Airbus has selected MagicaLL, a company that develops electric motors specialized for flight, to provide propulsion motors for Airbus’s CityAirbus NextGen eVTOL.

Above: A mockup of the Airbus CityAirbus NextGen. In this image, several of the electric motor locations can be seen along the wings and tail wing of the aircraft.

While other companies making electric motors for aviation do exist such as MagniX, Airbus has selected California-based company MAGicALL to design and manufacture the motors of its all-electric vertical take-off and landing aircraft. In particular, Airbus has chosen a tailored version of MAGicALL’s ‘MAGiDRIVE’ motor, which provides 50 Nm/kg of torque at a very light weight, includes an enclosed electronic power control system, and features air-cooling and low vibration capabilities that could allow the CityAirbus NextGen to travel at speeds of 75mph with no more noise emissions than a household vacuum cleaner.

The two companies have already begun work on the customized version of the MAGICaALL motor that will be used with the CityAirbus NextGen. According to Airbus, these customizations will enable the latest prototype to ‘benefit from features that match its unique design’, increasing both performance and reliability.

Also according to Airbus, MAGicALL’s motors will contribute to the seamless architecture of Airbus’ eVTOL prototype as its MAGiDRIVE includes both the motor itself and its control system in a single fully enclosed unit.

Said Joerg P. Mueller, Airbus’ Head of Urban Air Mobility, “We are proud to benefit from the experience of MAGicALL to develop the electric propulsion system of CityAirbus NextGen. The electric motors are a major component of our prototype: the high torque and low weight of the MAGiDRIVE as well as its robust design will be highly beneficial for the overall efficiency of the aircraft.”

Above: A rear view of the CityAirbus NextGen that shows the locations of its eight total electric motors.

MAGicALL has been designing and manufacturing electric motors for vehicles since 2004, and was Airbus’ previous partner in its experimental ‘Airbus Vahana‘ project, which featured a tilt-wing eVTOL that eventually led to the CityAirbus NextGen. MAgicALL has also partnered with Bell on its Air Transport Pod (ATP) project, which features a large unmanned aircraft that can carry up to 70lbs of cargo.

Why it’s important: This announcement comes as the latest chapter in a recent slew of news from Airbus regarding its eVTOL program. Within the last two weeks, Airbus has announced the formation of an Air Mobility Initiative in Germany, and also a major partnership with ITA airways in Italy. These plans, along with the NextGen’s growing technological momentum with MAGicALL, suggest that Airbus is making a major push toward commercial rollout of its aircraft.

Read more about the CityAirbus NextGen here.

Source // Airbus, Auto Evolution

Related:

• Airbus Forms Air Mobility Initiative in Germany (May 2022)
• Airbus Partners with ITA Airways for Aerial Mobility in Italy (April 2022)
• Thales and Diehl Aerospace to Develop Flight Computers for CityAirbus NextGen (November 2021)
• Airbus Unveils Latest eVTOL Prototype (November 2021)

AIR ONE, the developer of a two-seater eVTOL designed for private ownership and personal use, showcased a full-size prototype of its aircraft at the Kentucky Derby, which took place over the weekend of May 7th, 2022.

Above: The AIR ONE eVTOL prototype in a tent hangar at the Kentucky Derby

The AIR ONE aircraft, unlike many eVTOLs currently under development, is designed for personal use and private ownership rather than as a commercial air taxi. AIR ONE states that its mission is to make the ‘ultimate freedom of flying’ more accessible, suggesting that purchasers of its aircraft could use it for commuting, exploring the outdoors or even sport flying. This makes marketing the AIR ONE at an event like the Kentucky Derby an excellent idea, as people who live in the area could land the AIR ONE aircraft on large properties, or use it to commute to events like the Derby.

Above: Mockup of the AIR ONE eVTOL in flight

AIR is one of the few advanced companies in the aerial mobility space that’s targeting private ownership / personal use of its aircraft. Many top developers, like Joby, Beta Technologies, Vertical Aerospace, and more, are all targeting commercial air taxi use cases, with larger aircraft. The AIR ONE, meanwhile, can fit in a standard parking or house garage space when its wings are folded, takes only about 16 hours to learn to fly, and costs only $150,000.

The AIR ONE eVTOL aircraft is fully electric (it can charged in a household just as a ground-based EV can), features a foldable fixed wing for efficient forward flight, can fly for up to 110 miles on a single charge, and can fly with a top speed of 155 mph.

Watch AIR give a full tour of its new prototype below:

Why it’s important: Current customers of the private air travel industry, who frequently charter or own private jets and helicopters, are often found attending the Kentucky Derby. Advertising the AIR ONE at an event like the Derby is an excellent way for AIR to find customers who have already proven interest in private air travel, meaning that they would be the most likely audience to eventually purchase AIR ONE aircraft. And, at a price tag of $150,000, AIR is likely to find a swarth of customers who would have interest in this aircraft.

