Archer Aviation is a company that is revolutionizing urban mobility by designing, manufacturing, and eventually operating a fleet of electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft (eVTOLs). These aircraft are designed with no single point of failure and are 100 times quieter than helicopters, integrating well with the ambient noise levels in urban environments.
Archer aims to significantly shorten trips in and around urban centers, where congestion is a major issue, potentially reducing a trip from 60-90 minutes to just 10-20 minutes.
The company's goal is to launch a safe, sustainable, and affordable air taxi service. This initiative is a leap towards smart city transportation, integrating advanced urban mobility solutions with everyday city life.
Problem
Archer Aviation faces significant challenges in launching its urban air mobility (UAM) service in cities. A crucial part of this service involved developing vertiports, which are similar to airports but for eVTOL aircraft.
Urban mobility solutions: an eVTOL (electric vertical take-off and landing) aircraft and a vertiport (click to enlarge)
A significant advantage of distributed electric propulsion (DEP) is its low noise signature, which is made possible by slowing the tip speed of the rotors.
Unlike helicopters, this noise will largely blend in with the ambient noise level, enabling these aircraft to operate in dense urban environments over time.
There were two key problems for vertiport planning. The first one was deciding where to optimally build these sites, ideally close to where people travel while also meeting urban development constraints.
The second involved preparing for operations at each site, where the following questions had to be answered well ahead of operations:
- How many final approach and take-off areas (FATOs) are needed at each vertiport, and how many gates are required?
- How should the chargers be sized to accommodate high-throughput operations?
- How much power should be supplied?
- How much time is needed for aircraft turnaround, which includes passenger loading and unloading as well as recharging?
With limited existing data in this new industry, the team wanted to find a data-driven way to address these design and operational questions for their vertiport network.
Solution
Using AnyLogic, Archer Aviation developed a simulation model. The team used this model to decide on the layout of vertiports and the type of charging stations needed as part of their approach to improving smart city transport.
The model considered the aircraft's features, forecasted flight schedules, and vertiport designs. Moreover, it ran simulations to gather data on how well different vertiport setups work, including how many aircraft they could handle and how quickly they could serve them.
Finding the best vertiport design is crucial in urban areas where space is limited. Archer compared layouts with different numbers of FATOs and gates to see which one would offer the best balance between capacity and aircraft use.
The company looked at layouts like one with one FATO and three gates versus another with two FATOs and no gates. The goal was to consider how these setups would affect the number of aircraft that could be accommodated and how often they could fly.
For charging stations, the team evaluated options with a different number of modules. They aimed to see if the added flexibility of more modules—allowing for more precise power distribution to aircraft—was worth the extra cost. Archer wanted to ensure vertiports could efficiently charge aircraft, maximizing turnaround time without overspending.
Result
Archer Aviation used a simulation model to make key decisions for their urban air mobility service, focusing on vertiport layouts and charging systems as part of their smart city transport development strategy.
Their main findings showed:
- The two-FATO and zero-Gate layout was initially more efficient because it allowed for quicker aircraft turnaround and higher passenger time savings through saving a taxi time. However, the one-FATO and three-Gate layout became more efficient as the taxi time increased. This has added the benefit of deploying more aircraft where the site can hold three aircraft instead of 2. The insight helped Archer decide how to design vertiports in cities where space is limited.
- In terms of charging, Archer found that the increased flexibility of an 8-module charger improved performance relative to 2-module ones by allowing for fine-tuning the amount of power allocated to each charging event. This setup enables multiple aircraft to charge simultaneously, speeding up the process. Efficiency was measured by how quickly aircraft could return to flying, potentially increasing the number of flights and revenue.
By using an AnyLogic simulation model, Archer could understand which vertiport designs and charging stations would work best, even without real-world data. They were certain they’d chosen the most efficient and profitable option. Now, the company could confidently prepare for the launch.
Archer plans to continue using this simulation model to explore other operational details. This includes investigating how many staff are needed at vertiports to further refine their service as part of their smart city transport and urban mobility solutions initiative.
The case study was presented by Mamdouh Mubarak from Archer Aviation at the AnyLogic Conference 2023.
The slides are available as a PDF.
