Urban Air Mobility (UAM) is a rapidly developing new mode of transport for both passengers and cargo. This emerging market represents the major innovation in the aerospace industry in decades. Many UAM aircraft are electric or hybrid, producing less noise and pollutants than traditional fuel vehicles, and are more environmentally friendly to urban environments, due to their use of electric propulsion.
Why Urban Air Mobility Needs More Powerful Batteries
The demand for larger batteries for electric road vehicles is intended to improve the product. However, even short-distance electric flights will be difficult to take off without more powerful energy storage. This battery storage also needs to be lightweight, cool, and able to prevent individual cells from overheating.
The energy consumed by electric road vehicle manufacturers’ products is relatively constant. While electric aircraft require a lot of energy to take off, they require much less energy to continue flying. They also need backup power to land safely. This means more powerful batteries are needed on board.
Aerospace Global News adds a third requirement for urban air mobility to take off. This comes down to fast battery turnover at passenger pick-up and drop-off points. Battery replacement and charging must be fast and cost-effective to meet this requirement.
What does the future hold for urban air mobility?
Batteries for flying taxis add a host of additional requirements beyond those for electric travel on the ground. They need to carry more energy. That’s obvious. But more powerful batteries also need to be lighter. Every ounce of weight an aircraft carries makes it harder to overcome gravity.
The greening of urban air mobility presents additional challenges that most traditional batteries can’t adapt to. This mode of transportation will need to overcome these issues with lighter, more efficient, and more powerful batteries. Until we meet these standards, electric aircraft will remain a dream for now.