Source // AIR ONE, News ATLAS

Related:

• AIR CEO Discusses AIR ONE’s Role in Aerial Mobility (January 2022)
• Israel-based AIR Unveils its First eVTOL Prototype (October 2021)

Airbus, developer of the CityAirbus NextGen eVTOL, has set up partnerships with governments and other key stakeholders in Germany to soon begin conducting demonstration flights and eventually offer full aerial mobility services between major cities in the area.

Above: A CityAirbus NextGen eVTOL travels above the streets of Munich, Germany

Earlier this week, Airbus announced the creation of its air mobility initiative in Germany, which includes members such as the City of Ingolstadt, and companies like Deutsche Bahn (DB), Deutsche Flugsicherung, Diehl Aerospace, Droniq, Munich Airport, Red Cross, and Telekom. The initiative, which is being referred to as the ‘Air Mobility Initiative’ (AMI) is supported by the Free State of Bavaria and the Federal Republic of Germany.

The purpose of the initiative is to ‘set up a series of research projects aimed at making urban air mobility within and between cities in Germany a reality’. According to Airbus, the joint projects are centered around three main areas: electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft development, unmanned traffic management (UTM) services, and airport & city integration including vertiports.

Said Markus May, Head of Operations for urban air mobility at Airbus: “In many parts of the world, eVTOLs will offer a whole new mobility service in the near future. Airbus and the AMI partners are aware that the introduction of such a system requires the cooperation of many players with different competences. Our goal is to build a transport service that benefits society and this is what we are setting up here in Bavaria.”

Above: Rendering of the CityAirbus NextGen eVTOL

The AMI partners will begin the initiative by addressing the technological, infrastructural, legal, and social prerequisites for the future implementation of advanced air mobility in Bavaria. Subsequently, the knowledge gained will be applied to demonstration flights with the CityAirbus eVTOL aircraft under real urban conditions. Work on this project began in January of 2022, with test flights of the demonstration project set to be carried out in the region around Ingolstadt.

So far, the AMI is funded with a total of €17 million from the Free State of Bavaria and €24 million from the Federal Government. Airbus says that together with the industry’s own funds, this results in a total investment of about €86 million in the project over a period of three years.

Why it’s important: With this latest German initiative, Airbus adds to its eVTOL rollout plans throughout Europe. Just last week, Airbus announced a partnership with Italian ITA Airways to begin setting up eVTOL air mobility infrastructure in Italy as well. Although Airbus took its time developing its final aircraft concept, the company is now using its global prestige to begin setting up eVTOL aerial mobility infrastructure throughout the European region.

Source // Airbus

Related:

• Airbus Partners with ITA Airways for Aerial Mobility in Italy (April 2022)
• Thales and Diehl Aerospace to Develop Flight Computers for CityAirbus NextGen (November 2021)
• Airbus Unveils Latest eVTOL Prototype (September 2021)

The AllianceTexas Mobility Innovation Zone (MIZ), which provides new mobility developers access to a testing ecosystem, resources, and partnerships essential to comprehensively test, scale, and commercialize new technologies, has now announced a partnership with Ericsson Routes, a company that provides maps of cellular connectivity strength. With this partnership, AllianceTexas hopes to provide users of the Mobility Innovation Zone with the knowledge of where they can find dependable, high-speed cellular connectivity routes for their autonomous aerial and ground-based vehicles.

The AllianceTexas space is a massive 27,000 acre master-planned industrial and residential development in North Texas, which includes its own airport, and its own unique air and ground logistics infrastructure. Being under one organization allows this development to host innovations in autonomous vehicles. To this end, AllianceTexas has created its own Mobility Innovation Zone, which provides new mobility developers with a proving ground to test and advance their new vehicles in real full-ecosystem environments. Aerial mobility partners such as Wing and Bell have taken advantage of the intermodal hubs and urban airspace within AllianceTexas to begin rolling out their drone delivery aircraft.

Now, AllianceTexas has partnered with Ericsson Routes which is it says is ‘like a Waze for wireless cellular connectivity’, to provide autonomous vehicle operators with the ability to plan their vehicle routes in accordance with the most reliable connectivity areas.

Said Russell Laughlin, Executive Vice President of Hillwood, which designed the AllianceTexas development: “Partnering with Ericsson Routes and their technology leadership gives our customers world-class and cutting-edge services that will advance the mobility industry. This unique technology offers mobility leaders an opportunity to be at the forefront of ensuring their products have the connectivity they need to operate now and well into the future.”

Image: Ericsson Routes analyzes potential autonomous vehicle routes for connectivity strength

Why it’s important: Reliable, high-speed cellular connectivity will be key in developing autonomous and semi-autonomous aerial mobility and logistics aircraft operations in the near future. This connectivity allows aircraft to communicate with airspace management systems, ground controls, and more. With this partnership with Ericsson Routes, new aerial mobility developers in AllianceTexas (like Wing and Bell) will be able to find flight routes with dependable, high-speed connectivity. In addition, it’s important to note that Hillwood, which had an important hand in creating AllianceTexas, has a history of creating aviation innovation infrastructure.

