With all the promise and hyperbole surrounding the future of “air taxis” or “urban air vehicles,” an important underlying question is, “Where are they going to land?”
Developing infrastructure is not as sexy as designing the bug-like people-pods, but it’s arguably the more fundamental requirement for the ultimate success of the technology.
Guangzhou, China,-based EHang, among the frontrunners in a wide field of passenger-carrying autonomous air vehicle (AAV) developers, has teamed with Italian architectural firm Giancarlo Zema Design Group (GZDG) on a vertiport design to be built in Italy. The towering structure is inspired by the African baobab tree, and is configured to eco-sustainably support EHang’s AAVs with solar-powered charging stations. Photovoltaic non-slip panels that make up the landing area will generate more than 300 kW of electric power per day, feeding plug-and-play charging stations for the AAVs.
EHang’s Model 216 is a two-seat AAV with 16 coaxial rotors. It has a flight endurance of approximately a half hour and has conducted thousands of test flights to date. Austrian aerostructures supplier FAAC AG is working in partnership with EHang to certify and build the 216 in Europe.
The structure of the 30-meter (98-foot) Baobab tower is of steel and laminated wood. It includes a passenger waiting room and a restaurant with panoramic views. The landing area is on the restaurant rooftop and an elevator brings passengers and diners to the top of the tower.
According to EHang and GZDG, their aim in designing and building Baobab passenger terminals is to tap the global eco-tourism sector, and “multiple projects” are in the planning stages in Europe and Southeast Asia.
There’s no word yet on when these structures might start going up or how much they will cost.
