What you see is what you get, I see focus and direction, without it you welcome back pain and misery. It’s time to decompress movement and unlock the latent potential in an unused superhighway of connectivity and wonder.
Passenger drones – vertical flight industry and transport for that matter you can choose to either embrace it or join Kodak and Nokia, amongst other diamonds, now at the bottom of the innovation abyss.
Right now, the estimated value of China’s passenger drone market by 2030 will be 1.5 trillion dollars. There are already 160 manufacturers of passenger drones in China and estimations are that between 15-20% of its population will use these as their primary transport mode by 2040.
So why are we building more roads? Imagine the budget reappropriated? Could the transformation of underutilised stadiums be vertical terminals during weekdays, there is already parking nearby, car parking building roofs for that matter also, these are always centrally located in cities and precincts and connected usually with other micro mobility and first and last mile transport options, I am sure companies like populous are already investigating this.
If I was a large employer chained to a city location, imagine offering this to potential employees located in distant locations, how easy would it be to incentivise and increase your talent pool. All the while of course getting cars off roads, reducing carbon emissions, giving people back time in their lives, keeping families together and not to mention seeing an amazing country of ours at height that resonates a powerful belonging and sense of place.
I thought, surely I am not the only try hard futurist pondering this, so why not ask Ai? C’mon ChatGPT generate some of that ai thinking here. So I did exactly that and asked a chatbot “what will be the impact of passenger drones on traditional transport”? its response.
Passenger drones have the potential to revolutionize traditional transport in several ways. Firstly, they could significantly reduce commute times by allowing people to bypass traffic congestion. With the ability to fly above road traffic, passenger drones can transport individuals quickly and efficiently. This can lead to increased productivity as people spend less time sitting in cars or trains.
Another impact is the potential to improve accessibility to remote or otherwise difficult-to-reach areas. Passenger drones can easily navigate uneven terrain or lack of infrastructure, providing transportation options previously unavailable. This can have profound effects on areas with limited transportation infrastructure or during emergency situations when traditional transport systems may be hindered.
Passenger drones also offer the possibility of reducing carbon emissions. With the increasing interest in sustainability, electric-powered drones can help mitigate the environmental impact of traditional transport. By replacing traditional combustion engines with cleaner energy sources, passenger drones can contribute to a more sustainable transportation system.
However, there are also a few challenges to consider. Ensuring the safety and regulation of passenger drones is critical, as they will be sharing airspace with other aircraft and even pedestrians. Issues such as air traffic management, communication protocols, and maintaining passenger safety will need to be addressed. Additionally, the cost and infrastructure required for widespread implementation of passenger drones may initially be prohibitive.
Overall, the impact of passenger drones on traditional transport has the potential to be transformative. They can provide faster and more efficient transportation, increase accessibility to remote areas, and contribute to a greener and more sustainable future.
Adding into the mix ingesting spatial data, and the whole gamut of additional potentialities I would suggest we commence the enablement of this all-transformative movement mode and ready ourselves for a more connected, liveable and efficient life, full of focus and direction.
Check out Lilium and the amazing acceleration this company has paved, I have been following their journey for over 5 years and I am still today so excited to see this become a reality. UAE have already committed to purchasing 100 Lilium jets by 2025, and Shenzhen have recently established a passenger drone transport hub with Lilium in this, one of the best examples of a smart city globally.
As China’s population slows and ages, India’s is on the rise, with a middle class that is young and driven, next in the top three of global population performers is Nigeria, estimated to have 65% of its population to be under the age of 15 by 2050. Movement will be key to determine infrastructure spend efficiencies without burdening economies and directly influencing talent capacity distribution without defragmenting family cohesion and wellbeing.
So, I ask you the question now, will you join me in becoming a frequent flyer with Lilium or Ehang or similar or in fact stay in your lane? Resigned happily driving your way through the vortex of transport and taxes, syphoning your time and money into making more roads and potholes for generations to come.
Worth designing this into all aspects of region/city planning and liveability approaches globally I would suggest. Now, if you haven’t started already.
Authored by Joshua Sattler
Published on 30th July 2023