Reportedly, special emphasis is also being placed on National Campaign safety scenarios: autonomous flight, contingency management, including collision avoidance, and flight path management.

Robert Pearce, Associate Administrator for NASA’s Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate, said, “Wisk brings a tremendous amount of experience in eVTOL vehicle development, automation technologies, and flight test, and combines it with a safety-first mindset towards advancing autonomous flight. NASA believes our partnership with Wisk will help accelerate the realization of exciting new Advanced Air Mobility missions.”

NASA’s Advanced Aerial Mobility Initiative aims to accelerate aerial mobility progress. Image Credit // NASA

NASA and Wisk will collaborate to define future means of advancing the aerial mobility industry – while new certification standards might not be defined until they’re officially confirmed by regulating bodies such as the FAA or EASA, the joint venture will allow creation of common engineering design and development standards in order to establish common minimum operable products within the industry, and hopefully propel those that already meet or exceed standards even further. Some of these standards definition areas include flight path management, airspace integration, minimum performance requirements, and general flight procedures.

“Our partnership with NASA will bring together our market-leading expertise in autonomy with the unmatched technical capabilities of NASA,” said Gary Gysin, CEO of Wisk. “The frameworks and recommendations developed through this collaboration will not only advance autonomous passenger flight but also increase the overall safety of aviation.”

Why it’s important: Wisk’s partnership with NASA is unique in that it represents a high-visibility public private partnership to advance aerial mobility between a government organization and a private company. This partnership affords both participants the opportunity to leverage the other’s resources while also mutually benefiting the entire aerial mobility industry. Such partnerships in large scale commercial aerospace are very uncommon at present since the amount of shared intellectual property would lead to eradication of most competitive advantages. While it remains to be seen the level of data disclosure that will accompany this collaboration, hopefully the benefits of NASA and Wisk’s work are able to cast a broad reach among other advanced autonomous aerial mobility development efforts.

Source // PR News Wire

The city of Orlando is making additional investments for the aerial mobility framework of the future. The Orlando Business Journal reported that the Orlando City Commission is preparing to offer a total of $831,250 USD in tax benefits to Lilium over a period of 9 years to engage and attract aerial mobility companies to create an estimated 140+ jobs in the Lake Nona development.

Lilium reportedly was quoted stating that the investment is earmarked towards construction of a 56,000 square foot transportation hub, which would substantiate the job increase figures quoted. This transportation hub would serve as the primary means for aerial mobility operations for Lilium within Florida, and would likely serve other cities and locales with smaller scale “sub-hub” vertiports or individual helipads.

The agreement also underscores another often overlooked component of aerial mobility implementation – the personnel required to run the business. While a key facet of future mobility is ongoing automation of previously manned tasks, the bridge solution between current technological readiness and that of the 22nd century will include humans in the loop for the forseeable next decade, or two. Accounting for and planning the infrastructure for human interaction and operations that interface with the aerial mobility industry (across design and operations phases) is crucial to short-term success that will ultimately allow for mid to long term success.

Not unlike current fulfillment centers, aerial mobility transportation hubs will require personnel to perform quick turn actions to replenish battery packs, conduct maintenance and troubleshooting on aircraft needing repairs, and manage the physical implications of safety stocks of parts and other supply chain considerations. Increasingly, the infrastructure to support these applications is very similar to that of current factories and fulfillment centers, which also represent economic advantages to commercial land owners and developers within local economies.

Why it’s important: Orlando’s agreement with Lilium will provide an economic boost to the area, in addition to more jobs, and emphasizes the importance of human touch-labor for aerial mobility processes today. Bridge solutions will involve human interaction with eVTOL technology for at least another decade, which mean that there is additional opportunity for local economic development and stimulus from the aerial mobility industry prior to any commercial air taxi operations taking place.

Source // Orlando Business Journal

A team from Santa Barbara has announced the formation of LaunchPoint Electric Propulsion Solutions “LaunchPoint EPS”, combining a team of experienced and high-achieving engineers and business executives.

