Electric Aviation and Advanced Air Mobility Emerging as a Viable Future for Air Travel

Electric aviation is an exciting new field for aviation stakeholders who are seeking to meet both consumer demands and clean energy goals. WSP USA is helping aviation stakeholders meet these goals using the latest technologies in electric air travel.

“Electric aviation is one of the keys to the future of aviation,” according to Gaël Le Bris, WSP USA senior aviation planner and senior technical principal. “It is exciting because it is an innovative, rapidly changing field that is unlocking new opportunities for the aviation community as well as bringing solutions for greener, more inclusive air mobility.”

Defining Electric Aircraft

Compared to conventional aircraft that are powered solely by internal combustion, an electric aircraft’s propulsion is either partly or entirely powered by an electric motor. This means that electric aviation has the potential for zero-emission flights, with reduced noise levels and operating costs.

Advanced air mobility (AAM) is a way to leverage these technologies for a safe and efficient aviation transportation system, in which passengers or cargo are transported within urban and suburban areas, as well as between cities and communities, and airports.

AAM will use both existing and new assets to provide on-demand aviation services, such as turning general aviation airports into community mobility hubs for vertical and short takeoff and landing (V/STOL) aircraft, or by adapting rooftops to accommodate vertiports.

“WSP has been at the forefront of the discussion on the emergence of electric aviation and AAM,” Le Bris said. “Our focus is on assisting airports, local governments and other stakeholders to get ready for the next step in aerial innovation with realistic plans to enable air mobility for all and to incorporate these technologies for the benefit of our communities.”

Aviation accounts for about two percent of carbon emissions and three-and-a-half percent of climate change drivers. The industry has been working to reduce its carbon footprint for more than two decades – with a pledge to become net zero worldwide by 2050.

In October, the International Civil Aviation Organization officially announced its support of the 2050 worldwide net zero goal. Electric propulsion systems are one of the keys to reaching this goal, along with other solutions such as sustainable aviation fuels and hydrogen technologies.

Electric aviation also presents new opportunities for commuters, as electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft can reduce the cost of on-demand, point-to-point air taxi services and could make air travel comparable to a trip with a transportation network company such as Uber or Lyft.

This can be a game changer in congested metropolitan areas, as well as smaller communities, making them more connected and accessible. Electric fixed-wing aircraft technologies can enable a renewal of regional aviation and benefit areas that are losing air service in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic as small regional jets are being phased out.

“However, the use cases for electric aircraft are not limited to on-demand and scheduled passenger flights,” Le Bris said. “Freight, medical services, law enforcement, aerial work, private and recreational aviation – the sky is the limit!”

Current Projects and Developments

There are more than 100 electric aircraft projects in development, many of them being designed for air taxi services and regional aviation. Some projects feature large unmanned aerial systems (UAS), or drones, for services in emergency and medical services as well as air freight. In addition, smaller drones, also known as sUAS, already provide a broad range of services from aerial surveys to last-mile small freight deliveries for parcels, food and medication.

Due to the limits of current technologies, most electric passenger aircraft designs are for smaller vehicles, with two-to-six-passenger capacity for on-demand or commuter services. Most have VTOL capabilities, or at least STOL capabilities. Some projects also expand the electric aircraft concept to larger regional aircraft with more conventional capabilities (or CTOL) with 19 to 30 passengers. Progress in batteries and fuel cell technologies are expected to help expand the range and capabilities of these vehicles.

Electric aircraft developments are on the horizon and might start becoming a commercial reality by 2025. While it will take time for manufacturers to produce and deliver these aircraft and for flight operators to adopt them, they are still fast approaching when compared to the typical timeframe of airport capital projects and master planning.

“Planners and other airport practitioners should coordinate with existing and potential flight operators using their airports to get an understanding of their interest in adopting these technologies,” Le Bris said, as states like Colorado, Utah and Washington are starting to look at how they can facilitate the implementation of electric aviation and AAM through adequate policies and aviation system planning.

Early applications of electric aircraft may impact smaller airports and heliports first. As new vertiports are built, small general aviation airports and existing heliports will also be hosting AAM services as capacity becomes available.

