“eVTOL Race Requires Warp Speed Push, Not Bureaucratic Brakes”

gulfnews.com published ‘a special report’ last week airing the growing frustration many feel within the eVTOL industry concerning “regulatory capture.” Written by Senior Assistant Editor, Jay Hilotin, he discusses six important points. The main criticism is aimed at the U.S and European regulators, the FAA and EASA.

Using the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics and the recent news that Archer has been appointed the primary eVTOL carrier as his springboard, Hilotin doesn’t hold back.

His first point of six is Extreme Caution, where he lambasts the regulators as being part of “a deeply cautious culture shaped by decades of prioritising zero-tolerance for risk.” Adding, “It’s also dubbed regulatory capture.” He points out this “delays deployment, even when early models show strong safety potential, proven by real-time flight test data.

He continues, “Rigorous certification and safety standards are being put in place, often sequentially — instead of in parallel — likely to delay their rollout where they’re most needed, in highly urbanised western cities like New York, Los Angeles and Sao Paolo, known for heavy peak-hour traffic.” Hilotin then says, “This marks a notable contrast between Asia’s bold push for air taxi services and the more cautious approach of U.S and European regulators.” 

His second is New Aircraft Category.

Pointing out that regulators had to write new rules from scratch because eVTOLs were not deemed to be in the same category as airplanes or helicopters, Hilotin writes, “Since it’s a new technology, it is like expecting those who regulate horse carriages to write new traffic rules for cars.”

Not to be outdone by this new red tape, EASA then created not one, but two certification categories: Basic and Enhanced ie. where failure conditions would not lead to a catastrophic outcome (e.g. parachute systems, autonomous backup); and where eVTOL aircraft are “expected to operate in more demanding environments (e.g. urban airspace) with higher safety requirements akin to commercial airliners.”  

His third is headlined Type Certification Complexity. Using Joby and Archer as examples, the number of tests that such aircraft must go through can take up to seven years, far longer than traditional upgrades of certified planes. 

At number 4 is Battery and Energy System Safety. Hilotin points out, “Unlike conventional fuel systems, lithium-ion batteries are known to overheat, ignite, or degrade.” He goes on, “This is one of the most time-consuming parts of the regulatory review. For example, the battery lifespan/cycle testing, involving thousands of charge-discharge cycles, must be simulated in a lab.” 

Fifth is titled Flight Operations and Pilot Licensing. 

Hilotin remarks that even if the aircraft is certified, pilots, operators and routes must be approved under Part 135 (FAA) or EASA’s operator rules.

At present, there are various unknowns including:-

: Will pilots need traditional licences? 

: What’s the basic training required for each type of eVTOL platform? 

: How will vertiport air traffic be integrated into existing flight corridors?

He writes rather exasperatedly, “Months or years of delay resolving such questions could mean make-or-break moments for companies facing regulatory handicap.”

Finally, number six and Institutional Inertia. 

Hilotin believes this is the BIG ONE. It denotes the idea that “bureaucratic red tape dulls innovation.” He emphasises, “While ensuring safety, this mindset — paired with complex, outdated bureaucratic structures that apply to old-school aviation — is seen as the enemy of innovation.”

The regulatory agencies are to blame, unable to adapt and requiring “years to accommodate frameworks for novel technologies.” He uses Joby as an example where this month the company stated they had completed over 40,000 miles of test flights across multiple aircraft, including more than 1,500 flights with its two pre-production prototypes that cover piloted transition flights and simultaneous operations of two aircraft. If this report is true, how many more **** test flight hours (ed. addition) are needed to convince anyone the aircraft is safe and works as intended?

While Hilotin realises the FAA and EASA require very high safety benchmarks because eVTOLs are to operate over cities, with passengers, often in dense urban airspace, he points out countries like China, South Korea and the UAE are advancing faster because “They streamline regulatory decisions (less bureaucracy); accept higher risk thresholds in early deployments; and often deploy with trained pilots first in restricted air corridors.”

His conclusions are straight-forward.

If U.S companies like Archer or Joby are not allowed to enter service in view of regulatory inertia in the West, they risk falling behind international competitors in market leadership, operational data collection and public trust.

Hilotin believes, “Delaying air taxi rollouts prevents real-world testing that could improve models over time.” And adds, “It’s been said: Perfection is the enemy of progress, where striving for absolute perfection can prevent you from making any progress at all.”

He warns:-

: More agile regions could soar ahead in commercial air taxi readiness.

: The eVTOL race should not be left to bureaucrats to set the pace.

: A balance must be found between safety and competitive timelines.

: A second look at regulatory reforms, pilot programs and close collaboration with industry innovators may be needed.

Hilotin concludes that if the LA 2028 Olympics is viewed as the West’s watershed moment for the eVTOL industry, Archer could be too late to the party.

News Source: https://gulfnews.com/

(Images: Vijith Pulikkal/Gulf News)

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The post “eVTOL Race Requires Warp Speed Push, Not Bureaucratic Brakes” appeared first on eVTOL Insights.

The post “eVTOL Race Requires Warp Speed Push, Not Bureaucratic Brakes” appeared first on eVTOL Insights.