LaunchPoint EPS has spun off from the larger Goleta-based technology incubator and think tank, LaunchPoint Technologies, a technology firm in leading engineering designs. From the firms’ press release: “LaunchPoint EPS will specialize in supplying cutting edge modeling and design software, hardware in the form of electric motors, hybrid gensets and controllers, and control software for the world’s fast-growing electric-and hybrid-electric-powered aircraft sector.”

The release also specified that their launch will include flight applications under development by companies such as major automotive companies, as well as Uber, air taxi affiliates, and the U.S. military. These partners would cover a range of aerial technologies from on demand air taxis and cargo transportation eVTOL aircraft.

Robert Reali will serve as LaunchPoint EPS’ Chief Executive Officer. Reali was previously chief operations officer for Santa Barbara-based startup TrueVision, a company that he grew from four employees to a major eye-surgery device firm that was acquired by Alcon (a division of Novartis) in 2019.

LaunchPoint EPS brings with them IP acquired from LaunchPoint Technologies related to electric motors, hybrid-electric gensets, and their controller business including patents. Additionally, the processes, contracts, product orders, inventory, facilities, and key personnel will also continue on with the mission.

“The new company is focused on serving the surging urban air mobility market which has increased the demand for our power-dense electric motors and control software by the world’s largest players in this space,” said Reali. “The main reason for the spinout from LaunchPoint Technologies is to focus on shipping the products we invented.  However, we will also continue the tradition of developing innovative new products to address market needs.”

Additional early stage team members include LaunchPoint Technologies co-founders UCSB Professor Emeritus Dr. Brad Paden and brother, Dave Paden; part of the LaunchPoint EPS management team serving as Chief Scientist and VP of Manufacturing, respectively. Next, former CEO and now LaunchPoint EPS Chief Technology Officer Mike Ricci, and Engineering Director Brian J. Clark will also serve on the management team. Chris Grieco, previously Executive Vice President of bulk energy storage company Gravity Power, LLC, will serve as LaunchPoint EPS’ Vice President for Global Business Development and Sales.

Why it’s important: LaunchPoint EPS is an addition to the growing field of electric aviation propulsion suppliers, a growing pool of technology developers outside of the larger aerospace firms. This increased breadth of industry should bolster competition and allow for a greater diversity in solutions to electric aviation propulsion requirements. Monitor the initial progress of LaunchPoint EPS and their ability to secure crucial partnerships with larger aerial mobility players as signals of progress in the future.

The City of Reno Fire Department was shown a live drone flight demonstration of the Casia onboard Detect-and-Avoid (DAA) collision avoidance system from Iris Automation last week, highlighting the drone’s capabilities to effectively operate beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS). The demonstration was conducted within all Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) Integration Pilot Program (IPP).

The demonstration took place in Nevada over the Carson River at Fort Churchill State Historic Park, using a drone integrated with Casia to illustrate how this cutting-edge technology will be used to provide automated situational awareness for drones and their pilots. DAA is a crucial component of beyond visual line of sight drone operations today, and commercial aerial mobility operations of the future, which will rely on very similar algorithms (in some cases the same) to ensure traffic deconfliction from other commercial aircraft and air taxis.

Casia in Flight near Reno, NV. Source // City of Reno

In Reno, the Fire Department intends to utilize this technology for a “River Search and Rescue program” that will test the safety and capability of using drones during river rescue missions in an effort to improve response times and reduce exposure of both first responders and victims to dangerous conditions during river rescue operations. The City of Reno reported that initial BVLOS flight operations will take place at the Carson River location with future testing to be conducted over the Truckee River as soon as next year. “The City of Reno has been a leader in the UAS community, and this demonstration is another example of the application of these technologies for public benefit,” said Jon Damush, CEO of Iris Automation.

In May 2018, the City of Reno was selected by the United States Department of Transportation (DOT) as one of nine state, local and tribal governments to participate in the FAA UAS IPP. The UAS IPP is working with the nine public-private partnerships to implement and study specific drone applications across the United States in an effort to advance the safe integration of drones into the nation’s airspace. This program will effectively lay foundations for future aerial mobility operations that feature the same air traffic deconfliction logic, but with larger eVTOL aircraft that are carrying passengers, businesspeople, or medical first responders and patients.

