Electric Aircraft and the Environment: A Literature Review

Abstract

Historically, the integration of social need, environmental impact, and technological advancement has been a challenging balancing act for growing cities and metropoles. If the balance between social need and environmental sustainability is reached, the increasing advancements and improvements made to electric aircrafts have the potential to steer society towards a new mode of sustainable air. One reason why electric aircraft technology has not grown as fast as other technologies is because there lacked a need for fast advancements. With that said, electric aircraft technologies are improving today due to the demand in heavily populated cities to relieve traffic [5]. Some issues growing cities face are inadequate housing, inefficient infrastructure, and high traffic congestion. According to the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC), traffic congestion within the Bay Area has increased 9% in the past two years [5]. The gridlock in the Bay Area increased as approximately 13,000 cars cross the Bay Bridge daily. A report produced by Arup Corporation reports that the Bay Area is second only to Los Angeles in the intensity of traffic congestion [1]. A study by UCLA determined that the economic boom in the Bay Area in the previous decade had driven the influx of inhabitants to the area [5]. These are two examples of metropolitan cities that are impacted by traffic congestion. To mitigate the negative consequences associated with high traffic congestion, it is beneficial to explore redesigning the infrastructure of metropolitan cities in tandem with residual effects of the economic boom. [5]. This literature review analyzes electric aircraft as a viable solution to high congestion and explores the possible effects of it on the environment.