Robotaxi is an aircraft IMO

[Dids]

Even if there was no human pilot I highly doubt eVTOL costs will be anywhere close to be as low as 0.89/mile.

Today autos with owner as driver is 0.50 - .070 / mile.
ARK Invest and Tesla project costs for Robotaxi & FSD at ~.20/mile

If you take out battery replacement cost the estimate for eVTOL is $2-$5/mile.


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How Much Will It Cost to Fly on eVTOL Air Taxis?
Electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft are years away from entering service, but the discussion is already under way about passenger prices.
By Thom Patterson October 22, 2021
https://www.flyingmag.com/evtol-air-taxi-passenger-prices/

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Here’s why Uber thinks eVTOL air taxis will be affordable
By Elan Head | June 13, 2019
https://verticalmag.com/news/why-uber-thinks-evtol-air-taxis-will-be-affordable/

.....
According to Moore, eVTOL aircraft offer “fantastic” savings in maintenance and energy costs, which are the two largest cost drivers for helicopters. Keeping hourly operating costs to $700 or less will be key to Uber’s vision of making rides on Uber Air affordable for the masses — competitive with the price of an Uber X or Uber Pool ride today. That’s a goal that Moore described as “very realistic.”

.....
Not only can electric motors be started and stopped almost instantaneously, eliminating the need to idle, the costs to maintain and replace them are much lower than for a turbine engine. Other critical parts that drive up maintenance costs on helicopters are likewise eliminated on eVTOL aircraft. Uber estimates that total hourly maintenance costs on its eVTOL air taxis will be just $112 per flight hour.

.....
Uber expects direct energy costs for its air taxis to come in at just $21 per flight hour. However, the company also anticipates that certified aerospace-grade batteries will cost 4.1 times as much as automotive batteries. “You’ve got to be honest — these batteries are expensive; you’ve got to amortize them as part of the cost,” Moore said. Uber estimates that amortized battery cost will be $76 to $90 per flight hour, assuming a battery salvage value of $50 per kilowatt hour.

.....
As for acquisition costs, Moore noted that conventional helicopters have exceptionally high acquisition costs per pound of empty weight: $700 to $1,100, which is comparable to the figures for commercial jets ($900 to $1,100) and much higher than those for general aviation (GA) airplanes ($200 to $300). This is due in part to very low production rates (Uber estimates that only 1,367 helicopters are produced annually, along with 2,262 GA airplanes and 1,641 commercial jets).

In the early stages of eVTOL manufacturing, high development costs will be amortized over several years of low-rate production, yielding acquisition costs in line with those of light aircraft today.

“As we get to 10,000 units per year, which we think is very reasonable by 2030, and we get those economies of scale; high-volume production of these non-critical components — that’s when we can get that cost savings and get these vehicles under $1 million a piece,” he said.

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Bjorn’s Corner: Sustainable Air Transport. Part 44.: eVTOL operating costs.
By Bjorn Fehrm.
November 4, 2022, ©. Leeham
https://leehamnews.com/2022/11/04/b...-air-transport-part-44-evtol-operating-costs/

.....
We used the model to analyze the energy, crew, maintenance, airport, underway, and capital costs. The total cost for a typical city-to-airport feeder mission of 30 minutes, including procedures, would be just over $200.


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A bit of apples and oranges on your cost vs price.
Privately owned auto costs vs price of commercial flight.
There is nothing in an evtol manufactured at the scale of autos that would make them more expensive to privately own. Would it still cost you 2.00 / mile or would it cost you the .86 that it costs the commercial company.
That .86 per mile is at low volume on production of the machine making the aircraft much more expensive.

 

[LoneWolfO6]

There are several clues that point toward robotaxi being an aircraft.
1. Elon said... several years ago that Tesla would love to do an aircraft. But that battery energy density didn't meet requirements. His metric at the time was 400 wh/kg. Tesla 4860 analyzed by the limiting factor was in the range of 300 wh/kg.
2. Franz says he is working on a revolutionary product, can't talk about it, implies ints not in a normal space for passenger vehicles, says currently passenger vehicles have 4 wheels. Implies future ones do not.
3. Semi delivery slide shows robotaxi with x outboard protrusions.

Have to do something to re-brand the failure of FSD in ground vehicles. Tesla should refund all the FSD they have been selling for the past four years. It has not happened, and that little beta that has keep the burning pickets at bay is not enough so lets put it in a plane. I thought most aircraft had a switch to click autopilot. Lets now call it FSD or Full Self Flying. Hmmm?

 

[SparkChaser]

Still all the same problems at ground interface. Auto pilot on aircraft is for specific lanes of travel and traffic controlled airways. It can do landing but again that is under very specific conditions.