Why it’s important: Iris’ technology for detect and avoid, and their BVLOS demonstration for the City of Reno’s Fire Department, both showcase the technological readiness for aerial mobility deployment in the coming years. The natural progression into full-scale aerial mobility operations will be through proven technologies on smaller scales (i.e. drones beyond visual line of sight) prior to those technologies being used for monitored, but autonomous aerial mobility flights through more congested airspace. This announcement also emphasizes the FAA’s level of commitment to technology maturation and integration with the existing airspace system, which accompanies the added goal of ensuring that current users of the National Airspace System are not affected.

Source // City of Reno Press Release

Embraer announced the formation of Eve Urban Air Mobility Solutions, Inc. (Eve) on October 15th. Eve is an independent company dedicated to accelerating the Urban Air Mobility (UAM) ecosystem, according to Embraer’s press release.

The announcement characterizes Eve as more than just a eVTOL manufacturer – the company is developing a full portfolio of solutions to enable the UAM market. One component of that development is the progression and certification of the company’s electric vertical takeoff and landing vehicle (eVTOL), in addition to the associated services/support network, and the creation of urban air traffic management solutions.

André Stein, former head of strategy for EmbraerX, has been appointed CEO of Eve. The company was incubated for four years within EmbraerX. “We value the vast potential of the UAM market, as it represents a new business segment in which we foresee significant opportunities for Embraer. Innovation and diversification are key pillars of Embraer’s new strategic plan, which will increase revenue and improve profitability over the next few years,” said Francisco Gomes Neto, President and CEO of Embraer. “That is why I am eager to announce Eve, the first company to graduate from EmbraerX.

EmbraerX has been part of the Uber Elevate Network since its inception in 2017, as part of the company’s initiative to accelerate the UAM revolution, “Eve’s launch is an important next step in commercializing Embraer’s eVTOL designs while building on Embraer’s ability to design, certify, and deliver safe, globally-accepted aircraft. We look forward to our continued partnership to make aerial ridesharing a reality,” said Eric Allison, Head of Uber Elevate.

Eve’s eVTOL design is “human-centered” and represents an actual, certifiable product development – the first flight of the engineering simulator occurred in June of 2020. and the company is harnessing the expertise of both Embraer and Atech, a subsidiary of the Embraer Group, in providing globally-recognized air traffic management software to create the solutions that will help safely scale the UAM industry going forward.

More information on the company may be found at www.eveairmobility.com.

Why it’s important: Embraer’s formal spinoff of Eve creates a deliberate segmentation of the larger commercial aircraft manufacturer from the aerial mobility offerings of the future. The full stack approach to mobility infrastructure development is a unique approach toward bringing an eVTOL to market, one that requires a greater resource pool and technical, business, and infrastructure know-how. Fortunately, Embraer’s vast experience will aid in deploying this longer term goal of an aerial mobility ecosystem, but partnerships between Eve and companies such as Atech and the Uber Elevate Network will further aid the progression toward initial certification and on-demand commercial deployment of aerial mobility services.

Read the full press release here.

Israel eVTOL development company Gadfin is pursuing future developments of its aircraft through a partnership with an Italian Electric Infrastructure firm Enel. Gadfin was founded just two years ago, in 2018, by Eyal Regev, Ran Kleiner and Ilan Yuval.

The Gadfin “Spirit One”. The Spirt One’s wings fold in for vertical take off, and fold back out for forward flight.

The announcement for this partnership focused on the collaboration between the two companies via an innovation lab, slated INFRALAB, that was established through the Israeli Shikun & Binui construction group in Haifa. Of main focus is aerial survey of over 800,000km of power lines, per Gadfin information. These surveys are critical to assessing the health of national and international infrastructure at costs cheaper than ever before.

Gadfin’s aircraft, named the Spirit One, won a competition that included over 30 aircraft vying for the opportunity to be selected be Enel to receive up to $12 Million per year for development purposes. Spirit One was ultimately selected due to its capabilities of range, autonomous operation, and efficiency and safety of operation. Gadfin has been making news in 2020, as early this year it was the first company to receive a permit from Israel’s Civil Aviation Authority for urban airspace deliveries. This permit approval opens a wide range of opportunities to the company and affords them the opportunity of being first to market amongst Israeli aerial logistics companies.

