Why has the low-altitude economy suddenly heated up? It's because of China's firsteVTOL aircraftIs it airworthiness certification? What does 'certification' mean for the low-altitude economy? From 'certification' to large-scale commercial operations, what other challenges remain? The core of electric vehicles is the 'three electrifications':eVTOL aircraftIs the core also three-electricity-related? Currently in ChinaeVTOL aircraftHave the motors and flight controllers been localized? What are the difficulties in motor and flight controller development?eVTOL aircraftWhat type of battery is being used, ternary or lithium iron phosphate? From the perspective of battery energy density and consistency, is ternary more suitable?eVTOL aircraftAre standard electric vehicle batteries being used, or are customized batteries being utilized? CurrentlyeVTOL aircraftIn terms of technical routes, there are mainly multi-rotor, compound wing, and tiltrotor technologies. What are the respective advantages and disadvantages of these technologies? Is the low-altitude economy currently well-established in terms of laws and regulations?eVTOL aircraftAre there any legal restrictions on operating at low altitudes?
Frost & SullivanFrost & SullivanZhang Zhiwei, Executive Director of Frost & Sullivan Greater China, was interviewed by the Daily Economic News to discusseVTOL aircraftdevelopment.
Daily Economic News
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Q: Why has the low-altitude economy suddenly heated up? It's because of the first domesticeVTOL aircraftIs it airworthiness certification? What does 'certification' mean for the low-altitude economy? From 'certification' to large-scale commercial operations, what other challenges remain?
The low-altitude economy is a comprehensive economic form that drives the integrated development of related fields through various low-altitude flight activities, including manned and unmanned aerial vehicles. The low-altitude economy is centered around the general aviation industry and led by the drone industry, widely manifesting in the primary, secondary, and tertiary industries.
The low-altitude economy has attracted significant attention mainly due to the combined effect of three factors. Firstly, policy changes have injected momentum into its development.2023At the Central Economic Work Conference held at the end of the year, it was proposed that technological innovation should lead the construction of a modern industrial system, and several strategic emerging industries such as biomanufacturing, commercial spaceflight, and low-altitude economy were identified. Localities have also introduced relevant support policies one after another.2023There are a total of15Provinces (autonomous regions) have included content related to low-altitude economy in their government work reports, providing strong support for the development of the industry.
At the same time, changes in industry regulations have played a key role. The official implementation of the 'Regulations on the Administration of Unmanned Aerial Flight' has provided the industry with clear legal basis and norms, offering a clearer direction for enterprise development.
The third is the breakthrough in technology and the maturation of commercial applications. Especially electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft (eVTOLWith the continuous development of technology, more and more companies are turning their attention to this field.2023In [year], iFlytek'sEH216-SObtaining the world's first standard airworthiness certificate, becoming the first to conduct regular commercial flightseVTOL aircraftThe product has undoubtedly sparked the interest of more investors and enterprises, driving the rapid development of the entire industry. Currently, many emerging companies have emerged in the domestic market, including Yufeng Future, WoFei Changkong, and Xpeng Huitian.
Airworthiness certification plays a crucial role in the low-altitude economy. It ensures the safe operation of electric aircraft in specific operating environments, providing a reliable guarantee for commercial activities. Secondly, an airworthiness certificate is an important legal basis for legally conducting commercial flights, ensuring the standardized development of the industry. At the same time, the verification work during the airworthiness certification process provides guidance for the design, manufacturing, and testing of products, helping to improve the safety and reliability of products.
After the evidence collection is complete,eVTOL aircraftThere are still some important challenges on the road to commercial operation. The first is the maturity and reliability of technology. Although significant progress has been made in technology,eVTOL aircraftThere are still many limitations to commercial operation, and the application scope of aircraft needs further improvement to ensure their safety and reliability. At the same time, optimizing costs and efficiency is also of utmost importance. Manufacturing costs are high, and battery endurance is limited, so it is necessary to reduce costs and improve efficiency to enhance competitiveness. Infrastructure construction is also a key issue, requiring the establishment of charging facilities, takeoff and landing sites, maintenance facilities, and other infrastructure, as well as the formulation of corresponding aviation control regulations and air traffic management systems. Laws, regulations, and insurance also need to be adjusted and improved accordingly to adapt toeVTOL aircraftThe need for commercial operation.
