eVTOL Fleet Selection Method for Vertiport Networks

To date, there have been over 400 electric Vertical Takeoff and Landing (eVTOL) air vehicle designs that vary significantly in terms of design concepts, thrust type, air vehicle size or passenger seating capacity. Our study proposes a method for exploring ranking of passenger eVTOLs for vertiport network routes within large metropolitan regions. The method uses a benchmarking approach to indicate the eVTOLs most suitable to perform in the determined operational envelope. The study includes (i) a database, which was developed from open-source data that contains declared eVTOL performance characteristics, (ii) analysis of performance and limitations of eVTOLs, (iii) a multi-criteria decision analysis method for benchmarking technical specifications of eVTOLs, and (iv) an operational envelope design limited by a certain metropolitan area. To date, this has been the first attempt to map the passenger eVTOL family in its entirety. This research provides the UAM stakeholders with a generic tool that can be utilized in different metropolitan areas that anticipate the UAM deployment.