SSPLAXAviation
eVTOL Fleet Ramp
Situation
An eVTOL certification program is ramping monthly deliveries. Battery packs arrive on long lead times, test cells are heavily loaded, and pilot checkout slots are fixed for the month.
Decision
If there is room for one near-term capacity move, should it go to test cells, battery supply, or pilot checkout?
How we modeled it
The program flow moves through assembly, test cells, pilot checkout, and certified-fleet output, with battery supply and budget limits attached to the path. Each candidate capacity move is staged as a small constraint relaxation and re-solved against certified aircraft per month.
What the model shows
Capacity change with effect+1 test slot
Current output13 aircraft/month
Estimated effect~$950k/month
Active limits
- Test cells full
- Battery supply 92% used
What this shows
One extra test slot changes output. Extra budget alone does not change the plan until that slot exists.
Right now: 13 aircraft per month, test cells at 100%, and extra budget does not change output.
Add one test slot and output rises — test cells stop being the constraint.
Battery supply becomes the next ceiling once test cells open up.