Fixing Our Broken Transportation Ecosystems
“With urbanization and population growth driving congestion in cities, AAM promises to save passengers time, improve productivity and quality of life, increase accessibility for rural and disadvantaged communities, and expand access to goods and services.”
Deloitte AAM Report,
Disrupting the future of mobility
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Greetings Doroni family,
Last week, we broke down how the COVID-19 pandemic shifted our mobility and traffic patterns, and how NASA’s Advanced Air Mobility is researching how the addition of AAM could cut traffic in major cities and make our travel times shorter.
This week, I’d like to focus more specifically on how AAM will be integrated into existing transportation networks and ecosystems—enhancing them and providing greater sustainability.?
A recent report released by Deloitte, “Advanced air mobility—Disrupting the future of mobility” outlines how (with manufacturers aiming to see eVTOLs flying by 2024) the AAM industry could become mainstream in the 2030s as companies strive to make it a commercial success. The report examines where and how AAM can compete with existing modes of transportation with a focus on the consumer perspective given the available options.?
Congestion + Pollution
According to the EPA, the transportation sector accounts for 27% of the total greenhouse gas emissions in the US, beating out electricity and industry as the biggest offenders. The biggest promise AAM offers our existing transportation ecosystem is with its potential to address congestion and pollution in our major cities and population centers. Commercial and private eVTOL operations stand to increase the efficiency of current transportation networks by reducing travel time, improving sustainability, and expanding access to goods and services.??
With AAM closely integrated into existing transportation networks and infrastructures for first and last-mile connections, this new mobility solution can help fix clear pathways for passengers, which could be essential to tracking routes and planning vehicle deployment.?
Can AAM compete with existing urban transportation
This is, of course, one of the biggest questions facing the industry, intrinsically tied to the general public’s adoption. Commercial eVTOL operations can compete with existing urban transport, but they must improve the economics to capture the market, as the demand will likely be directly proportional to the service price.?
A lower price per seat over time could potentially create more demand, resulting in a high load factor because consumer willingness to pay for faster transportation is expected to be one of the primary factors driving AAM adoption. As the demand increases, higher production volumes could lead to economies of scale.?
John Coykendall, principal for global and US aerospace and defense leader at Deloitte (and one of the report’s authors), added that a lack of first and last-mile connectivity and potential negative community response could slow adoption.?
“There are real use cases out there for business travelers such as myself and for high net-worth individuals,” said Coykendall.?
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Seleta Reynolds, general manager of the Los Angeles Department of Transportation (speaking at the SXSW conference in Austin, Texas this year) said that cities must be included in the conversation around advanced air mobility, and that airspace should be managed for the public good and that funding should enable cities to dedicated resources to AAM. She went on to warn that cities will potentially resist investing in AAM if eVTOLs only serve affluent travelers.?
Ride-hailing + Ride-sharing
Ultimately, AAM is seeking to become a transportation system for mass transit, operating between urban, suburban, and rural areas. Transporting people between and within cities, either scheduled or on-demand, could become a crucial application for the industry, where the biggest market is likely to take shape.?
Intra-city transportation (moving people and goods within cities) offers more value and is projected to fuel long-term growth. This is because they are shorter trips that address the main concern of congestion. AAM ride-sharing services could drive the market for intra-city movement as the turnaround time could be as little as 6 to 7 minutes for a 25-mile trip, and this would be enough to charge the electric aircraft for the next trip.?
How Can We Drive Faster Adoption
According to Deloitte’s report, the need for new mobility options due to congestion, pollution, and expanding access to communities, goods, and services could accelerate eVTOL aircraft use. But, unlike other rapid tech advancements, those in eVTOL could gradually progress toward scale and mass adoption.?
Short to medium-length routes could likely have higher traction for eVTOL operations in the initial stages due to less turnaround time. Furthermore, the development of integrated mobility apps that help consumers review all trip options, including first and last mile, could play a crucial role in faster adoption as well. With the possibility of existing ground networks that could tie into a sophisticated air mobility system, customers could use such apps to compare and select the right mode of transportation or a combination based on their requirements (time, cost, etc.)
In addition, the optimal placement of ground infrastructure in prime locations—such as densely-populated areas, business areas, airports, and areas with poor access or limited transportation options—will likely be critical in driving demand for eVTOL operations.
This means AAM companies should identify and focus on strategic locations for placing takeoff and landing infrastructure, such as vertiports. With these considerations, advances in eVTOL use could gradually progress toward scale and mass adoption.?
Doroni Aerospace’s Role
We are building the next iteration of the commuter experience with our development of the H1 eVTOL platform. As CEO/Co-Founder, it’s my mission to bring safe and consumer-first air transportation to the industry and the world. Our team has the experience, technical ingenuity, and drive to help get the industry off the ground, and we’re targeting a Light Sport Aircraft certification with the FAA ahead of our product launch in the second half of 2024.?
Once complete, the H1’s easy-to-use control system, intuitive flight design, and quick deployment will completely revolutionize the way we commute. What’s more, it will change the way we respond to emergencies and natural disasters, the way we ship goods, and the way we support our military and law enforcement.?
We also just completed our first crowdfunding raise on StartEngine.com, reaching our $1.07M max offering early, and recently achieved a new company valuation of $159M, up from the previous $14M.?