Introducing eVTOLs in Germany

: an analysis of factors affecting the adoption among shared mobility concepts

Abstract

As a novel shared mobility concept aiming to counteract the increasing population and congestion in urban areas, Urban Air Mobility (UAM) plans on utilizing uncongested air space to transport travelers by means of flying air taxis. Its introduction brings many novel aspects with it, which could cause welcoming as well as aversive attitudes among potential users. Accordingly, the purpose of this thesis is to identify attributes affecting the adoption of travelers. Thereby, the influence of several transport-related, attitudinal and socio-economic factors is examined through the conduct of qualitative and quantitative research. Separate key driver analyses for manually piloted (PFT) and autonomously flying air taxis (AFT) allow understanding the impact of the variables on the respective concepts. The results indicate that the travel time of both concepts positively affects travelers, where as the predicted travel cost poses an obstacle for a potential adoption. Waiting time stands out as having opposite effects on the concepts. Among attitudinal variables, both safety and cleanliness influence the likelihood of usage. Furthermore, it was found that respondents with a higher level of education and technological affinity are more likely to adopt UAM as a substitutive way of transport, while male individuals show significantly higher interest in adopting AFTs than females. Based on the results, several managerial implications could be deduced, aiming to support companies entering the german market.

Date of Award	28 Apr 2021
Original language	English
Awarding Institution	Universidade Católica Portuguesa
Supervisor	Daniel Fernandes (Supervisor)