APAC UAM Report YE2021

INTERVIEW: TCAB TECH
The first eVTOL introduced by TCab – the
E20, adopted a vectored thrust configuration,
with six powertrains and five seats. What
are the considerations for such design?
The technical direction of eVTOL OEMs in other countries is relatively
consistent. Joby, Archer, Lilium and Vertical all adopted tilting, tilting
bypass or tilting rotor configurations. Most people in the industry
accredited this technical direction. Multi-rotor configurations on the
other hand, have a disadvantage in flight range and duration. The
lift and cruise configuration is more of an interim product than a
finalized product. Many of our team members have worked on eVTOL
composite wing design and are familiar with the configuration.
The problem with composite wings is
that if the Type Certificate is acquired
after three or four years, the eVTOL is one
generation behind other products.
For example, vectored thrust eVTOLs can fly from Shanghai to Suzhou
in 20 minutes, while the lift and cruise configuration vehicle takes 40
minutes with the same cost. This degrades customer experiences.
Hence, we choose the vectored thrust configuration after balancing the
consideration for technology, the market, and other aspects. In terms
of the forensics of the three configurations, the tilting configuration is a
bit more complex but the technical safety requirements for these three
configurations are the same. We expect that the E20 will gain its type
certificate by the end of 2024.
We positioned the E20 as a point-to-point product for air taxi
services. If the number of seats is inadequate, it is difficult to cover
the operational costs. The number of seats in the E20 is the same
as the number of seats in a taxi – it can carry up to four passengers.
The same wave of taxi passengers can travel together on the
E20 to their next destination. This completes the travel scene for
passengers. An ideal scenario in the future would be passengers
can place an order for ground and aerial travel services on a onestop
platform. We offer aerial services with a range of 30 to 150
kilometers to passengers while traditional taxi services offer ground
travel that is less than 30 kilometers. When these two services are
complementing each other, they can satisfy the different travelling
needs that passengers have.
32 |YE 2021 ASIA-PACIFIC UAM REPORT