Sizing of Multicopter Air Taxis—Weight, Endurance, and Range
Yannian Yang,
Yu Liang,
Stefan Pröbsting,
Pengyu Li,
Haoyu Zhang,
Benxu Huang,
Chaofan Liu,
Hailong Pei,
Bernd R. Noack
Affiliations
Yannian Yang
Key Laboratory of Autonomous Systems and Networked Control, Ministry of Education, Guangdong Engineering Technology Research Center of Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Systems, School of Automation Science and Engineering, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou 510640, China
Yu Liang
Institute of Unmanned System, Beihang University, Beijing 100191, China
Stefan Pröbsting
Department of Naval Architecture and Ocean Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, China
Pengyu Li
Department of Mechanics and Aerospace Engineering, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen 518055, China
Haoyu Zhang
Department of Mechanics and Aerospace Engineering, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen 518055, China
Benxu Huang
Key Laboratory of Autonomous Systems and Networked Control, Ministry of Education, Guangdong Engineering Technology Research Center of Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Systems, School of Automation Science and Engineering, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou 510640, China
Chaofan Liu
Rotor Aerodynamics Key Laboratory, China Aerodynamic Research and Development Center, Mianyang 621000, China
Hailong Pei
Key Laboratory of Autonomous Systems and Networked Control, Ministry of Education, Guangdong Engineering Technology Research Center of Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Systems, School of Automation Science and Engineering, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou 510640, China
Bernd R. Noack
Chair of Artificial Intelligence and Aerodynamics, School of Mechanical Engineering and Automation, Harbin Institute of Technology, Shenzhen 518055, China
In the near future, urban air mobility (UAM) will let an old dream of human society come true: affordable and fast air transportation for almost everyone. Among the various existing designs, the multicopter configuration best combines the advantages of compactness, simplicity, and maturity. These aspects are important for actual use, particularly during the early stage of this market. This study elaborates on the design principles of UAM multicopters by examining existing models in terms of their configuration, weight, and range specifications. In particular, the weights of the different components are estimated based on empirical models, aerodynamic fundamentals for the analysis of UAM multicopters are derived from momentum theory, and the power and energy requirements for hovering and cruise flight are evaluated, thereby enabling estimation of the maximum hovering time and flight range. Finally, a sizing method is introduced and validated against an actual UAM design.