Source // Alliance Texas

Related:

• Bell’s Autonomous Cargo Drone Launches in Texas (February 2021)
• Uber Partners with Hillwood to Create Vertiports for VTOL Network in Dallas-Fort Worth (April 2017)

Having recently dialed up work on its Airbus CityAirbus eVTOL aircraft, Airbus has now announced a partnership with ITA Airways, a premier airline in Italy, to begin exploring the creation of urban aerial mobility services in the country.

Above: The Airbus CityAirbus NextGen, featured with potential ITA Airways branding

The new partnership between ITA and Airbus will ‘identify strategic use cases for emission-free mobility solutions’ in Italy, foreseeing a joint approach of the two companies in onboarding additional Italian mobility stakeholders for the launch of Airbus’ CityAirbus eVTOL operations. Together, the two companies will also identify pilot use cases in Italy, with the aim of bolstering public acceptance of UAM via demonstrations of the value these services could add to communities.

It is possible that Airbus and ITA will consider options such as implementing Airbus eVTOL aircraft for ITA airliner passengers to travel directly to and from large airports to vertiports in the centers of metropolitan areas.

Said Guillaume Faury, CEO of Airbus, “This agreement is testimony to the strong relationship between Airbus and ITA Airways. It is an opportunity to leverage our shared ambition – pioneering sustainable aerospace – and advance new air mobility solutions for zero-emission vertical flight in support of our cities and communities later this decade.”

Alfredo Altavilla, Chairman of ITA Airways, commented: “The partnership between ITA Airways and Airbus started with the evolution toward more modern, more comfortable and environmentally-friendly commercial aircraft, equipped with cutting-edge technologies. With this agreement, our partnership expands to the segment of urban air mobility for a wider, customer-centric, innovative and sustainable offer for our customers.”

Why it’s Important: The establishment of this partnership signals Airbus’ readiness to begin creating the organizational infrastructure that will be required to support upcoming UAM services. Most recently, Airbus has been collecting manufacturing and development partners for its aircraft (such as Thales, Dhiehl, and Spirit Aerosystems), but this partnership with ITA is Airbus’ first in the world of air passenger transport companies. Overall, this partnership likely means that Airbus is getting closer than ever to a commercially ready eVTOL aircraft, to the point where it is ready to begin setting up commercial operator partnerships.

Source // Airbus

Related:

• Airbus partners with Spirit AeroSystems to develop the wings of CityAirbus NextGen (March 2022)
• Thales and Diehl Aerospace to Develop Flight Computers for CityAirbus NextGen (November 2021)
• Airbus Unveils Latest eVTOL Prototype (September 2021)

Archer has announced the formation of an advisory panel between its company and United Airlines. The advisory panel will advise Archer on operational objectives as well as the establishment of ongoing maintenance programs for their eVTOL fleet.

After Archer’s SPAC merger last year with United Airlines as a major investor, it is expected that United will purchase 200 Archer eVTOL aircraft valued at $1B with purchase options for another 100 units.

“By working with Archer, United is showing the aviation industry that now is the time to embrace cleaner, more efficient modes of transportation,” United CEO Scott Kirby said in a release announcing the Archer SPAC last year.

The new committee is chaired by Archer’s vice president of engineering, Dave Dennison and United’s managing director of United Express TechOps Strategy and Operations, Mauricio Angel. Each of the committee chairs bring proven experience in aviation operations to the group. The other committee members bring complementary skills in the areas of maintenance, customer satisfaction and fleet management.

“The formation of this advisory committee further demonstrates Archer’s commitment to building advanced infrastructure to support UAM at scale,” said Adam Goldstein, CEO of Archer. “The committee is set up to leverage United’s experience with industry-leading operating strategies in commercial aviation, a key tenet of our business strategy. We understand that the adoption of UAM is about more than just the certification of our aircraft. United’s operational experience here will be invaluable as we work towards delivering aerial ridesharing at scale.” 

“At United, we’re proud to be expanding our collaboration with Archer with an advisory committee designed to focus on key operational strategies and electric aircraft performance needed to achieve our shared goal of sustainable urban air mobility, while addressing the scale and sophistication needed to operate successfully, and most importantly, delivering the high-quality user experience our customers require,” said Michael Leskinen, President of United Airlines Ventures. “Assembling this group of industry-leading talent, and harnessing the valuable insights it yields, will be a vital step in enabling consumer adoption of eVTOL.” 

Over the long-term, Archer’s goal is to work with United to create UAM fleet support by leveraging logistics concepts and networks already in use, thereby creating expert operational efficiencies.  