Q: The core of electric vehicles is the 'three electrifications':eVTOL aircraftIs the core also three-electricity-related? Currently in ChinaeVTOL aircraftHave the motors and flight controllers been localized? What are the difficulties in motor and flight controller development?
As a new application scenario for the electrification of three-dimensional transportation,eVTOL aircraftThe key technologies include batteries, motors, flight control systems, and aircraft structure.
In terms of the machine body, the manufacturer is responsible for design, manufacturing, and deliveryeVTOL aircraftThe fuselage of an aircraft, which is part of the airframe design, needs to consider the overall aerodynamic performance of the aircraft, rotor blade design, etc. It should possess advanced aviation engineering technology, materials science, and manufacturing capabilities to design and manufacture lightweight, sturdy, and safeeVTOL aircraftBodies. Domestic body suppliers mainly come from general aviation manufacturers, with drone body manufacturers and automotive body manufacturers also having the capability to enter this field. According to current global countriesUAMThe development trend indicates that only companies that prioritize obtaining airworthiness certification as their primary goal are likely to achieve commercial operations. Focusing solely on the ability of aircraft to fly and fly well is not sufficient to support their business development vision.
In terms of flight control, the flight control system iseVTOL aircraftThe 'brain', one of its most critical subsystems, is mainly responsible for the perception, control, and decision-making of the aircraft.eVTOL aircraftThe flight control technology plays a crucial role in ensuring the safety and reliability of aircraft. Compared to traditional unmanned aerial vehicles,eVTOL aircraftDue to its higher weight and higher requirements for safety, a more complex and intelligent flight control system is needed. Especially in urban areas with complex operating environments, the requirements for controllability and safety are even stricter. Traditional flight control technology covers basic elements such as attitude control and flight trajectory control to ensure that aircraft smoothly and accurately perform special tasks such as vertical takeoff and landing. These basic controls are the cornerstone of ensuring the normal operation of aircraft. However, witheVTOL aircraftWith the increasing demand for intelligentization in the market in the future, flight control technology needs to be further developed to meet more complex operational requirements. Currently, domestic manufacturers usually only master one of these technologies. The main domestic flight control suppliers are divided into two categories: traditional military units, research institutes, and universities, such as AVIC Industry.618Some companies such as North Aviation, Beihang, and Southern Aviation have strong technical capabilities but higher product prices; another category is emerging private companies like Boundary Intelligence Control and Ansheng, which are involved in military andeVTOL aircraftThe domain has rich experience and offers high product value for money. In addition, autonomous driving systems have been applied in civil aviation aircraft, and in the futureeVTOL aircraftIt will also be required, includingWisk,Volocopter aircraftCompanies including Ehang, Yifeng Future, and Zero Gravity are conducting R&D work.
In terms of the powertrain,eVTOL aircraftThe power system mostly adopts a distributed propulsion systemDEP（Distributed Electric PropulsionIts power redundancy design makes the aircraft safer.NASAandJobyResearch shows thatDEPThe system can achieve the same thrust as a helicopter with three times the efficiency of traditional large engines. High-quality suppliers include: domestic enterprises such asT-Motor(Sanrui Intelligence), headquartered in Nanchang, China, specializes in the research, development, production, and sales of safe and reliable unmanned aerial vehicle power systems; foreign companies such asPipistrel(Aviation-certified products already available), Safran, Rolls-Royce,MagniXPending (aviation safety certification).
The core of the energy system is lithium batteries. China leads the world in the field of lithium batteries, but currently, there is a lack of full-pack battery suppliers suitable for aviation applications in the market, mainly due toBMSInsufficient selection of battery cells. Therefore, although China has technical capabilities in lithium battery cells, it needs to address the issue of whole-pack batteries andBMSProblems such as [these] still pose certain difficulties.
