Airbus is working on eVTOLs and stuff
You've heard the name, but what are they up to?
So Airbus has a pretty impressive little prototype - with a funny name. The Airbus CityBus (So original!) Balkiz Sarihan, Head of Urban Air Mobility at Airbus, drops some knowledge about what the heck is going on over there.
“Someone asked me what we’re focusing on this year, and I said, ‘we’re going to build, build, build.’ This is what we’ve done,” she added: “Anytime we arrive on site, you want to run and see what else is new.”
CityAirbus NextGen is the whole enchilada - drawing from helicopter, commercial, and unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) domains to create an optimized, all-electric architecture. Sarihan emphasizes the broader vision, “because the advanced air mobility (AAM) industry is so new, we focus on the vehicle’s ‘ecosystem’: everything that will enable its introduction into service.”
They’ve got a dedicated test hangar, which means they are taking the whole air mobility thing pretty seriously. Airbus' immense capabilities, from battery packs developed by Airbus Defence and Space to propellers crafted in Paris Le Bourget, undergo LOTS of testing. The innovative flight control system, paralleling the Vertex project, recently saw successful testing in October on the FlightLab.
“The simplicity we want to include as part of this eVTOL design is key,” says Sarihan, and it will be a piloted craft - even though they are toying around with autonomy.
Partnerships are really important at this stage. Airbus' establishment of the Bavaria-based Air Mobility Initiative (AMI) is a collaborative effort with entities like Munich International Airport and the City of Ingolstadt. The AMI’s mandate extends from developing VTOL flight paths to conceptualizing advanced unmanned traffic management systems. This collective effort also includes the creation of the U-space prototype, demonstrating how a future airspace crowded with drones, VTOLs, and traditional vehicles might function efficiently and safely.
Airbus Urban Mobility isn't just about the things flitting around in the air - ground infrastructure and its integration with VTOLs is kinda important too. Questions like whether vehicles will take off and land airside or landside are being explored in collaboration with Munich Airport. AMI's will also focus on the passenger experience, seeking to understand and cater to the needs and preferences of future users.
Airbus has a vast amount of experience in supporting a global fleet, and they envision a very comprehensive AAM ecosystem. Everything from maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) to air traffic management and service delivery. Sarihan emphasizes Airbus' role as a trusted brand, ensuring that customers have the support they need for this new infrastructure.
“This is the first time in modern aviation history where we are building so many elements at the exact moment in parallel,” says Sarihan. She aludes to the fact that Airbus can handle this “to introduce the right product for the right market at the right time and – I cannot stress this enough – with the right technology maturity.”
So take what you want from all of that - but basically the narrative of CityAirbus NextGen is not just creating eVTOLs; it's building the whole infrastructure and customer support for the whole dang thing. It’s a lot - but I think they have the expertise to pull this off.
Here’s a wiki about it: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Airbus_CityAirbus
and in case you want to check out their ‘military industrial complex’ style website: https://www.airbus.com/en