The Spirit One has a range of over 250 km, while remaining lighter than 25kg. The aircraft is operated autonomously, with no human control, and is reported to be resistance to the challenges of operation in difficult weather situations. While the vehicle is not yet sized for passenger carrying operations, the infrastructure for autonomous on-demand inspections of power line infrastructure is being laid, just as approvals for commercial aerial mobility operations are also being issued from the Israeli Civil Aviation Authority. Both activities are key enablers to paving the road for future, larger scale eVTOL operations in Israel and Italy.

Why it’s important: The Enel and Gadfin partnership represents a common scenario for key enabling aerial mobility technology pathways for the future – partnership between two dissimilar businesses that define the operational infrastructure for aerial mobility through business to business transactions, mostly focused on logistical applications. As certification efforts for electric VTOL aircraft continue, one only needs to replace the vehicle, and not the operational framework, to create a large scale on-demand aerial transportation network.

View video of the Gadfin Spirit One in operation here.

Earlier last week TransportUP covered the Volocopter press release outlining provisional steps for a partnership with Japan Airlines. The intent of this partnership is to supplement the current aerial mobility sphere in Japan, through the combination of aerial transport already provided by JAL and the support of shorter intra-island routes via air taxis. These routes are reportedly to cover both urban areas (intracity routes) and intercity and even more remote use cases to provide for transportation of goods and services to areas beyond those common to ultra-high population densities.

This announcement comes 6 months after JAL’s Innovation Fund invested in Volocopter GmbH earlier this year – but differs from the general slew of investment fund trends for one key reason.

According to Volocopter’s press release, “JAL will provide their in-depth knowledge accumulated via safe aircraft operation experience to a next-generation air mobility operation platform service. In addition, through air mobility services, JAL aims to deliver medical care in remote areas to achieve key sustainable development goals.”

The Volocopter VoloCity (left), Japan Airlines logo (right)

An increasing number of intercity and intracity use cases have been defined for aerial mobility aircraft, but the vast majority of rural operations focus on human aid and disaster relief, as well as logistics operations. Due to Japan’s more unique population of more elderly citizens in rural portions of the country (many of which lacking easy access to transportation) the emphasis on rural operations is a special identifier for this join venture. Generally, one of the most underestimated market segments for aerial mobility operations are transport to/from urban centers to remote locations 100-150 miles away. Given that a slightly older population living further outside of larger cities in many cases has more disposable income than those who are younger and tend to live in urban centers, early adopters of aerial mobility transport from rural areas may number larger than many projections estimate.

While Volocopter does not yet have a certified aircraft per Japanese Civil Aviation authorities, the company told Helicopter Investor in an interview that transferral of certification credit from EASA was being considered as a more efficient means to deployment.

Why it’s important: The operational experience of Japan Airlines should provide the stability and foundation for larger scale aerial mobility operations. Volocopter will be committing their significant investments toward their air taxi to the partnership, but the frequent flyer customer base from JAL should serve as a readily available trial market once a certified aerial mobility aircraft is available for transport.

Read the press release here.

SAMAD aerospace, a British hybrid electric VTOL aviation company that calls Cranfield Technology Park home, announced the launch of their Q-Starling concept on Monday. The Q-Starling concept is an addition to the luxury personal aerial vehicle (PAV) category of aircraft within the aerial mobility industry.

SAMAD’s press release on the aircraft focuses on design foundations grown from both fast jets and VTOL aircraft, and emphasized the sustainable nature of their new design in production and operation.

Dr. Seyed Mohseni, CEO of SAMAD aerospace, commented that “The Q-Starling will give owners the ultimate luxury in personal hybrid-electric flying. The efficient sustainable Q-Starling will give passengers unparalleled point-to-point mobility options.”

