A sustainable form of transport – inside and out

Within the EU it is estimated that the transport industry contributes around 25 per cent of total Greenhouse Gases Emissions.

This explains why there’s so much expectation and excitement around the eVTOL industry’s potential to reduce this number and provide a sustainable and reliable new form of transport.

While nobody is doubting the urgency with which sustainable change needs to take place, the aviation industry is supremely complex and heavily regulated. And this means change comes slowly.

Bringing sustainable solutions to market

One simple example is Sustainable Air Fuel (SAF). The first flight using SAF took place in 2008 and the first use on a commercial airline was 2011. Yet 12 years later in 2023 less than 0.2 percent of commercial flights used SAF.

Aircraft needed adapting, new supply chains were required for delivering SAF to airports, the fuel mix required needed onsideration, safety issues had to be overcome. Regulation is rightly strict in an industry like aviation to protect the safety of passengers.

But regulation means change takes time. There’s clearly more to delivering sustainability than just the fuel used to power the solution.

Issues such as where the materials to build vehicles are sourced, how far they need to travel, how they are recycled at end of life and a multitude of other issues will make up the lifelong carbon contribution of eVTOLs.

Building a sustainable interior

The wider aviation industry is currently looking at all its processes to find ways to reduce its carbon impact. One area of particular interest is inside the cabin.

Typically cabin interiors have been heavily regulated and subject to a complex maze of intellectual property ownership that can make innovation difficult to achieve.

But there’s a groundswell of support for the need to deliver more sustainable solutions to the cabin interior.

Initiatives such as the Green Cabin Alliance are crystallising thinking in this space, as are the development of stronger but lighter materials that can be used in the cabin. Less weight means less fuel burn too – which further reduces carbon emissions – or in the case of eVTOLs improves distance of travel.

The recent RedCabin Trinity Award for sustainable concepts highlighted some of the innovation taking place in the industry.

The winner was Doy Design’s Ultra Slim low carbon seat that weighs only 6.6kg per passenger. Runners up included Diab Group Sustainable Panel for the cabin interior and Expliseat’s TiSeat 2x.

Building the interior of the future

For eVTOL companies the opportunity to build sustainable solutions into the cabin will be particularly engaging as it will enhance the overall message of delivering lower impact travel across the entire life cycle, so it’s encouraging to see the industry embracing initiatives to reduce its impact.

eVTOL aircraft have the opportunity to deliver more sustainable solutions inside and out — a concept the airline industry is starting to embrace.

Main image credit: Supernal

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