Role of flying cars in sustainable mobility

Interest and investment in electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft (VTOLs), commonly known as flying cars, have grown significantly. However, their sustainability implications are unclear. We report a physics-based analysis of primary energy and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions of VTOLs vs. gro...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Nature communications 2019-04, Vol.10 (1), p.1555-1555, Article 1555
Main Authors: Kasliwal, Akshat, Furbush, Noah J., Gawron, James H., McBride, James R., Wallington, Timothy J., De Kleine, Robert D., Kim, Hyung Chul, Keoleian, Gregory A.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
639/166/984
639/4077/2790
Aircraft
Automobiles
Batteries
Electric vehicles
Emissions
Flying automobiles
Greenhouse effect
Greenhouse gases
Humanities and Social Sciences
Internal combustion engines
Landing behavior
Mobility
multidisciplinary
Occupancy
Science
Science (multidisciplinary)
Sustainability
Tilt rotor aircraft
Vehicle emissions
Vertical flight
Vertical landing
Vertical takeoff aircraft
Wings
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Summary:Interest and investment in electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft (VTOLs), commonly known as flying cars, have grown significantly. However, their sustainability implications are unclear. We report a physics-based analysis of primary energy and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions of VTOLs vs. ground-based cars. Tilt-rotor/duct/wing VTOLs are efficient when cruising but consume substantial energy for takeoff and climb; hence, their burdens depend critically on trip distance. For our base case, traveling 100 km (point-to-point) with one pilot in a VTOL results in well-to-wing/wheel GHG emissions that are 35% lower but 28% higher than a one-occupant internal combustion engine vehicle (ICEV) and battery electric vehicle (BEV), respectively. Comparing fully loaded VTOLs (three passengers) with ground-based cars with an average occupancy of 1.54, VTOL GHG emissions per passenger-kilometer are 52% lower than ICEVs and 6% lower than BEVs. VTOLs offer fast, predictable transportation and could have a niche role in sustainable mobility. Vertical takeoff and landing aircraft (VTOLs), or “flying cars” can shorten commute time and could play a niche role in sustainable mobility. The authors estimate that over long distances, fully-loaded electric VTOL taxis could result in fewer GHG emissions than average occupancy ground-based cars.
ISSN:2041-1723
2041-1723
DOI:10.1038/s41467-019-09426-0