{"id":12095,"date":"2019-04-14T17:22:18","date_gmt":"2019-04-15T00:22:18","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/cafe.foundation\/blog\/?p=12095"},"modified":"2019-04-14T17:22:18","modified_gmt":"2019-04-15T00:22:18","slug":"faster-cleaner-and-less-pricey","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/cafe.foundation\/blog\/faster-cleaner-and-less-pricey\/","title":{"rendered":"Faster, Cleaner AND Less Pricey?"},"content":{"rendered":"

University of Michigan Research Sprinkled with Optimism (or Not)<\/strong><\/p>\n

Can electric Vertical Takeoff and Landing (eVTOL) machines provide the swift crossing of\u00a0 urban distances at a price that will attract the non-flying public? Can they do so while keeping pollution in check?<\/p>\n

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Artistic rendering of an electric vertical takeoff and landing taxi cruising through an urban center. (Credit: Dave Brenner\/U. of Michigan School for Environment and Sustainability.)<\/p><\/div>\n

A University of Michigan study, funded in part by Ford Motors,<\/a> concluded that taking a short (depending on definition) trip in an autonomous electric vertical takeoff and landing machine might not only be quicker than a ground-bound journey through gridlock, but might even be less expensive.\u00a0 These two factors are important if we are clean \u00a0the toxic atmosphere that hangs over our major cities, at least partly brought about by the constant transit of personal automobiles, public buses, and large trucks.\u00a0 Another aspect of the study, though, showed that certain trips will be less polluting if taken by conventional automobiles.\u00a0 This dichotomy comes from the nature of eVTOL flight compared to the distances to be traveled.<\/p>\n