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Projecte llegit

Títol: Assessing the implementation of UAM at Barcelona metropolitan area

Estudiants que han llegit aquest projecte:

Director/a: PONS PRATS, JORDI

Departament: FIS

Títol: Assessing the implementation of UAM at Barcelona metropolitan area

Data inici oferta: 14-03-2022     Data finalització oferta: 14-11-2022


Estudis d'assignació del projecte:
    GR ENG SIST AEROESP
Tipus: Individual
 
Lloc de realització: EETAC
 
Segon director/a (UPC): KULJANIN, JOVANA
 
Paraules clau:
UAM, Vertiports, Mobility, Implementation strategy, Business model
 
Descripció del contingut i pla d'activitats:
Urban Air Mobility (UAM) could define a new mobility paradigm,
and be a breakthrough for the aviation sector. UAM for last-mile
logistics is rapidly progressing and evolving. Its operational
implementation should not take too long. On the other hand, UAM
for passenger transport is a futuristic thing. The integration of
larger and heavier vehicles in the airspace, mainly the low-level
airspace, in addition to the societal acceptance and safety
issues make its implementation further into the future.
Although it is well accepted that UAM for passengers will take
longer to be mature, one can identify several cities and regions
showing a large interest on this technology. Singapore, Dubai are
two prominent examples, while researchers have already analysed
the implementation at Los Angeles, Salt Lake City and other urban
areas.
The project is aimed to assess the potential implementation of
such a service at Barcelona metropolitan area; analysing the
extension of the area affected, the potential locations of the
vertiports, the analysis of the connectivity between UAM
vertiports and other means of transport, the analysis of the
capacity and demand, considering the business models of the
operator.
The proposed workplan is the following:
- Identify the mobility patterns at Barcelona area
- Analysis of the operational area: identification of the
attraction poles, and restricted areas.
- Analysis of the future performance of the UAM vehicles.
- Analysis of the requirements and dimensions of the
vertiports; including connection with other mean of transport
- Capacity and business models

 
Overview (resum en anglès):
This project is based on the idea that Urban Air Mobility (UAM) could define a new mobility paradigm and be a breakthrough for the aviation sector. The objective is to evaluate the possible implementation of this UAM in the Barcelona Metropolitan Area (BMA).
Initially, a brief demographic study of Barcelona is carried out followed by an analysis of the mobility patterns in the city of Barcelona. Then, based on a comparative study of the eVTOLs currently available on the market, one has been chosen as the most suitable example of air taxi to circulate in the BMA.
After identifying two possible approaches for Urban Air Mobility, the extension of the affected area has been analyzed. Various elements such as the city poles of attraction and the connectivity with other urban transports have been taken into consideration to find the potential locations for the proposed vertiports.
Once the vertiports were located, a study of the restricted areas and possible obstacles was conducted in order to design the network of air routes that the air taxis will follow. As a result, it has been possible to compare the gain in time that this urban transport has compared to the private transport.
An analysis about the capacity of this network of air routes has been done, in order to check if this new urban air mobility is not only beneficial for the individual, saving time, but also for society as a whole, decongesting the entrance corridors to Barcelona and reducing pollution within the area.
Finally, a study of the operating cost of this transport system and the cost to be paid by the passenger per mile traveled has been made. The price it is remarkable, but it is expected to decrease considerably in the coming years, thanks to technological advances.

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