Page 43 - TT Mag Feb 2024 Digital Edition_New

EMERGING TECHNOLOGIES

I magine making the 90-minute drive from Connaught

Place to Gurugram in Delhi in seven minutes, sitting in
a plane, avoiding the heavy traffic on the roads. This trip
is not only possible, but in a few years with the help of
air taxis it will be inevitable.
Air taxis - small commercial planes and helicopters
that can transport passengers in congested cities - seem to
have flown straight out of a science fiction novel. What was
once considered pure fantasy, is now an emerging reality
backed by numbers. According to Deloitte, the air mobility
market is estimated to reach $115 billion in the USA by 2035.
This new avenue of mobility has the potential to
revolutionise urban transportation, providing commuters
with a safe, efficient and sustainable mode of travel. It can
improve productivity by cutting down traffic delays, have a
positive impact on the environment, and offer relief to cities
groaning under the growing burden of urban transportation
needs - especially in India.
Of particular interest in the air mobility sector is a model
of air taxis known as Electric Vertical Takeoff and Landing
(eVTOL). These vehicles can take off and land vertically (similar
to helicopters), negating the need for runways, allowing them
to operate comfortably within the confines of a busy city.
Air mobility - specifically air taxis - could also improve
emergency services, boost tourism opportunities, provide
critical services, inter-city trips, cargo deliveries, public services
and even as private recreational vehicles.

Air mobility movement

India is taking definitive steps towards air taxis. Recently,
While cities across Sweden’s Infrastructure and Housing Minister Andreas
the globe are Carlson was in the country, discussing the new avenues of

currently utilising aviation with India’s Civil Aviation Minister. Carlson predicted
the beginning of deployment in five years.
helicopters and This optimistic outlook is also shared by Indian companies
small commercial - particularly startups. At the Indian Institute of Technology
Madras, an incubated startup - ePlane - has plans to deploy air
planes to help a taxis by 2025. This 2-seater electric plane will ferry passengers
small number of within city limits, at a slightly higher cost than regular taxis.
commuters cut What Technology Will Power Air Taxis?
down on travel Air mobility has quickly transformed from a pipe dream to a
times, innovations in bustling industry, with manufacturers and investors showing
great interest in advancing the field. While the system will
the field will expand rely on conventional fixed wing aircrafts and helicopters,
this service until it is manufacturers are also heavily investing in eVTOLs. Jet
engines will be swapped out for electric motors, rotating
eventually open to wings and propellers will help eVTOLs manage their vertical
a wider audience, takeoffs and landings. With manufacturers like Joby, Uber,
Hyundai, Boeing, Lilium and others investing in eVTOLS,
writes Sid Jalan. it is clear that the industry is looking towards an electric,
sustainable means of air travel.

www.trafficinfratech.com / February 2024 / TrafficInfraTech 43