CES 2024에서 첨단 모빌리티 UAM(도심항공교통)이 주목받았다. 교통체증과 환경 문제 해결이라는 기조 아래 국내 각 분야 업체들이 협력하는 가운데, 2025년 상용화를 위한 아직 가야할 길이 남아 있다.
▲Supernal AAM aircraft SA-2
Hyundai Motor Company and SKT, “Aiming to Lead the Global UAM Market”
Government support urgently needed to solve UAM commercialization challenges
At CES 2024, cutting-edge mobility UAM (urban air mobility) attracted attention. While domestic companies in various fields are cooperating under the theme of solving traffic congestion and environmental problems, there is still a long way to go before commercialization by 2025.
The Korean government has also announced a roadmap for Korea-type urban air mobility (K-UAM) and is preparing for commercialization of UAM through the K-UAM Grand Challenge, a large-scale demonstration project starting in 2022. A flight demonstration was conducted in Goheung, Jeollanam-do last November, and a verification test is scheduled for the metropolitan area this year.
Starting in April next year, the UAM bill proposed by the government in August of last year will be implemented, and in accordance with the regulatory exceptions to promote the use of UAM, application of existing aviation-related laws and regulations, except for the minimum regulations necessary for safety, will be excluded in the demonstration project area and pilot operation area.
Experts say that the significance of the UAM Act lies in providing a legal basis for minimizing restrictions that arise when developing and verifying new technologies when following existing aviation laws.
■ Hyundai Motor Company and SKT Unveil Next-Generation UAM Airframe Vision At CES 2024, Hyundai Motor Company and SKT presented their respective UAM aircraft, suggesting the direction of advanced aviation mobility.
SKT announced on the 11th that it participated in a CEO meeting with Joby Aviation in the US, with which it is cooperating for a field demonstration project. SKT President Yoo Young-sang, SKT Global Solutions Office (CDO) Ha Min-yong, Joby CEO JoeBen Bevirt, and Vice President Eric Allison attended.
SKT and Joby, who signed an MOU in January 2022, shared the status of preparations for the K-UAM Grand Challenge and discussed ways to enhance the stability of UAM services through AI technology cooperation and jointly enter the UAM market. In particular, in this demonstration project, the two companies will introduce an actual UAM aircraft (Joby 24) for the first time in Korea, rather than a prototype or scaled-down aircraft.
SKT is rapidly growing the UAM market by investing 100 million dollars (130 billion won) in Joby in June of last year. The UAM vertical takeoff and landing aircraft (eVTOL) 'S4' developed by Joby is the fastest in the process of obtaining aircraft certification from the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). Joby succeeded in the industry's first demonstration flight in New York last year, and is collaborating with Delta Airlines and NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration).
Supernal, an independent corporation of Hyundai Motor Group's Advanced Air Mobility (AAM), has unveiled a full-scale mockup of the aircraft, the 'S-A2', for the first time at CES. Hyundai, which aims to commercialize the aircraft in 2028, has unveiled a new model four years after unveiling the 'S-A1' in 2020.
'S-A2' is 10m long and 15m wide and can accommodate 5 people including the pilot. The aircraft has a total of 8 rotors that are tilt rotors and can be turned 90 degrees depending on the situation. Distributed electric propulsion (DEP) is applied so that each rotor has dual motors, allowing safe operation even if one breaks down. The noise level is 45 to 65 dB, which is about the same as the operating noise of a dishwasher.
Supernal said, “We plan to launch an aircraft that is stable at night and in various weather conditions and meets safety standards equivalent to the commercial aviation industry by 2028,” and “We are currently developing it with the goal of flying at a cruising speed of 200 km/h at an altitude of up to 400 to 500 m, and when commercialized, the S-A2 will be able to fly about 60 km within the city.”
Supernal plans to secure airframe performance, safety, and price competitiveness for commercialization of AAM through comprehensive cooperation, including AAM battery development, supply chain management, software, and regulatory certification.
■ UAM 2025 commercialization key, ‘law and certification’ Going forward, the major tasks for commercializing UAM are: △aircraft certification △mass production △infrastructure construction △economical business model. The key to commercializing UAM in Korea is law and certification. The UAM special law is just the beginning. Laws and systems must be established in various fields such as aircraft, safety, security, business, and infrastructure. An expert said, “UAM technology is commercializable, but the legal system is not keeping up because there is no certified aircraft yet.”
Experts agree that it is necessary to create an ecosystem for entering new industries of the future through national R&D support. In particular, it is necessary to consider whether domestic certification alone can be used overseas, in addition to the absence of a domestic certification system in Korea. Currently, not only the American Joby but also the German Volocopter has been certified by EASA for the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Consortiums currently participating in the K-UAM Grand Challenge with full-scale aircraft are planning to conduct demonstrations in the second half of next year. This is to ensure maximum stability and increase the level of completion of aircraft that are still in the manufacturing stage but have not yet been certified.
According to SKT UAM demonstration business team leader Kim Jeong-il at the Korea Automobile Research Institute’s Mobility Insight, “Even if the UAM business is commercialized in 2025, it will not be able to avoid deficits for about 10 years,” and “It will take even longer for a full-scale market to be created, and public demand will occur first.” Accordingly, it is expected that not only the airframe, but also marketability, price, production volume, network, and infrastructure such as transportation systems will need to develop together.