Mexican Media Brands
Study: Mixed Environmental Impact for Flying Cars
Flying electric cars make environmental sense, but only on relatively long, one-way trips with multiple passengers on board, according to study published in Nature Communications.
#hybrid
Share
Flying electric cars make environmental sense, but only on relatively long, one-way trips with multiple passengers on board, according to study published in Nature Communications.
The authors, who include researchers from Ford Motor Co. and the University of Michigan, say vertical-take-off-and-landing (VTOL) aircraft could play a useful “niche role” as ride-share air taxis for trips longer than 22 miles.
Under those conditions, such vehicles could reduce congestion and improve air quality. But VTOLs consume a lot of energy to get off the ground, and their economics falter for shorter trips, according to the authors. They note that the average car commute is about 11 miles.
Several carmakers, tech companies and startups are developing and testing prototype VTOLs. Among them are Airbus, Aston Martin, Audi, Daimler, PAL-V, Terrafugia, Toyota and Uber. The Ford/U-M researches used publicly available from some of these tests to calculate well-to-wing/wheel energy use and greenhouse gas emissions.
On baseline 100-km (62-mile) trip, an electric VTOL carrying three people generates 52% fewer emissions than a midsize piston-powered ground vehicle with an average occupancy rate of 1.5 people, according to the study. The advantage drops to 35% when the VTOL carries only one person.
Compared with an electric car, a fully loaded VTOL generates 6% fewer emissions over 100 km. But emissions are 28% higher when it’s just the pilot in the flying car.
RELATED CONTENT
-
Mustang Changes for 2018
On Tuesday Ford unveiled—using the social media channels of actor Dwayne Johnson (this has got to unnerve some of the auto buff book editors)—the 2018 Mustang, which has undergone some modifications: under the hood (the 3.7-liter V6 is giving way to a 2.3-liter EcoBoost four, and a 10-speed automatic is available), on the dash (a 12-inch, all-digital LCD screen is available for the dashboard), at the tires (12 wheel choices), on the chassis (MagneRide damper technology is being offered with the Mustang Performance Package), and on the exterior (three new paint colors). And while on the subject of the exterior, there are some notable changes—a lower, remodeled hood, repositioned hood vents, new upper and lower front grilles, LED front lights, revised LED taillamps, new rear bumper and fascia.
-
On Electric Pickups, Flying Taxis, and Auto Industry Transformation
Ford goes for vertical integration, DENSO and Honeywell take to the skies, how suppliers feel about their customers, how vehicle customers feel about shopping, and insights from a software exec
-
Cobots: 14 Things You Need to Know
What jobs do cobots do well? How is a cobot programmed? What’s the ROI? We asked these questions and more to four of the leading suppliers of cobots.