 

[Crissa]

Still all the same problems at ground interface. Auto pilot on aircraft is for specific lanes of travel and traffic controlled airways. It can do landing but again that is under very specific conditions.

Automated flight is different than autopilot.

-Crissa

 

[Dids]

Still all the same problems at ground interface. Auto pilot on aircraft is for specific lanes of travel and traffic controlled airways. It can do landing but again that is under very specific conditions.

Army has had autonomous flight in helicopter for years. They tell it where to go and it takes off and goes there.
https://www.nationaldefensemagazine...omous-army-helicopter-proves-ready-for-action

 

[mhaze]

It's often seen that non-pilots are fascinated with air taxis, robot-air-cars, and various permutations of the concept. But pilots are not; they deal with the air traffic system rules every time they go up. There is likely a reason for that...

I don't doubt that exclusions from FAA regulations could be made for robo-taxis staying under 400 feet altitude, FYI. But you'd still have to deal with instrument landing procedures.

 

[firsttruck]

Army has had autonomous flight in helicopter for years. They tell it where to go and it takes off and goes there.
https://www.nationaldefensemagazine...omous-army-helicopter-proves-ready-for-action

Yup, fully autonomous flight including takeoff/landing has been possible for over a decade.

While flying, aircraft autopilot and aircraft fully autonomous flight are completely different environments than ground vehicle fully autonomous driving.

Aircraft speeds while on the ground can be similar to cars but even in flight aircraft might be in the same magnitude range as cars but cars might whiz by each other separated by inches or feet not 1,000ft flight levels like aircraft are usually allowed.

While flying, aircraft autopilot and aircraft full autonomous flight does not have to worry about pedestrians & cyclists moving along the same route.

While flying, aircraft autopilot and aircraft full autonomous flight does not have to worry about children jumping out in front.
If a child size object (ie, goose, turkey, etc) does get in front of the aircraft it just flies into the object and we hope the aircraft suffers minimal damage and tough shit for the goose.

While flying, aircraft autopilot and aircraft full autonomous flight does not have other aircraft continually operating only a couple feet away (both in same direction or opposite direction).

While flying, aircraft autopilot and aircraft full autonomous flight does not have to worry about curbs and parked aircraft along the route blocking it's view of cross-traffic.

Each town feels like it can construct roadways, paint or don't paint lane markings, and post signage anyway they want. Collect revenue from any drivers that fail their obstacle course.

And there are many more ways ground vehicle full autonomous driving is much more challenging environment.

 

[firsttruck]

Yup, fully autonomous flight including takeoff/landing has been possible for over a decade.

While flying, aircraft autopilot and aircraft fully autonomous flight are completely different environments than ground vehicle fully autonomous driving.

Aircraft speeds while on the ground can be similar to cars but even in flight aircraft might be in the same magnitude range as cars but cars might whiz by each other separated by inches or feet not 1,000ft flight levels like aircraft are usually allowed.

While flying, aircraft autopilot and aircraft full autonomous flight does not have to worry about pedestrians & cyclists moving along the same route.

While flying, aircraft autopilot and aircraft full autonomous flight does not have to worry about children jumping out in front.
If a child size object (ie, goose, turkey, etc) does get in front of the aircraft it just flies into the object and we hope the aircraft suffers minimal damage and tough shit for the goose.

While flying, aircraft autopilot and aircraft full autonomous flight does not have other aircraft continually operating only a couple feet away (both in same direction or opposite direction).

While flying, aircraft autopilot and aircraft full autonomous flight does not have to worry about curbs and parked aircraft along the route blocking it's view of cross-traffic.

Each town feels like it can construct roadways, paint or don't paint lane markings, and post signage anyway they want. Collect revenue from any drivers that fail their obstacle course.

And there are many more ways ground vehicle full autonomous driving is much more challenging environment.

Three pilots friends try Tesla FSD Beta and also talk about aircraft autopilot vs ground vehicle autopilot

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Pilot Friends' Impressions! Tesla FSD Beta 10.69.3.1
Driving test with the new Tesla FSD Beta 10.69.3.1 (with my friends & fellow pilots, Jason & Charlie). This is a snowy drive of the new update to Tesla FSD Beta 10.69.3.1 and overall it went well, with only a few non-safety issues. We also discuss an airplane's autopilot and Tesla's FSD/Autopilot - how they are similar & key differences. During this video, Tesla FSD Beta 10.69.3.1 is engaged throughout the entire drive with minimal interventions. Jason, Charlie, and I share thoughts on the last FSD Beta update
Dec 10, 2022
John VanDeVoort

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