Q: eVTOL aircraftWhat type of battery is being used, ternary or lithium iron phosphate? From the perspective of battery energy density and consistency, is ternary more suitable?eVTOL aircraftAre we using standard electric vehicle batteries, or customized ones?
eVTOL aircraftThe battery provides energy for the power system and airborne systems. Battery performance is a constraint.eVTOL aircraftThe key factor in development. Currently, ternary lithium battery technology is relatively mature and stable, with the highest energy density ratio.
In terms of energy density,eVTOL aircraftThe demand for energy density far exceeds that of automobiles. CurrentlyeVTOL aircraftThe battery is300 Wh/kg, compared with passenger vehicle ternary batteries (200 Wh/kg) is five percent higher, especially for passenger vehicle lithium iron batteries140 Wh/kgIt is more than twice that of ( ). Even so,300 Wh/kgThe performance metrics still cannot meet the requirements. The battery density can reach300 Wh/kg, foreVTOL aircraftRelatively considerable endurance is provided, which can approximately support200 - 250The flight distance is kilometers. However, in practical applications, battery performance gradually declines with the increase of charge-discharge cycles, which has prompted industry researchers to continuously strive to maintain performance levels while improving battery life.
Q: currentlyeVTOLIn terms of technical routes, there are mainly multi-rotor, compound wing, and tiltrot technology. What are the respective advantages and disadvantages of these technologies?
Promote technology ineVTOL aircraftDesign plays a crucial role, as different propulsion technologies directly affect the performance, application scenarios, and technical difficulty of aircraft. Currently, the main propulsion technologies include multi-rotor, compound wings, and vector thrust.
Multi-rotor configurations are a common design, providing lift through multiple rotors that simplifies the aircraft structure. They are suitable for short-distance, low-speed flights, such as urban short-range transportation. Although the technical difficulty is relatively low, they are in their initial stages.eVTOL aircraftAn ideal choice for development, but it has high energy consumption and limited range and speed.
The compound wing configuration uses independent propellers, with cruise and lift provided by different components, suitable for medium-distance urban flights. Although it has lower energy consumption, due to the existence of two sets of power systems, it has a larger self-weight and occupies more space, making it less suitable for urban use.
The vector thrust configuration stands out with its advantages in speed and range, providing lift through vector thrusters and cruise lift through wings. It is suitable for long-distance high-speed flight and offers an efficient solution for long-distance urban transportation. However, it is a technically challenging project that requires advanced engineering and control technologies.
The choice of different propulsion technologies requires a balance between flight performance, technical difficulty, and specific application requirements.eVTOLAs a potential solution for future urban transportation, advancing technology development will directly affect its application in different fields, providing diverse technical pathways for achieving more flexible and efficient air traffic.
Q: Are the low-altitude economy regulations and laws currently sound and complete?eVTOL aircraftAre there any legal restrictions on low-altitude operations?
At present, China has not yet formed a complete system in terms of low-altitude economic policies and regulations, and there are a series of prominent problems. Firstly, China lacks and lags behind in laws and regulations related to the low-altitude economy, and the guidance on technical standards, application specifications, and flight rules for low-altitude aircraft is not clear enough. In addition, the low-altitude regulatory legal system is not yet sound, and the management mechanism lacks innovation. Currently, the management of low-altitude airspace still continues with the traditional approach of general aviation management, resulting in limited airspace opening, cumbersome flight approval processes, and a scarcity of market-oriented service providers. This is not conducive to the innovative development needs of the low-altitude economy. Therefore, there is an urgent need for the improvement and innovation of policies and regulations to promote the healthy development of the low-altitude economy industry.
*This interview has been published in 'Daily Economic News', with reporter Zhu Chengxiang and the original title being '“Will the battery fall off if it breaks?” Live streaming sale begins "How far are we from flying commuter flights after 'airport shuttle'?"
