Industrial Drone Delivery: eVTOL and AAM

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Energy production and industrial manufacturing often happens in remote areas and yet relies on a consistent supply chain. The advanced air mobility (AAM) industry is working on more efficient air delivery and is expected to grow to $20.8 billion by 2035. 

One tool at the forefront of this innovation is the eVTOL: electric vertical takeoff and landing vehicles. Why isn’t it eVTOLV? Nobody asked me for my input first. 

Regardless, these vehicles offer a new and innovative approach to air mobility and aviation design compared to airplanes and helicopters by combining components of both conventional fixed-wing aircraft and helicopters.

eVTOL manufacturers are working to design vehicles that are lighter than helicopters, have sufficient payload capacity, and can range up to 500 km (~310 miles) even though that battery capacity doesn’t currently exist. They’re striving for safe, quiet, efficient, cost-effective, and eco-friendly designs. 

When we think of drone delivery, we often think of pizza and Amazon packages coming to our door. That’s certainly in play, but industrial applications are even more exciting. Transporting cargo to remote places—like energy assets—can be expensive and slow and require costly infrastructure like roads, bridges, and railroad tracks. 

eVTOLs require their own infrastructure, currently being called “vertiports,” where there’s room to takeoff and land, charging ports, and maintenance areas. Adding a vertiport at an existing hub, an airport for example, is straightforward, but developing them further off the grid adds challenges. 

eVTOLs can be piloted or unpiloted—with the latter being much more complex and requiring more testing and regulation. Manufacturers and early adopters have to think about a lot of factors:

  • Training

  • Day-to-day operations

  • Maintenance

  • Regulation

Most experts agree that autonomous eVTOLs will start with mid-range cargo delivery in rural areas, missions with the lowest risk to humans. Other high-priority applications include delivery of perishable goods—food, medication, live tissue—where there are already promising case studies. 

Many regulatory agencies need to work together with manufacturers and early adopters to create a reliable, safe system of unmanned traffic management (UTM). 

Then, it’s time for takeoff.