Evaluating eVTOL Network Performance and Fleet Dynamics through Simulation-Based Analysis

TL;DR

This paper introduces VertiSim, a comprehensive simulator for evaluating urban air mobility networks, analyzing how fleet size and vertiport distances affect operational costs, passenger delays, and fleet utilization.

Contribution

The study presents VertiSim, a novel event-driven simulation tool that models passenger, aircraft, and energy flows simultaneously for UAM network analysis.

Findings

Larger fleet sizes reduce passenger delays but increase operational costs.

Longer vertiport distances improve fleet utilization but raise passenger delays.

Simulation results guide UAM network planning and infrastructure decisions.

Abstract

Urban Air Mobility (UAM) represents a promising solution for future transportation. In this study, we introduce VertiSim, an advanced event-driven simulator developed to evaluate e-VTOL transportation networks. Uniquely, VertiSim simultaneously models passenger, aircraft, and energy flows, reflecting the interrelated complexities of UAM systems. We utilized VertiSim to assess 19 operational scenarios serving a daily demand for 2,834 passengers with varying fleet sizes and vertiport distances. The study aims to support stakeholders in making informed decisions about fleet size, network design, and infrastructure development by understanding tradeoffs in passenger delay time, operational costs, and fleet utilization. Our simulations, guided by a heuristic dispatch and charge policy, indicate that fleet size significantly influences passenger delay and energy consumption within UAM networks. We find that increasing the fleet size can reduce average passenger delays, but this comes at the cost of higher operational expenses due to an increase in the number of repositioning flights. Additionally, our analysis highlights how vertiport distances impact fleet utilization: longer distances result in reduced total idle time and increased cruise and charge times, leading to more efficient fleet utilization but also longer passenger delays. These findings are important for UAM network planning, especially in balancing fleet size with vertiport capacity and operational costs. Simulator demo is available at: https://tinyurl.com/vertisim-vis