Why it matters: United Airlines is bringing an incredible amount of operational expertise for Archer to build its strategy for sustaining its fleet of eVTOL aircraft in the coming years. Further, this partnership allows the two firms to begin collaboration, as United is set to take delivery of over 200 Archer eVTOL aircraft once certified.

LCI, a large and highly established aircraft leasing company, has placed an order for 50 of Beta Technologies’ all-electric ‘Alia’ eVTOL aircraft, with options to purchase up to 125 aircraft in total.

LCI is a major aircraft leasing company that offers helicopters and airliners to commercial aircraft operators. As a subsidiary of Libra Group, clients of LCI include British Airways, Air France, Singapore Airlines, and leading helicopter operators such as Babcock. The company was founded in 2004, initially only working with fixed wing aircraft, but made its first helicopter purchase in 2012 with a $400 million order from Leonardo. While the company has already taken over US$8 billion in transactions of fixed-wing and helicopter markets, the order of Beta Technologies Alia aircraft will be LCI’s first electric aircraft purchase.

Unlike traditional helicopters, Beta’s ‘Alia’ aircraft features a fixed wing and pusher propellor for forward flight, giving it the efficiency of an airplane combined with the vertical take-off and landing abilities of a helicopter. This efficient design allows the aircraft to travel up to 250 miles on a single all-electric charge, while having room for up to four passengers or 1400 lbs of cargo.

Other air transport stakeholders have also shown interest in the Alia, with Blade Urban Air Mobility placing an order for 20 aircraft, UPS placing an order for up to 150 aircraft, and United Therapeutics partnering with Beta for transplant organ transportation.

Said Jaspal Jandu, CEO of LCI: “We are embracing this new era of sustainable flight and BETA Technologies’ innovative approach makes them a natural and credible partner for LCI. We believe that the aircraft’s blend of rechargeable battery power, significant internal capacity, and plentiful range is an optimal one. We are confident it will be a popular choice for operators and end-users seeking to develop and augment their fleets with this truly sustainable technology.”

Kyle Clark, founder and CEO of Beta Technologies, commented: “As a leading aircraft lessor with an established global track record, LCI has a strong pulse on what operators are looking for. We are gratified by their confidence that the solutions we’re building will answer the need for next generation, zero-emission electric aircraft. We are excited to partner with LCI and push adoption of this solution forward within the industry.”

Why it’s important: As one of the largest aircraft leasing companies in the world, LCI has signaled its belief that the eVTOL could soon augment or even replace segments of traditional helicopter business. This purchase from such a large financial stakeholder in helicopter aviation indicates that LCI believes that there are very real and lucrative use cases for eVTOL, and that companies who invest early in eVTOL will be much better positioned for the future of aviation services.

Source // LCI, Helicopter Investor, Aero Mag

Jaunt Air mobility, which a few years ago was one of Uber Elevate’s network partners, has since been growing its own urban air mobility business, and is working to develop its aircraft and aerial ridesharing service.

Jaunt has selected L&T technology services, a manufacturing, engineering, and product development and operations firm, to manufacture Jaunt’s ‘Journey’ eVTOL aircraft. L&T is already a massive and highly established firm, whose customer base includes 69 Fortune 500 companies and 57 of the world’s top ER&D companies, across industrial products, medical devices, transportation, telecom & hi-tech, and other industries.

While being directed by Jaunt Air Mobility’s leadership, L&T will create manufacturing-ready systems for the Jaunt Journey such as its power distribution system, air data management, cockpit display system, flight control system, battery management, electrification, power electronics, structural design, and stress analysis systems. It will also conduct aircraft testing, provide certification assistance, and direct overall manufacturing engineering.

The Jaunt Journey aircraft is especially unique in its design, as it only features a single lift rotor. With its single lift rotor, which features signature slowed-rotation technology, Jaunt asserts that its aircraft will be more stable, more efficient, and safer than other designs, given the rotor’s ability to auto-rotate in case of a motor failure, and the rotor’s ability to provide high amounts of lift in forward flight. The aircraft concept has actually been in development for over 20 years, having once been called the Carter Copter.

As part of the contract with L&T, L&T will open an Engineering and R&D Centre in Québec Province for the electric aircraft manufacturer to provide engineering services for the Jaunt Journey eVTOL.

Said Amit Chadha, Chief Executive Officer & Managing Director, L&T Technology Services: “This deal is a milestone for team LTTS in view of the tremendous opportunities opening up in UAM and drone services which are emerging as alternatives to the increasingly congested on-ground mobility in cities. LTTS has a track record of developing high-performance engineering solutions for global Aerospace and Defense for over a decade and has supported critical defense programs in the past. We believe this program will set the benchmark for future UAM projects and our team is excited to build on this important engagement with Jaunt, with the eventual aim to make urban commuting safer, greener, efficient and reliable”.

