Public Acceptance of Autonomous Electric Vertical Take-Off and Landing Aircraft: Analysis Based on the Extended Technology Acceptance Model

Urban air mobility (UAM) has been emerging as a promising direction in future transportation. The autonomous electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft, as the core vehicle enabling urban air transportation, represents a promising technological trend because of its low operational costs and safety advantages. However, though public acceptance of UAM has been widely investigated, the potential users’ acceptance of autonomous eVTOL systems remains under-investigated. This research extends the technology acceptance model by incorporating perceived risk and trust factors and explores how it may explain variations in users’ acceptance of autonomous eVTOL aircraft. Thus, a survey study was conducted to guide the design and future deployment of autonomous eVTOL aircraft. Based on 412 responses from China, we analysed public acceptance of autonomous eVTOL aircraft using structural equation modeling. The study revealed that perceived usefulness was a primary determinant of potential users’ behavioral intention of using autonomous eVTOL aircraft. Further, trust demonstrates significant positive effects on perceived ease of use and perceived usefulness of autonomous eVTOL aircraft. Finally, respondents’ income and familiarity with eVTOL technologies can also moderate users’ psychological constructs and thus affect their willingness to use autonomous eVTOL aircraft. These insights provide valuable decision-making references for policymakers, eVTOL aircraft manufacturers, and service operators, contributing to both theoretical understanding of innovative transportation technology acceptance and practical implementation of autonomous eVTOL systems.