Flying cars and electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft could become the future of personal transportation and taxis, which would significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Presently, over 250 companies are developing flying cars and eVTOLs, and at least a few vehicles are expected to be commercialized soon. This article presents the current trends and technology of VTOL flight mechanisms and identifies the vehicles in each category to evaluate their advantages and limitations. Most of the flying cars that are being developed do not have VTOL capability because of the requirement for high power during takeoff/landing for a roadworthy vehicle. This article proposes the powertrain architectures for incorporating VTOL capability for flying cars based on dual power sources, such as fuel cells and batteries. Besides, possibilities of using a single propulsion system for both drive and flight modes are explored. General design guidelines are presented for the proposed powertrain architecture to estimate the maximum takeoff weight (MTOW), power/energy demands, and source capacities. Furthermore, the technologies of the powertrain components, such as electric motors and power converters, are also discussed in this article.


    Access

    Check access

    Check availability in my library

    Order at Subito €


    Export, share and cite



    Title :

    Flying Cars and eVTOLs—Technology Advancements, Powertrain Architectures, and Design




    Publication date :

    2022-12-01


    Size :

    3692007 byte




    Type of media :

    Article (Journal)


    Type of material :

    Electronic Resource


    Language :

    English



    Humans, Autonomy, and eVTOLs

    M. Feary | NTIS | 2018


    Airfoils and evtols with airfoils

    NICOLAS LOUIS MARIE GYORGY HENNEL REDON DE BEAUPREAU | European Patent Office | 2024

    Free access

    Airfoils and evtols with airfoils

    European Patent Office | 2023

    Free access

    Humans, Autonomy, and eVTOLs

    Feary, Michael | NTRS | 2018


    Operating eVTOLs in the Emergency Response Service

    Szilágyi, Dávid / Sziroczák, Dávid | Springer Verlag | 2023