Martin Peryea, CEO & CTO of Jaunt, commented: “At Jaunt, our vision is to usher in a range of new-age aircraft-driven urban commuting that is fast, safe, and convenient. This new clean, sustainable aircraft will reduce carbon emissions worldwide. Strategically, we are continuing to grow our Tier 1 partnerships and recognize LTTS as a best-fit engineering partner, and together we are confident of pushing the mass-scale commercialization”.

Why it’s important: As Jaunt begins to make movement into developing its own air mobility business, it is gaining traction with investors. This latest partnership with L&T is a sign that Jaunt is now beginning to deploy its capital into establishing its business, making a key choice with L&T in order to ensure manufacturing expertise in the creation its new vehicle. With this partnership, given L&T’s wealth of experience in engineering development, we can expect to see Jaunt begin to move even more consistently toward a manufacture and commercially ready aircraft to fulfill its vision.

Jaunt has also made a significant number of other partnerships with high-visibility eVTOL components developers. See below for more.

Sources // L&T Technology Services, Jaunt Air Mobility

Related:

• Jaunt Air Mobility to join AIRO Group prior to IPO in 2022 (October 2021)
• Jaunt Air Mobility Awarded Air Force Contract for eVTOL Noise Reduction Research (February 2021)
• Jaunt Air Mobility and Varon Vehicles Partner for Aerial Mobility in Latin America (January 2021)
• Jaunt Air Mobility Announces Partnership with Walle (January 2021)
• Jaunt Air Mobility and VerdeGo Aero Collaborate on Hybrid Electric Aircraft (December 2021)
• Jaunt Air Mobility Appoints Martin Peryea as CEO (October 2020)
• BAE Systems and Jaunt Air Mobility Sign MoU on Electric Energy Management Systems for UAM (December 2019)
• Jaunt and Triumph to Partner on Design and Development of Demonstrator Aircraft (November 2019)
• Jaunt Air Mobility Named as New Uber Elevate Partner (June 2019)
• Carter Copter Acquired by Jaunt Mobility (February 2019)

Adding another organizational layer to its aerial mobility efforts, CAAM, the Canadian Air Mobility Consortium, has now added the Canadian Centre for Advanced Research and Training in Aviation (CARTAMS) to its partner list.

CAAM was first launched in October of 2020, in order to bring together stakeholders in the future of aerial mobility in Canada including eVTOL developers, infrastructure developers, governmental organizations, and more. In all, the organization has brought in over 70 partners, all with the aim of creating collaborations that will help launch the future of aerial mobility in Canadian cities. According to its mission statement, CAAM’s goal is to ‘create a national AAM (Advanced Aerial Mobility) strategy for Canada while implementing regional revenue generating use cases.”

The Canadian Centre for Advanced Research and Training in Aviation (CARTAMS), meanwhile, focuses on fostering the digital side of aviation advances in Canada, providing vast resources and organizational structures for promoting the use of super computing and machine learning in aviation and new kinds of aerial mobility. CARTAMS seeks to ‘drive innovation, education, and training across the country through data creation, visualization, application, and knowledge translation.’ CARTAMS also seeks to raise awareness on the potential impact of these new technologies in conjunction with aerial mobility across industries. Its partners already include Air Canada, Solway, and more.

Now, the two organizations will partner to create an even more powerful hub for aerial mobility innovation and development in Canada. Together, they intend to ‘build an evolutionary, made-in-Canada aviation, mobility and space (AMS) ecosystem to ensure future growth and address the needs of Canadians for decades to come’, in order to maintain Canada’s top 7 global ranking in aviation and aerospace design and production.

“CAAM has been working hard to organize dozens of groups from industry, academia, and government
around regional revenue generating use cases which are supported by a national strategy to rapidly unlock
the safe development of this industry.” said JR Hammond, Executive Director of CAAM. “We’ve always known
that our structure and goals would make it difficult to play a large role in coordinating the research and
talent development needed for the industry to grow safely alongside other global leaders. Our partnership
with CARTAMS allows us to focus even more on helping industry and government chart a course towards
safe operations while supporting CARTAMS in the other pieces we aren’t currently set up for.”

Why it’s important: Canada is currently one of the top 7 countries in the world for aviation and aerospace design and production, which brings in over 25 billion CAD to the country’s GDP and supports over 200,000 jobs. In order to stay on top of trends in the industry, Canada has launched organizations like CAAM and CARTAAMS in order to drive innovation and development in new aerial mobility with technologies like eVTOL, drones, and distributed electric propulsion aircraft. With this partnership announcement, Canada shows that it is continuing to stay focused on the future of aerial mobility, ensuring that it has the organizational resources to match and encourage the growth of these new industries.

