that posits 750 million passengers trips across 15 major cities in 2030. Airbus v-p of urban mobility Zach Lovering sees the convergence of distribued electric propulsion technology and autonomous systems, infrastructure as key and likely enablers. More than 150 eVTOL types are under development, according to Mike Hirschberg, executive director of the Vertical Flight Society.

By Mark Huber • Contributor

March 7, 2019

Emerging electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft "will not only revolutionize vertical flight, but society as a whole," Mike Hirschberg, executive director of the Vertical Flight Society, predicted during a Wednesday Heli-Expo session on eVTOLs. He cited a confluence of regulatory, technological, and industrial developments that he thinks makes this the right time for eVTOLs, including the trend toward performance-based regulations, advances in electric motors, batteries, computer models and simulations, and increased investment in technology.

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