[Science] Flying cars could be greener than electric ones in some circumstances – AI

0
220
[Science] Flying cars could be greener than electric ones in some circumstances – AI


Rolls Royce is one of several companies developing flying carsRolls-Royce Like Marty McFly’s banana-powered DeLorean, a future generation of flying cars could upend the idea that all flying is bad for the climate. Firms such as the Rolls Royce, Lilium and Vertical Aerospace have argued flying cars could be a green mode of transport, despite the large amounts of energy they need to get off the ground. One of the first studies into the environmental impact of such vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) vehicles suggests their backers could be right – at least in some circumstances. Advertisement Read more: Our addiction to flying is ruining the climate, but it doesn’t have to Gregory Keoleian at the University of Michigan and colleagues found that VTOLs, if they ever take to the skies, would produce 6 per cent less emissions than an electric car over a 100 kilometre journey. “The VTOL is particularly energy intensive during takeoff and descent. The cruise phase of the flight, however, is much more efficient, and over long distances, makes fully loaded VTOLs competitive with ground based vehicles,” says Keoleian. Flying cars would also have the advantage of being able to fly in a straight line, bypassing meandering routes. Keeping grounded Don’t jump into a VTOL just yet though. The difference was only very small and there are several big catches. Number one being that flying cars don’t really exist yet – they are only at the prototype stage. The prototypes rely on electric propulsion and can land vertically like a helicopter to act as an aerial taxi, but another issue is that the study is a bit of an apples-for-oranges comparison. It assumed an average of 1.54 people per electric car, compared to three passengers and a driver for the flying car, working on the assumption the latter would be a shared taxi service like UberPool – something that electric cars could also offer. Read more: Russian military is building a flying vehicle with rotating paddles Moreover, journeys shorter than 35 kilometres would produce more emissions than electric cars, because of the energy required at take-off. Keoleian and his team conclude flying cars could have a niche role in sustainable transport. But even if they do prove to be green, they have a lot of other hurdles to cross first. Journal reference: Nature Communications, DOI: 10.1038/s41467-019-09426-0 More on these topics: flight

Leave a Reply