Source // CAAM – CARTAMS Press Release

Related:

• Canada Launches CAAM to Accelerate Aerial Mobility Development and Implementation

HyPoint, a growing expert in providing hydrogen fuel-cell propulsion solutions to all kinds of upcoming aircraft including long-range eVTOLs, has recently announced a partnership with Gloyer-Taylor Laboratories to greatly increase hydrogen fuel storage capacity on its partnered aircraft.

Image: HyPoint’s website highlights the types of aircraft that could use its hydrogen fuel-cell solutions

HyPoint has been working for several years to develop more advanced hydrogen fuel cells that focus on maintaining the weight and energy efficiency requirements for many upcoming aircraft, rangining from infracity aerial mobility aircraft to longer range eVTOLs and more.

Now, HyPoint has found a new partner in Gloyer-Taylor Laboratories, which specializes in making carbon fiber hydrogen fuel tanks that can store up to 10 times the amount of liquid hydrogen fuel as compared to existing tanks of the same mass. In particular, HyPoint envisions using GTL’s new advanced carbon composite BHL Cryotank, which have demonstrated a 75% mass reduction as compared to existing tanks. The new BHL tanks will be integrated seamlessly with HyPoint’s air-cooled aviation fuel cell systems.

Image: Zachary Taylor, vice president of engineering at Gloyer-Taylor Laboratories, poses with one of GTL’s larger BHL tanks, which only weighs 148lbs.

HyPoint has already established several partnerships with eVTOL aircraft makers and advanced aerial mobility developers, including XTI Aircraft, Bartini, McFly.aero, AMSL Aero, and Piasecki Aircraft, and Urban Aeronautics.

Said Dr. Alex Ivanenko, founder and CEO of HyPoint: “Reducing weight is the most important factor for enabling longer-distance air travel with fewer stops to refuel. Our hydrogen fuel cell system offers better specific power performance compared with any alternative available today, opening the door to short-haul zero-emission hydrogen flight and urban air mobility. This partnership with GTL goes even further by offering aircraft and eVTOL makers a liquid hydrogen tank that is stronger and lighter than anything else on the market, thereby significantly increasing fuel capacity. By utilizing this new fuel tank technology, longer-haul aircraft may be able to utilize hydrogen for the first time while eVTOL makers can effectively multiply their flight range and operational time.”

Why it’s important: With its significant achievement of decreasing fuel tank mass by factors of around 75% percent, Gloyer-Taylor Laboratories has made itself a highly appealing partner for any company aiming to create hydrogen propulsion solutions for aviation and new aerial mobility aircraft. By partnering with GTL, HyPoint, which is seeking to become an industry expert in hydrogen fuel-cell solutions for eVTOL, may be able to offer eVTOL makers greatly increased range and performance for their aircraft.

Related:

• HyPoint and Piasecki Aircraft Announce Partnership for Development of Hydrogen Fuel Cell System
• Urban Aeronautics Partners with HyPoint to Design Hydrogen-Powered CityHawk

Aiming to fulfill its vision of building a comprehensive Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) ecosystem, Hyundai’s subsidiary Supernal has announced that it will be developing a longer range, hydrogen-powered short take-off and landing aircraft in addition to the SA-1 eVTOL that is already in development.

Many companies the world over are beginning to realize the potential of distributed electric propulsion technology to fill a market need for sustainable and cost-effective regional air transportation in addition to in-city vertical take-off and landing services. These companies, several of which are launching the United States including Electra.aero, Metro Hop, and Airflow, argue that these new aircraft, many of which are capable of taking off and landing within 100 feet, could replace regional aircraft that fulfill logistics and eCommerce needs for middle-mile transportation.

The new aircraft from Supernal, which will be released after its main eVTOL aircraft SA-1 (seen above), aims to be able to fly around 1,000 kilometers per flight, and will be powered by hydrogen fuel cells rather than purely by rechargeable lithium-ion batteries.

A new aircraft development unit of Hyundai in Korea, the ‘Korea Advanced Air Mobility’ unit, will be primarily responsible for this new aircraft. Hyundai plans on launching a regional aerial mobility network with this aircraft starting in Seoul, Korea, around 2030.

No renderings of the new aircraft have been released yet, but Supernal senior manager Yesh Premkumar emphasized Hyundai’s holistic approach to Advanced Aerial mobility by saying: “We looked at multiple ways of solving the problem. For the short-range model, batteries emerged as the best solution because of their existing use in the automotive field. For the long-range aircraft, Hyundai chose hydrogen fuel cells in the context of its existing experience with the technology. The company currently makes about 10,000 fuel cells a year for automotive applications.”

Why it’s important: This latest move by Hyundai represents the company’s intention to create a fully comprehensive aerial mobility ecosystem rather than only one aircraft. The company recognizes that there will be a market need for both short range eVTOL services and for long range intercity services, and seeks to be a provider for all areas of the market.