There is an opportunity to optimize the use of these assets and to enhance mobility options at the local level. For travelers taking a flight to a farther destination and using AAM to reach a larger airport from their neighborhood, electric aircraft will be a fast and convenient vehicle enabling them to literally fly over the roadway traffic.

Airport operators should assess this emerging demand and determine the best way to address it. For capacity, safety and security considerations, many commercial service airports accommodating eVTOL services might want to consider a “landside” vertiport, which would be separate from their main aircraft operating area.

Such vertiports could be conveniently located on top of their parking garage or consolidated rental car facility, while lower-volume airports may choose to use their existing airfield and terminal apron.

“There is a new airport/vertiport planning playbook to develop here, and our team has actually developed the two guidance documents to address this need: Airport Cooperative Research Program (ACRP) Research Reports 236 and 243 published by the Transportation Research Board (TRB),” Le Bris said. 

With ACRP Research Report 236, WSP developed the first practice-ready guidance document on electric aircraft and hydrogen technology at airports for the TRB, a division of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine.

WSP also has conducted follow-up research on the implications of the emergence of AAM for aviation facilities, as well as the future of ground access and how these different modes could interconnect at airports.

Airport Preparations

At the federal level, the AAM Coordination and Leadership Act was signed into law in October, and it calls for the U.S. Department of Transportation to organize a broad coalition of stakeholders and work to tackle these issues across stakeholders, agencies, jurisdictions and disciplines.

Airports need to consider several factors when approaching electric aviation, including how they are preparing for a wider electrification of their services, and how that connects to hydrogen technologies.

“The compatibility of electric aircraft and hydrogen technologies should be addressed when considering the broader ‘electrification of everything’ and the emergence of the hydrogen economy, as other activities and functions of the airport, such as ground vehicles and building cooling and heating systems, are planned to transition to electricity or hydrogen as well,” Le Bris said.

There also are regulatory policies to consider, as electric charging and hydrogen infrastructure systems are currently not eligible for traditional federal grant programs such as AIP (Airport Improvement Program) or VALE (Voluntary Airport Low Emissions), and the implementation of electric aircraft will impact traditional airport fuel revenues as well.

AAM has the potential to create opportunities for connecting communities and expanding the industry through fast and sustainable air mobility, as well as new possibilities for e-commerce, parcel delivery and essential emergency services.

But if integration is not properly planned within these communities, then AAM implementation could face local backlash.

“AAM operators cannot expect to utilize local resources and overfly communities without delivering on diversity, equity and inclusion, as well as providing safeguards for noise levels and ground traffic,” Le Bris said. “It is crucial for local stakeholders — such as community members, business owners, city and aviation planners, and transportation officials — to be involved as mobility evolves.”

Communities hosting this AAM infrastructure should benefit from an education and workforce development standpoint, and rethinking transportation plans and intermodality presents an opportunity to renew conversations on mobility accessibility with underserved communities.

But the potential and the limits of AAM need to be explained effectively. For instance, AAM will not replace nor compete with mass transit and trains, among other modes, and funding for these modes shouldn’t be affected by AAM implementation, as they have unique features, pricing and capacity.

“Providing multiple mobility options to the public is the key to accessibility, equity and resilience,” Le Bris said. “Our communities deserve great public transportation, great intercity rail and great aviation. But above all, the public deserves to be informed and involved.”

WSP Expertise and Guidance

WSP is at the forefront of the discussion on electric aviation and AAM, with a breadth of experience in aviation facilities and policies, as well as the various disciplines and topics that intersect the AAM conversation, such as environmental planning, energy resilience, transit and roadway engineering, structural engineering, social justice and civil rights.

WSP is assisting the Philadelphia International Airport with adding provisions for a vertiport facility into the airport’s master plan update. WSP is also leading the new master plan for the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center in Dallas, Texas, which includes a proposed redevelopment of the existing vertiport facility to accommodate the next generation of eVTOL aircraft and provide connectivity with other modes on the ground. 

“Our firm is a full-service consultancy that has all the capabilities in-house for assisting aviation clients, all stakeholders included, with their journey toward the implementation of advanced air mobility, from strategic advisory to project delivery,” Le Bris said.