Flying Cars - will they ever take-off? (TED Talk)

Description

Increasing population and the move towards future ‘megacities’ will place an increasing burden on urban transport with corresponding increases in noise, air pollution and energy usage.   This is likely to have an adverse effect on commuting times due to congestion and increased mobility needs.   To address these challenges, alternative modes of transport are being actively pursued by a growing number of global companies who are looking towards ‘urban air mobility’ (UAM) as a potential, partial solution.   NASA defines UAM as ‘a safe and efficient system for passenger and cargo transportation within an urban area’.

Within this new and evolving sector, there is considerable interest in the use of electric vertical take-off and landing (e-VTOL) vehicles to meet the need.   The Vertical Flight Society estimates current expenditure in the region of US$1BN across 120+ global projects.   These vehicles operating from ‘Vertiports’ - a type of airport where aircraft take-off and land vertically - make use of city rooftops using vehicles powered by clean-energy electric motors resulting in low noise and low emissions, essential for urban day/night operations.   A human centred design approach for vehicles and their operation in the urban air mobility environment will be essential – ‘joined up thinking’ will be key.