The US Department of Energy's National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) has partnered with the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, operated by the Alliance for Sustainable Energy, and with Supernal, an AAM offshoot of Hyundai Motor Group, to explore advanced air mobility (AAM).

Supernal is developing electric, autonomous air vehicles capable of accommodating four to five passengers that could be in service by 2028. These eVTOL vehicles will integrate with existing transportation networks and move passengers more quickly around high-density city centres.

“As a leader in mobility innovation and equity, NREL is well positioned to offer a deeper look into the feasibility and impacts on the broader energy system for this emerging mode of transportation,” says transportation data analytics researcher and project leader Venu Garikapati.

To inform the plans for a public eVTOL network, Supernal and NREL are collaborating with the city of Los Angeles. The project will concentrate on the feasibility, opportunities and challenges of building vertiports for future air vehicles. NREL researchers are evaluating potential locations, travel destinations and energy demand, and the analysis will answer critical questions about energy costs, market viability, public acceptance, station distribution, accessibility and environmental sustainability of the programme.

“Our research will compare AAM flight options with the existing and emerging mobility infrastructure within Los Angeles, to inform the network map and business plan for Supernal's airborne passenger vehicles,” says project partnership manager Keith Ropchock.

NREL will evaluate existing and emerging mobility technologies and transportation hotspots and conduct market analysis within the greater LA area. It will use existing and historical travel data to develop a travel heatmap of travel time, costs and demand for possible vertiport locations, that researchers will leverage to demonstrate the feasibility of the AAM network.

“Our team can holistically measure mobility and ease of access provided to any traveller at any location,” adds Garikapati. “We are excited to provide insights in the trade-off of travel time, cost and energy.”

Another element of the project will investigate the market share for emerging modal options such as AAM. Researchers will compare travel times, price and vertiport access with sociodemographic characteristics to analyse demand across passenger segments to help identify the optimal vertiport locations.

“We look forward to working with NREL to explore this new dimension of mobility,” says Supernal CEO Jaiwon Shin. “This research will allow our team to design a product that integrates with and augments existing transit options and effectively serves local community needs.”

The collaboration underscores the importance of building resilient energy systems on the ground, where vertiports can benefit from grid integration to power the airborne passenger vehicles.

A significant focus of the NREL research will include evaluating the high-power energy requirements of eVTOLs and the cost and operational implications to the electric grid. Future AAM research will identify opportunities and risks of this emerging technology.

“Extensive research into the energy implications of these airborne passenger vehicles is integral to the success of innovative AAM technologies,” says Ropchock. “Our research will emphasise utility capabilities to determine the impacts of these high-load, fast-charging electric vehicles. Future collaboration will allow researchers to evaluate and validate infrastructure components to ensure a smooth introduction of this new technology.”

The ground-level emphasis on using renewable energy to power eVTOLs paves the way toward decarbonisation for short-haul aviation. Together, Supernal and NREL are ensuring that aerial transportation options meet market demand while advancing clean energy and grid resiliency priorities.