Foster + Partners will introduce Vertiport Terminal in Dubai for eVTOL Aircrafts. The company is collaborating with Skyports to create next-generation aviation infrastructure, and eVTOLs. The vertiports are expected to be operational by 2026.
Foster + Partners is a British Architectural firm and they have been working on the concept design of the debut terminal and recently unveiled the pics of the same.
They are said to be working with Skyports to shape this next-gen infrastructure of the aviation industry. Companies like Stellantis, and Hyundai and startups like Joby and Lilium are a few other companies working on making Skies a zero-emission place as well.
For now, the concept images feature a vertiport terminal alongside Dubai International Airport. Three other locations will be selected in the Emirates as well. The eVTOL industry is expected to kick off in the Middle East be it in terms of early adoption or for huge investments in infrastructure.
For Foster + Team they feel that seamless, sustainable travel across the city for international and domestic passengers, is what comes to mind when they think of the Dubai concept.
eVTOL and the vertiports are expected to be in function by 2026. Something similar is being planned for the Paris Olympics as well. However, these are early days and the eVTOL industry knows there are endless obstacles on a technical level that await them.
They also know what a broken promise could do to their reputation and are also conscious of the public perception of autonomous cars.
Foster + Partners will introduce Vertiport Terminal in Dubai for eVTOL Aircrafts. Any mistake in infrastructure or aircraft here is riskier and costlier than it would be for autonomous cars, however, autonomous flying is easier to manage than a complex territorial road system.
Also, eVTOL is to be used for short-hop and point-to-point travel which would connect them with a wider network of transportation.
How will eVTOL Work?
Before even getting into the specifics we know that the aircraft will run on electricity and that it would land, hover as well as take off vertically.
Numerous electric motors will power the propellers to take off as well as land. The aircraft would have wings like any other aircraft for gliding. And since it runs on electricity a battery would be on board to store energy.
It is the wing and propeller of this aircraft that would allow it to take off vertically as a helicopter but fly like an aircraft. These aircrafts won’t need runways and they would be able to fly a range of 100 to 150 miles at low altitudes. They would also boast a top speed of around 200 miles an hour.
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Future of eVTOL
The US Passenger eVTOL market size is expected to hit a valuation of 17.7 billion dollars by 2040. The industry as a whole is expected to be worth between 1 to 3 trillion by then.
This technology has been referred to as the future of the aviation industry and rightly so. There are two types of VTOL, one that uses a rotor blade as a helicopter does, and the second that uses wings to land and take off vertically.
No matter which one we talk about the purpose that these aircraft serve will include:
1. Transportation
Flying Taxis may have looked like a far fetched idea back when Uber announced their plans for the same but you better believe it that they are almost around the corner.
2. Agriculture
Agriculture is still one of those fields where traditional methods of doing things are still prevalent. But with eVTOL you could expect all that to change. An unarmed drone-type vehicle will make tasks faster and easier around the farm.
3. Emergency Medical Services
Lives can be saved or lost due to a matter of a few seconds and minutes. Flying ambulances will surely help with the former as they would make the transportation of the patient to the hospital quicker than a road vehicle and that would save a lot of lives.
4. Search and Rescue Mission
Floods, earthquakes, tsunami, etc. leave behind a lot of destruction and displaces people. In times like these search and rescue operations are required.
Manual operations may take a lot of time and this may contribute to losing a life that could have been saved. But with eVTOL there to help, lives could be saved in such situations.
5. Law Enforcement
Police and other people with the authority to stop crimes can’t be present anywhere and everywhere at a given point in time. But with an unmanned aerial vehicle, they would get some sort of additional help to keep a watch on things and be prepared for any potential crime.
6. National Security
The future is not war-prone and in times like that technology like eVTOL may prove to be very useful. They don’t need runways or fuel. Something of this sort can add value to the defense system significantly especially in times of war.
7. Logistics
Roads are becoming contested and big delivery trucks are only adding to this problem. But with eVTOL the e-commerce companies and other companies that need to deliver stuff to tons of people could simply shift to air transportation. This would contest the roads and also make the delivery process quicker.
Source: Foster + Partners
