Cost Analysis of eVTOL Configuration Design for an Air Ambulances System in Japan

Abstract

Electric-vertical-takeoff-and-landing (eVTOL) aircraft, known as urban air mobility or flying cars, are being considered for widespread use as air taxis, emergency medical transportation, sightseeing vehicles, and rural transportation, owing to their reduced-size, low-cost, and low-noise characteristics. In this study, we conduct an interview at a Japanese hospital that currently uses a helicopter for medical emergencies to output the mission profile. Due to current battery-technology limitations, the new air ambulance, which will deliver a doctor to a patient, is conceived as having 2 passengers, including the pilot. Two eVTOL configurations are studied: a fixed-wing craft and a multi-rotor. The purpose of this study is to develop a cost model for a new air ambulance through a combination of 3 approaches: top-down, bottom-up, and parametric. The cost model is constructed to analyze the production cost of each configuration, broken down into the capital expense and direct operating cost. The result shows that the multi-rotor's production cost is lower than the fixed-wing craft. The direct operating cost of a fixed-wing craft at high flight hours is higher than that of the multi-rotor. Scenario analysis shows a result that the capacity difference of a battery has a significant difference in the cost in the years 2020 and 2030 due to the high cost of battery replacement.

Proceedings of SW21 The OR Society Simulation Workshop

“…For example, "what if the eVTOL was primarily used as a backup for ground ambulances if these cannot arrive in time". The choice of restricting the role of an eVTOL to a rapid responder was motivated by the state of art in eVTOL technology, suggesting patient transport not to be feasible before 2030 (Mihara et al, 2021).…”

Advanced Air Mobility: Opportunities and Challenges Deploying eVTOLs for Air Ambulance Service

“…A study by Chappelle et al [21] found that near-term electric aircraft are not expected to meet the technical requirements of air ambulance service, nor will they likely provide cost savings over existing services using helicopters. Internationally, Mihara et al [22] conducted a cost analysis of electric vertical take-off and land (eVTOL) aircraft for an air ambulance system in Japan. The study's scenario analysis concludes that differences in battery capacity can have notable differences in future cost models due to the relatively high cost of battery replacements.…”

“…The study's scenario analysis concludes that differences in battery capacity can have notable differences in future cost models due to the relatively high cost of battery replacements. Mihara et al [22] also compare the potential viability of eVTOLs to existing helicopters using a standardized operational concept for air ambulance service. This study builds upon prior literature by studying the feasibility of eVTOLs for aeromedical use in the United States.…”

A smooth control allocation method for a distributed electric propulsion VTOL aircraft test platform

“…With the tilt mechanism, the thrust vectors generated by redundant propulsors are generally used for attitude control in both multi‐copter (MC) and fixed‐wing (FW) modes in a cruise flight [8], especially for those with ducted fans. Many studies designed the controllers for these types of aircraft by separating the dynamics into two parts: (і) treating the aircraft as a rigid body that moved freely in 3D space driven by virtual control inputs, and (іі) force and torque generated by the actuators.…”