Source // Future Flight.aero

Related:

• Hyundai’s Supernal to Enable Development of Advanced Air Mobility in Miami
• Electra Unveils First Product Configuration
• Plug Power Invests in Airflow’s eSTOL for Hydrogen Propulsion

After receiving a Military Flight Release (MFR) and airworthiness approval from the U.S Air Force in May of last year, Beta Technologies’ Alia aircraft has now taken its first military crewed demonstration flight, which was flown by two Air Force test pilots over two hours of total flight time across Lake Champlain.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) does not allow experimental aircraft to fly from their base airport to another airport until they have undergone rigorous testing to prove their safety in doing so. Marking a major step for Beta Technologies, this latest military crewed flight of the aircraft departed from the company’s primary test location in Plattsburgh, New York, to fly across Lake Champlain to the company’s headquarters in nearby Burlington, Vermont; a distance of about 35 miles. Each pilot took a turn flying the aircraft for around one hour each, after studying the flight characteristics through Beta Technologies’ flight simulators.

Said Hank Griffith’s, one of the pilots of the Alia, “Today’s USAF qualitative evaluation flight is the first of many that we will be doing with Beta Technologies and our other Agility Prime vendors. In addition to accelerating these companies’ path to FAA type certification by providing access to USAF engineering expertise and test infrastructure, we are also evaluating these prototypes for opportunities to utilize them for unique military missions. We need government pilots to accomplish these evaluations, and this is the first step in developing the training and experimentation plans to do so.”

Beta Technologies is one of the top growing eVTOL aircraft developers in the U.S, among others such as Joby Aviation and Archer Aviation. The latest version of its aircraft, The Alia, will be able to cruise at speeds up to 170mph, with a flight ranges of over 200 miles. In addition to its growing partnership with the U.S Air Force, the company has also recently raised over $368 million from companies like Amazon and Fidelity, with a total valuation of about $1.4 billion.

Why It’s Important: With its growing partnership with the U.S Air Force, and its impressive progress along the path to certification, Beta Technologies is set to be one the first and most prominent eVTOL makers to bring their aircraft to market in the United States. Based in Burlington, Vermont, the company has been in operation since 2017, has already installed over 60 charging sites throughout the U.S, has raised over $350 million, and plans to begin commercial operations by 2024. This latest test flight shows that the company and its aircraft is quickly moving forward on the path to commercial operations, and has gained the safety confidence it needs to begin administering crewed flights to outside organizations.

Related:

• Beta’s Alia eVTOL Completes 200+ Mile Flight Test
• Beta Technologies Secures Partnership with US Army
• Beta Raises $368 Million in Funding Round Led by Amazon, Fidelity

On March 10th, a prototype of XPeng’s ‘X2’ eVTOL vehicle, with a sleek design that resembles modern electric cars, arrived at a new XPeng storefront in the Netherlands.

XPeng is already a highly successful electric auto maker in China, having already released several models of its technologically advanced, high-range electric cars. Even though the company was only founded in 2014, XPeng has quickly grown to be one of the world’s top electric vehicle makers, with a market cap of nearly $20 Billion USD. The company has been listed on the NYSE since 2020, with its stated goal to “transform the future of mobility”.

XPeng has now has opened reservations for its 600km range ‘P5’ electric sedan to customers in the Netherlands, while at the same time opening the first XPeng Experience Store in the country. This new store includes a showcase prototype of XPeng’s new electric aircraft. At the Experience Store, shoppers can view and even step inside of the prototype aircraft.

The photo below shows XPeng’s X2 aircraft positioned next to the company’s line of electric cars at its new storefront. This branding is meant to show customers that XPeng has its eyes on the entire future of electric mobility, seeking to bring advanced technology to the skies as well as city streets.

The interior of the X2 itself is similar to the interiors of XPeng’s electric cars, again demonstrating the company’s vision of making aerial electric mobility just as accessible as ground-based electric vehicles.

Currently, the flying EV will seat two passengers, and will feature autonomous flight modes. Unlike many ‘flying car’ concepts in the works, initial prototypes of the X2 have already taken over 10,000 test flights. Designed mainly to be used within cities, the X2 will have a range of about 50 miles, will cruise at about 80mph, and can fit in the size of a standard car parking space.

Why it’s important: While there are many highly successful companies around the world focused on making eVTOL aircraft, XPeng is one of the only electric auto makers to do so. Many of these eVTOL developers are focused on creating aircraft for shared use, but XPeng is one of a few companies in the niche of developing aircraft for in-city personal use. Its expertise and high degree of success in the electric car industry will likely be immensely helpful as the company expands into aerial electric vehicles.

German eVTOL developer Lilium, having recently partnered with NetJets to begin integrating eVTOL aircraft into its fleet, has now released renderings of the various cabin seating configurations that may be ordered for the aircraft. So far, the three types of cabins include a six-passenger version, a ‘club’ version with a four-passenger more luxurious and spacious seating arrangement, and a cargo version.