Q-Starling’s Propulsion and RCS System

SAMAD aerospace categorized the Q-Starling as “a clever mix of fighter jet and VTOL allowing you to fly from a tennis court or super-yacht helipad to an event 500 miles away in under 2 hours.”

Production of the aircraft All materials used in the aircraft are made of ultra-light carbon fiber giving a higher performance capability and enabling semi-aerobatic maneuvers due to the increased strength of the composite material and design.

Reuters reported on Monday that German aviation startup Volocopter entered a partnership with logistics group DB Schenker to operate heavy lift cargo eVTOLs. A key challenge that faces the aerial mobility industry today (and a hindrance from full scale implementation of commercial eVTOL flights) is obtaining substantial operational data for performance and safety that will pave the roadway toward full-fledged certification. Volocopter’s announcement of the VoloDrone unveiled the perfect system to being acquisition of this data.

The VoloDrone has a useful load of 200 kg, and supports light package delivery trips of not more than 40 kilometers. As UPS, Walmart, and Amazon continue their advancements with commercial deployment of logistics aircraft, Volocopter’s partnership with DB Schenker will also establish the German company’s infrastructure for data collection. However, the partnership is B2B oriented, as opposed to the B2C use cases that UPS, Walmart, and Amazon are hyper focused on.

In an interview with Reuters, Volocopter CEO Florian Reuter commented that “The logistics opportunity in the urban market is just as big as the passenger market. When people associate logistics with drones they always think of the 3 kg, last-mile delivery to the doorstep,” Reuter said. “It’s the middle mile, not the last mile, that we are serving.” Reportedly, Schenker selected Volocopter after suporting a portion of the company’s $103 million funding round in February. Volocopter has raised over 120 million euros from investors to date, and an operational VoloDrone prototype should be implemented some time during 2021.

Volocopter also recently announced commercial ticket sales for VoloCity airtaxi rides. Prices are currently high, at 300 euros for a 15 minute flight, but are intended to decrease as implementation of these aircraft expands.

Reuter commented that the certification timeline for the VoloCity from the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) is expected “towards the end of 2022”. The VoloDrone will follow with certification in 2023. While the VoloDrone might not receive certification prior to the VoloCity passenger version, special flight permits would allow for case by case use approvals for the VoloDrone. Such permits would require additional training for Schenker operators to ensure that safety protocols are adhered to, and the intent is to make the training relatively easy for employees.

Why it’s important: An increasing number of cargo logistics applications for aerial mobility companies are offering low-hanging fruit for data collection that will eventually be used for system certification. Fortunately, the lower risk exposure to conducting logistical operations will pave the way for a safer systems-based maturation and integration program for many manufacturers. However, Volocopter has established themselves as an outlier by selecting the business to business format, in lieu of B2C transactions. B2B use cases may benefit from easier of implementation than B2C: business will likely employ more routine and repeatable flight paths and delivery requirements than those of customer deliveries, which vary in frequency and location to a larger degree.

Source // Reuters

EHang announced last Friday in Vienna that they intend on partnering with the city of Linz, Austria, for deployment of the EHang 216 on a small scale as part of their pilot city partnership program, which involves the introduction of autonomous aerial vehicles (AAV’s) in cities across the world to gain feedback and data from experience in operations environments that match those of the ultimate goal of widespread commercial deployment of aerial mobility aircraft.

An artist’s rendering of the EHang 216 in flight over the Linz, Austria

According to EHang’s press release, this partnership will be the first pilot city partnership of its kind in Europe, and was made in conjunction with Linz AG and FACC. The overall intent of these pilot cities will be to “conduct passenger flights and goods transportation with autonomous air taxis in urban areas” according to EHang, and the pilot cities will be crucial in assessing the soft points of deployment – including customer experience and feedback, psychological considerations for new modes of transportation, infrastructure integration, and more.

An additional consideration of the pilot program is the public opinion of the environmental impacts of such transportation modes. EHang is hoping to provide answers to the challenges of environmentalists with their trail as its aircraft use electric motors with relatively low noise footprint compared to that of buses or emergency transport helicopters.

