Will You Be Able To Afford UberAir s Flying Car Service

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With the announcement of [/tags/uber/ Uber's] [/news/uber-unveils-flying-taxi-concept-plans-uber-air-service-by-2023/ flying taxi concept] in Los Angeles today, the web's been abuzz with talk of flying cars and eVTOL craft. But we've had a vehicle that can vertically take off and land for decades, yet the humble helicopter hasn't really revolutionized urban transport during its lifetime. How is Uber's concept any different?
Most people have never ridden in a helicopter. That's mostly because they're just too expensive for the average commuter to charter. Uber's eVTOL concept looks a bit like a helicopter, but Uber says that it's a totally different animal and the differences extend beyond the hardware.

The ride-hailing company devoted time during its Uber Elevate Summit to break down how it hopes to make urban air travel affordable.
Cutting early costs
Between the high maintenance and energy costs, pilot training and salary and the cost of maintaining large helipads and paying landing fees, Uber reckons, based on its early [/news/uber-chopper-ridesharing-las-vegas-maverick-helicopters-ces-2017/ UberChopper experiments/promotional stunts], that a helicopter trip has a best-case operating cost of about $8.93 per passenger per mile, pretty much limiting access to just the rich.

First, Uber will tackle the operation cost. With its more efficient electric propulsion system and ability to cruise in an energy-efficient fixed wing mode once airborne, Uber claims its [/news/uber-unveils-flying-taxi-concept-plans-uber-air-service-by-2023/ eCRM-003 eVTOL concept] is up to three times more fuel-efficient than a standard single-rotor helicopter. Electric propulsion requires less maintenance, in theory, than a combustion engine, further reducing the running cost.

Uber claims its eVTOL craft will be more efficient and require less maintenance costs than a conventional helicopter.

Uber

Rather than large helipads or airports with landing fees, the smaller eVTOL craft will land at flexible skyports, the construction of which could be as simple as painting a landing zone on the roof of a parking deck and adding charging for the craft. In the space that one heli could land on, Uber hopes to start at around 20 landings per hour at launch and to be able to scale from there. Uber has also already partnered with Hillwood Properties and Sandstone Properties to secure real estate for the UberAir skyports.

Out of the gate, Uber's internal estimates put the eVTOL concept's cost per passenger per mile down to around $5.73 or about 35 percent lower than chartering a chopper when the service launches in 2023.
Further optimization and ride pooling
From there, Uber plans to continue to optimize. Much like how the introduction of [/news/uber-lets-strangers-catch-a-ride-together-with-uberpool/ UberPool] allows commuters to dramatically reduce the price of a ride, Uber hopes to add ride-hailing optimization and smart trip planning to UberAir.

Pooling riders, planning first- and last-mile trips to and from its skyport hubs with ground transportation and adding dynamic pricing can make sure that its four-passenger eVTOL aircraft operate smartly. Uber even mentioned discreetly and dynamically weighing passengers upon arrival to place them in optimal seats to best balance the aircraft for cricketnfootballcenter.bookmark.com efficiency. Seems extreme, but every little bit counts.

With smart pooling of riders and smarter trip planning, Uber thinks it can get the operation cost per passenger per mile down to around $1.84 per passenger in the short term following UberAir's launch. That's looking a lot better.