Air Taxis Can Serve as Air Ambulances

The eVTOL (electric Vertical Takeoff and Landing) air taxi revolution is upon us, with these helicopter-style aircraft scheduled to enter service at this summer’s Paris Olympics. Small wonder: The ability of air taxis to soar above traffic is one of their biggest selling points in urban areas.

Of course, being able to avoid traffic is a priority for EMS vehicles as well. This is why eVTOL manufacturers such as Limosa, Jump, and Volocopter are looking at ways to make their air taxis also serve as air ambulances. Although eVTOLs may not have the same range and payload capacity as conventional EMS helicopters, they have enough to make them highly useful in urban settings. Meanwhile, eVTOLs’ electric propulsion systems make them more attractive to municipal governments, due to these electric aircraft’s lack of emissions and lower noise levels.

eVTOL Manufacturer Limosa, Inc.

Hamid Hamidi is the founder and CEO of Limosa Inc., an innovative eVTOL manufacturer based in Montreal, Canada. “I am an experienced aerospace engineer with a strong passion to contribute to the sustainable aviation industry,” he told EMS World. “As of the latest data available, the aviation industry is responsible for approximately 2-3% of global carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions. This percentage refers specifically to CO2 emissions, which are a major contributing factor to global warming.”

According to Hamidi, efforts to mitigate CO2 emissions include the development of more fuel-efficient aircraft, using sustainable aviation fuels (SAF), and exploring new technologies such as electric (or hybrid-electric) and hydrogen-powered aircraft. This last area is where Limosa comes in. “Seeing the trends for the global market for electric and hybrid-electric VTOLs, I decided to work on a revolutionary aircraft which will generate new applications and reduce the noise, gas emissions and cost of operations. This was the moment that Limosa was born in June 2021.”

LimoConnect V2

‘LimoConnect V2’ is the name of Limosa’s electric air taxi. It is a seven-seat piloted eVTOL with a cruise speed of the aircraft of 200 mph, a range of 150 miles, and an hour’s flight time. 

The LimoConnect has four tilt-propellers mounted on the front of the main wing four fixed propellers on the back of the main wing and a v-stabiliser, all powered by battery packs.

Limosa recently announced the air ambulance version of this eVTOL — the LimoMedic – which the company is developing in partnership with the private air ambulance company Airmedic. Serving all of Quebec, Airmedic currently operates a fleet of Airbus helicopters and Pilatus fixed-wing aircraft. “The concept is to use the existing airframe, but with a modular cabin,” said Hamidi. “This conversion to air ambulance use will be cheaper than designing an entirely separate air ambulance use aircraft.”

Air Taxi Advantages

Limosa’s founder and CEO sees other advantages to adapting the LimoConnect air taxi platform for the LimoMedic. For instance, since the LimoMedic is based on an air taxi, “it will conform to regulations for urban use, so it can go anywhere it is required,” Hamidi said. “It was also explicitly designed to be usable as an air ambulance so it is designed with large capacity in mind, plus the LimoConnect’s 5000 ft operating altitude means it can easily avoid most traffic situations.”

Still, the main advantage LimoMedic possesses over helicopters is the ability to transition from VTOL to CTOL (Conventional Takeoff and Landing) flight like an aircraft, by rotating its propellers from a vertical to a front-facing horizontal position. As such, “it enjoys the speed advantage of fixed-wing aircraft for expedient arrival to and delivery of patients while still possessing the maneuverability traits helicopters enjoy to perform in challenging rescue environments,” said Hamidi.

Then there’s the money advantage.

“The cost of operation for the LimoMedic, including depreciation, fix, and variable fees, lays down to around a quarter as compared to helicopters,” he said. “The required capital to buy a LimoMedic is much lower than an equivalent helicopter. And when it comes to maintenance, it is much easier and less costly to maintain an electric aircraft compared to an equivalent fossil fueled turboshaft helicopter, because the number of parts are much less.” 

If all goes to plan, the LimoMedic will be certified for service in 2028, and the air ambulance field will be expanded to include a highly capable new option. “Due to the modular cabin being a key part of Limosa's certification process for LimoConnect, this means the certification for LimoMedic is occurring at the same time,” Hamidi explained. “But LimoMedic will enter the market first, in order to build trust with the public for air taxi usage.”