DOI
10.5703/1288284318539
Description
As electric vertical taking-off and landing aircraft (eVTOL) technology and associated infrastructure continue to advance, the prospect of achieving actual commercial operations is gradually becoming feasible. For this novel urban transportation mode, the capability to continuously accomplish flight missions is one of the critical factors determining its eventual eligibility for commercial operation. An analysis of applying rapid charging can provide valuable insights into the development and potential solutions for enhancing eVTOL mission repeatability, given the limitations of eVTOL battery capacity and endurance. This study focuses on the optimal location selection of eVTOL sites through a hierarchical screening approach utilizing ArcGIS, with Shenzhen designated as the case study area. The initial set of candidate eVTOL sites is identified using a location optimization model designed to maximize travel cost savings across all potential trips that could transition to Urban Air Mobility (UAM). Subsequently, an Origin–Destination (OD)-based location–allocation algorithm is applied to Shenzhen, considering 25 potential Vertihubs. Demand locations, represented as white points, correspond to existing or planned vertiports and vertistops. A direct flight network is then constructed using the XY To Line tool to generate Euclidean (point-to-point) flight routes. Furthermore, this study outlines the generic flight mission procedure of eVTOLs and proposes a conceptual model that leverages a rapid charging strategy to estimate the possible number of standard missions an eVTOL can perform after reaching designated vertiplaces (vertihubs, vertiports and vertistops) following specific mission rounds. Two critical parameters are identified: the standard mission range per trip and the rapid charging time. The modeling analysis shows that standard mission range and charging time must be considered in combination, as optimizing a single parameter alone has limited impact on the overall continuous flight mission capability of eVTOLs. Furthermore, while the inherent flight performance of eVTOLs is critical to their ability to continuously complete missions, this advantage can be significantly diminished if the standard mission range and charging time fall outside the ideal range.
Potential electric vertical taking-off and landing aircraft (eVTOL) Site Location Considering Flight Missions and Repeatability
As electric vertical taking-off and landing aircraft (eVTOL) technology and associated infrastructure continue to advance, the prospect of achieving actual commercial operations is gradually becoming feasible. For this novel urban transportation mode, the capability to continuously accomplish flight missions is one of the critical factors determining its eventual eligibility for commercial operation. An analysis of applying rapid charging can provide valuable insights into the development and potential solutions for enhancing eVTOL mission repeatability, given the limitations of eVTOL battery capacity and endurance. This study focuses on the optimal location selection of eVTOL sites through a hierarchical screening approach utilizing ArcGIS, with Shenzhen designated as the case study area. The initial set of candidate eVTOL sites is identified using a location optimization model designed to maximize travel cost savings across all potential trips that could transition to Urban Air Mobility (UAM). Subsequently, an Origin–Destination (OD)-based location–allocation algorithm is applied to Shenzhen, considering 25 potential Vertihubs. Demand locations, represented as white points, correspond to existing or planned vertiports and vertistops. A direct flight network is then constructed using the XY To Line tool to generate Euclidean (point-to-point) flight routes. Furthermore, this study outlines the generic flight mission procedure of eVTOLs and proposes a conceptual model that leverages a rapid charging strategy to estimate the possible number of standard missions an eVTOL can perform after reaching designated vertiplaces (vertihubs, vertiports and vertistops) following specific mission rounds. Two critical parameters are identified: the standard mission range per trip and the rapid charging time. The modeling analysis shows that standard mission range and charging time must be considered in combination, as optimizing a single parameter alone has limited impact on the overall continuous flight mission capability of eVTOLs. Furthermore, while the inherent flight performance of eVTOLs is critical to their ability to continuously complete missions, this advantage can be significantly diminished if the standard mission range and charging time fall outside the ideal range.