Energy Efficient Path Planning of Electric Air Taxi

What is it about?

Every day, millions of man hours are spent unproductively in cities across the world due to road-traffic congestion. In 2014, the congestion caused 3.1 billion gallons of extra fuel burn in the US. Transportation as a whole accounted for approximately 33 % of CO2 emissions in the US, of which 80 % are from cars and trucks traveling on roadway system.A study in the American Journal of Preventative Medicine, for example, found that those who commute more than 10 miles were at increased odds of elevated blood pressure. The air taxis can alleviate transportation congestion on the ground by utilizing three-dimensional airspace efficiently, just as skyscrapers allowed cities to use limited land more efficiently. A network of small, electric aircraft that take off and land vertically (eVTOL), can enable rapid and reliable transportation between suburbs and cities and, ultimately, within cities.

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Why is it important?

As stated above - The air taxis can alleviate transportation congestion on the ground by utilizing three-dimensional airspace efficiently, just as skyscrapers allowed cities to use limited land more efficiently. A network of small, electric aircraft that take off and land vertically (eVTOL), can enable rapid and reliable transportation between suburbs and cities and, ultimately, within cities. The eVTOLs, can travel toward their destination on a geodesic path, making route-based congestion less prevalent. Over a dozen companies, with many different design approaches, are passionately working to make eVTOLs a reality. The eVTOLs have zero operational emissions as they use electric propulsion.

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