In 2020 theaviationindustrysufferedwhattheInternational
AirTransportAssociation(IATA)describesas“theworstyearin
historyforairtraveldemand”,withfiguresshowinginternational
passengerdemanddropped75%from 2019 levels.“Aviationis one
ofthesectorsthatexperienceda tremendoussetback,”says
DrJaiwonShin,a presidentofHyundaiMotorGroupandthe
leaderofitsUrbanAirMobility(UAM)division.
Butdespitethecurrentcrisisforaviation,thehumanneedfor
connectionremainsunchanged,whichDrShinconsidersa cause
foroptimism.Thecurrentboutofisolation“willactuallymake
peoplefeelhowvaluablethehumaninteractionwas,afterbeing
confinedintheirhomes,havingfooddeliveredandnothavingtheir
socialinteractions”,hesays.Asweapproachthemid-century,he
predictsthata resurgentneedforconnectionwillcombinewith
theglobaltrendtowardsgreaterurbanisationtoswelldemand
fortransportthatUAMwillbeabletofulfil.“Consumptionand
purchasingis bouncingback,andI thinktransportationwill
probablygothrougha verysimilarcycle,”hesays.
THEKEYSTOAIRMOBILITY:ELECTRIFICATIONAND
AUTONOMY
Thisdemandforhumaninteractionwilldriveadoptionofthe
mobilitysolutionsthatDrShin’sdivisionis bringingtomarket.
Hyundai’sUAMinitiativeis builtaroundelectric,verticaltake-off
aircraftthathavemuchincommonwithtoday’ssmallmulti-rotor
drones—thoughHyundai’smuchlargeraircraftarebuilttocarry
peopleandmoresubstantialcargo.Thefirstvehicleexpressingthe
HyundaiUAMvisionwastheS-A1,firstunveiledinJanuary2020,
andthefirstprototypeis expectedtobegintestflightsin2024.
Oneofthebiggestchallengesforairmobilityinanurban
environmentis coveringshortdistancesinanythingotherthan
a helicopter.“TwotechnologyadvanceshavereallymadeUAM
feasible:electrificationandautonomy,”saysDrShin.“Bothofthese
startedmuchearlierintheautomotiveindustrywithelectricvehicles
andself-drivingcars.”Electrificationallowsmotorsandrotorstobe
distributedthroughouttheaircraft,makingUAMvehiclesquieter
andsafer,whilethepotentialforautonomywillhelpHyundai
transitionfrombeingknownasa vehiclemanufacturertoan
expandedroleasa providerof“smartmobilitysolutions”.
ADDINGA THIRDDIMENSIONTOCITYLIFE
Urbanairmobilityhasthepotentialtotransformourcities,not
justbyintroducingairmobilitytotheskies,butbymakingurban
environmentssafer,cleanerandmoreliveable.UAMvehicles
don’tneedrunways,airportsorevenroads.Thatwilldramatically
improvecitylife,spurringadoption.“Theminutepeople
experienceflyingovera trafficjam,that’sgoingtobringthe
tippingpointprettyquickly,”saysDrShin.
CityairwillbecleanerwithelectrifiedUAM,sinceit emits
noparticulatesorotherpollutants.Hyundai,knownasa pioneer
inhydrogenfuel-cellelectricvehicles,is likelytoputhydrogen
technologyintoUAMvehicles.Poweredbyfuelcellsorcharged
withzero-emissionelectricity,UAMwillnotcontributeto
climatechange.
Oneofthegreatestchallengesfacingtheworld’sbigcitiesis
lackofland,sincegrowingpopulationsneedmoreroads,railways
andparkingspacestoservethem.“If20%to30%ofurbanlandis
nolongerneededtosupportgroundtransportationinfrastructure,”
saysDrShin,“maybethecityareacouldbesmallenoughthat
peoplewillliketowalk.”Smartmobilitywillimprovevehicle
utilisation,savingonembodiedenergyandparkingspacerelative
togroundvehicles,whichareonlyinuse10-15%ofthetime.
UAMhasthepotentialtoopenupthesky.“Wewillbeable
toliveina trulythree-dimensionalworld,”saysDrShin.Imagine
howdifferentcitiesmightbeif officebuildingsandhotelswere
aseasilyenteredfromtheroofasfromthestreet.Andwhile
today’sairlinepassengersareboundtoa schedule,ina smartADVERTISEMENT
Air mobility for humanity
Urban Air Mobility will add a new dimension to cities,
changing the way we move, live and connect
“When you combine the human need for
connection with the unwavering global trend
towards urbanisation, the demand for urban
mobility opening up the third dimension will
only grow.”
Dr Jaiwon Shin,
president and head of Urban Air Mobility,
Hyundai Motor Company