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Relieves ground traffic congestion

The physical limits of ground transportation have been or soon will be reached in many large cities, such as Los Angeles and Tokyo - there is no more space for highways, parking lots, rails, etc. - auto speed in urban areas in the US peaked in 1970.

Ground transportation systems, even the fastest ones, simply cannot overcome the inherent physical limitations of having to travel circuitous routes along 1-dimensional paths over 2-dimensional ground surfaces.

The Skycar takes advantage of the fact that there is much more physical space available for vehicles in the air overhead than on roads or rails - the M400 supports higher traffic density in the air, even at high speeds, because of the planned highways in the sky backed by radars, instant maneuvering capability, constant electronic monitoring of conditions, and communications with other Skycars - a Skycar will normally be able to take the most direct route between two points.

There would be much less traffic congestion in the air with electronically piloted Skycars than on the ground with autos - a whole freeway of autos could be replaced by a single layer of Skycars 2 miles wide with 1 mile between vehicles on the same path and 500 feet between adjacent paths.

In the US, transit systems that serve urban areas have actually been declining in ridership as people prefer private vehicles - the Skycar offers the flexibility of ride sharing or private use, especially when electronic piloting is implemented.

The Skycar, traveling directly from origin to destination (except for detours around restricted areas such as airports) can relieve suburb-to-suburb transportation problems as well as suburb-to-city ones, without having to build new roads or rail.

Also relieves airport congestion

Air transportation is increasingly being limited by the growing congestion at airports - this situation is even beginning to impact aircraft manufacturers - Boeing, for example, sees sales being constrained by this in the near future.

Few new airports are being built in the over-developed world - in fact, small airports are being torn down at the rate of 10 per year - and enlarging the existing hub airports is proving difficult, if not impossible, in many cases.

Is inexpensive to use

By being in constant use throughout the day, having few moving parts, being fuel efficient, and reducing salary costs with electronic piloting, the total cost per passenger mile of the Skycar in an air taxi operation is similar to that of the automobile or commercial aircraft - even with an acquisition cost of $400,000 per vehicle.

The cost ranges from 92¢/mile for one passenger in a piloted M400 air limousine, down to 12¢/mile in the electronically piloted single passenger M100 air taxi, as shown in the following table - a pickup charge for each passenger of $1 to $3 is added per flight.

The ticket cost per passenger mile was computed based on the cost assumptions in the table below.

The 4-passenger M400 Skycar has excellent fuel economy for trips longer than 300 miles - in excess of 60 passenger miles per gallon, consuming about 1/10 gallon of fuel to get to the altitude needed for a short trip.

Increases mobility

Many governments believe that increased transportation mobility results in increased dependence on foreign oil, increased crowding, and increased pollution, and worse, that any improvements to mobility will be only temporary.

Thus, individuals seeking increased mobility through additional roads and autos are being opposed by governments impressed by the disadvantages - so governments are trying to substitute various forms of mass transit, but individuals aren't riding - the Skycar solves this by providing individual transportation that also has the advantages of mass transit.

Figure caption for translation: Highway congestion results in public pressure to add capacity. This result in added capacity, which makes travel easier. This encourages urban sprawl, which results in increase in number and average length of trips.

 

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