The trial program in LINZ will utilize the existing stable 5G infrastructure for augmentation of navigation and control during takeoff and landing, and the program will continue with test routes “running over uninhabited areas to the vertiports [that] will be determined within the city of Linz.”

Trail flights are planned in the near future, according to the press release, with more construction and scaling beginning in 2021.

Why it’s important: This further expansion of EHang’s pilot city program augments the company’s footprint in Europe, and provides a crucial data grab to determine what passenger and user experience considerations must be addressed. Since aerial mobility will be, similar to ridesharing, a user-interface oriented industry, compilation of user’s experiences and incorporation of that feedback as early on as possible in the deployment phases of aerial mobility aircraft systems will ensure a more productive and enjoyable final product.

Related:

• EHang Selects Guangzhou as Its First Urban Air Mobility Pilot City
• EHang Receives Special Flight Operations Certificate in Canada
• EHang Enters Agreement with Seville, Spain to Begin Urban Air Mobility Program
• EHang Obtains Operational Permit from Civil Aviation Authority of Norway

Source // EHang Press Release

EHang announced on July 31st the launch of the world’s first large-payload aerial firefighting system.  EHang converted its popular 216 model autonomous air vehicle (AAV) to a firefighting version, named the EHang 216F, which is specially designed for high-rise firefighting.  The decision to tailor the design to high-rise firefighting applications is indicative of the common use cases within China, a country with tens of thousands of high rise buildings.

EHang revealed the 216F at a launch in Yunfu, China, and demonstrated its capability to extinguish a high-rise fire.  Since the EHang 216F has a maximum flight altitude of 600 meters, and can carry up to 150 liters of firefighting foams and 6 fire extinguisher bombs in a single trip, the 216F is a viable urban firefighting vehicle that is ready for application today.  Visible light zoom cameras provide fire location functionality, after which the aircraft hovers in position and uses a laser aiming device to fire (in succession) a window breaker, the fire extinguishing “bombs” and then a full-range spray of firefighting foam.  Ehang also noted that multiple 216F’s could be deployed simultaneously for a more comprehensive response.

A fire station with traditional ground based firefighting systems and EHang 216F’s. Image // EHang

EHang’s Founder, Chairman and CEO, Huazhi Hu said, “We are pleased to introduce the EHang 216F AAV aerial firefighting solution, which solves difficult challenges in high-rise firefighting.  The high-rise fire use case highlights the practical application of our passenger-grade AAV platform to different smart city management needs.  The potential of our intelligent AAV technology platform is boundless.  We will explore and develop more aerial solutions and use cases to empower smart cities.”

Accelerating urbanization and building density are increasing fire hazards and creating more difficulties in firefighting.  According to a survey by China Fire Magazine, 233,000 fires were reported nationwide in 2019, among which 6,974 cases happened in high-rise buildings with a year-on-year growth of 10.6%.

EHang intends for 216F’s to be deployed in urban fire stations to assist in firefighting within a 5km radius of those stations.  Due to the autonomous nature of the 216F, a fleet of EHang 216Fs will be able to dispatch remotely for first response, in many cases prior to the arrival of firefighters. This reduction in response time is crucial to saving lives.

While not commonly broadcast, high-rise fires represent a growing problem with acceleration of urbanization, and the current existing firefighting technologies are not readily tuned for application in fires above 50m – the height of fire rescue ladders and the reach of fire nozzles are 50 meters at maximum, and ladders are not easily moved from one face of the building to another.  Traffic also adds to the response time of ground-based firefighting services.

Why it’s important: EHang is the first company within the aerial mobility industry to devote significant resources to creating a firefighting solution based off of their existing eVTOL technology, a novel use case that emphasizes the benefits of a rapidly deployed, autonomous, and reconfigurable platform. Especially in urban areas, the response time of the 216F would likely surpass that of any fire department for a high-rise fire, and multiple 216F’s deployed concurrently would enable effective firefighting. While the classic use case of on-demand transportation is most commonly imagined within the aerial mobility realm, anterior use cases such as firefighting may grow to consume more of the lions’ share of investment within the industry, at least early on, due to the immediate benefit and value proposition of such solutions.

Source // EHang Press Release