Lilium has been prototyping its eVTOL aircraft since as early as 2015, when it released footage of a much smaller (but very similar) version of its eVTOL jet. Unlike many eVTOL aircraft, the Lilum jet is unique in that it uses around 36 ducted fans / jets to provide propulsion. These jets, integrated with the wings of the aircraft, can rotate to vector thrust that allows for either vertical or forward flight, with all-electric top cruising speeds of about 175mph.

Since beginning its work in 2015, Lilum has been progressively releasing larger and larger versions of its aircraft. Starting with a two-seater prototype, the company unveiled a five-seater version in 2019, and most recently released its largest aircraft, a seven-seater configuration prototype.

Now, Lilium has announced that its production version will of the aircraft will have three different interior configurations designed for various market applications. The first, its original configuration, features comfortable room for six passengers plus a pilot.

The next version, targeted at passengers (or possibly private owners) that are willing to pay a little extra for a more spacious and luxurious interior, has room four passengers, and includes desks and tables for working or dining in flight. This version would be best suited for corporate customers who travel regionally for work and would potentially conduct meetings or business while in the air.

And finally, Lilium has also released renderings of the cargo version of its aircraft, which displays how the spacious interior can be used for regional logistics shipping of cargo.

Why it’s important: Lilium recently announced a partnership with one of the world’s largest private jet charter and fractional ownership companies, NetJets, which included an order for 150 of Lilium eVTOL aircraft. While some operations partners will prefer to use the six-passenger version of the Lilium jet to be more economical, customers of Netjets who are accustomed to traveling by private jet and who often book out an entire aircraft rather than a single seat will be looking for an eVTOL that is more similar to how they have been flying. With these new cabin configurations, Lilium has branched its market out its market to also include the large segment of passengers who previously flew by private jet.

German startup Skyroads, developer of an automated air traffic management and guidance system, has recently released a new White paper on UAM (urban air mobility). The paper outlines several key points in the advancement and integration of automated air traffic management in the coming years, and explains why its implementation will be essential to advanced air mobility aircraft like eVTOLs.

The goal of Skyroads is to ‘make flying accessible for everyone’ by creating what it calls an ‘Automated Airspace Management and Vehicle Guidance System (AAVS).’ This system will effectively gather submitted flight plan requests, then automatically distribute air traffic according to regulations and safety protocols, delivering instructions to both aircraft and pilots according to existing air traffic. Eventually, when synced with advanced autonomous aircraft, this system could lead to full automation of air traffic. As it advances, Skyroads is making sure to do so in accordance with all regulations, hoping to ‘open a certifiable pathway to automation’.

The new White paper from Skyroads focuses on four key subjects regarding the development of air traffic management software. Firstly, it focuses on what it calls the ‘Chicken-egg’ problem, referring to the fact that while many automated aircraft are in development, they are not being synchronized with each other in a harmonious system, since that system does not yet exist. Secondly, it emphasizes that now is the time to begin creating those flight management systems, since they can already contribute to overcrowded airspace and set up infrastructure for the more advanced aircraft that are soon to come. Third, it mentions that at the current stage of automated aircraft development, key players in the aerial mobility industry should come together to agree on industry-wide rules that allow for interoperable systems. Lastly, it makes the key point that although OEMs are building the aircraft of the future, they are not likely to build the ‘roads in the sky’, which is the open and interoperable airspace management and vehicle guidance solution that Skyroads is proposing.

Said Skyroads CEO Corvin Huber: “While there are various approaches on how to manage automated flight, there is neither consensus on either rules or standards for even semi-automated flying in metropolitan areas nor is there a market yet. This needs to be resolved in close collaboration between regulators, the air vehicle industry and technology providers such as Skyroads who bring the necessary know-how and neutrality to the table. It is clear that air vehicle manufacturers will provide the vehicles to fly, but they will not be able to simultaneously build the roads and systems required to get UAM off the ground with regards to interoperable management quickly and profitably. Mercedes, GM and Toyota build great cars, but they have never built a road.” 

He adds: “Initial tests at our own testing air space in Memmingen/Tannheim were successful. And we have experienced substantial interest from not only manufacturers, but also cities and regions around the world, resulting in strategic cooperations. The need for our solutions and systems is here. And I am convinced that we will deliver in time to help launch UAM as a safe and open mode of transportation around the globe.”

Why it’s Important: Skyroads’ CEO Corvin Huber makes an important point that currently, there is no automated airspace management software in accordance with regulations that is interoperable between all types of aircraft. While the FAA and NASA in collaboration with companies like SkyGrid and AirMap have begun this work in the United States, companies like Skyroads are sure to surface in other locales in order to manage their airspace. Ultimately, as both the unmanned and automated aircraft industries develop, aircraft management systems like Skyroads will move further along the road to becoming an integral part of future airspace.

Find more information about the recent White paper at Skyroads’ website.

Source // Skyroads