Bell, subsidiary of Textron Inc, has partnered with two Japanese companies in the development of eVTOL prototypes for the future. This week the company announced partnerships with both Sumitomo Corp. and Japan Airlines as part of its mobility-as-a-service offerings, or MaaS.

Bell is no stranger to the aerial mobility space with its extensive industry partnerships with Uber and its most recent air taxi concept, the Nexus 4EX, unveiled at CES in Las Vegas last month. Bell hopes to better understand infrastructure requirements and regulatory hurdles in the Asian Pacific markets through these key partnerships. 

Bell Nexus 4EX prototype unveiled at CES

“We are excited to take this substantial step to bring together an international airline, a major infrastructure provider, and a VTOL OEM to work collaboratively on a more connected mobility future,” said Scott Drennan, vice president of Innovation at Bell, in a prepared statement.

“While we are known for our 80 years of creating vertical lift aircraft that move people, goods, and data, we also want to help shape the operational infrastructure in which they will live,” Drennan added.

Sumitomo is a Japanese conglomerate involved in a multitude of industries including metal products, transporation, infrastructure and more. Japan Airlines (JAL) is one of the country’s leading passenger airlines with several international destinations. 

Over the coming months Bell will work alongside the two companies to develop policy and planning recommendations and better understand the transportation needs of urban travelers. 

Japan Airlines has partnered with Bell for futureneVTOL services.

Why it matters: The Asia Pacific (APAC) region will be one of the key markets for the commercialization of aerial mobility. The market is already has several competitors such as EHang, and with some of the highest population densities in the world, the mass adoption of eVTOL vehicles is highly likely. Bell’s partnership with these two Japanese companies is one of the earliest in the region and more details are expected to emerge as the partnership grows.

Jameel Investment Management Company (JIMCO), the investment arm of Abdul Latif Jameel, has announced its participation in a Series C round of funding for California-based startup Joby Aviation, which recently raised an additional $590 million in capital.

Joby has attracted several big names in the automotive, aerospace, and financial sectors in its recent round of funding including Toyota Motor Corporation, JetBlue Technology Ventures, and Intel Capital, among others. JIMCO’s investment in Joby brings the total funding to $720 million, making Joby the most funded eVTOL manufacturer in the aerial mobility industry. The latest round of funding will give Joby a leg up on the competition within the aerial mobility playing field as it recently announced plans to greatly expand operations at its Marina, CA site. 

Joby Aviation’s aircraft prototype

The move is in line with Abdul Latif Jameel’s strategy of making high-stakes investments in the future of mobility. Abdul Latif Jameel has a strong track record as a value-adding investor – through supporting innovative startups in the evolving mobility industry, and by bringing long-standing regional expertise and access to a global network of partners.

Hassan Jameel, Deputy President and Vice Chairman of Abdul Latif Jameel, said: “Through JIMCO’s investment, Abdul Latif Jameel is leveraging its regional expertise for Joby Aviation. Air taxi service is still in the early stages of commercialization, but one that has the potential to completely transform the future of mobility. We are excited to be a part of this new chapter for the sector, bringing fast, affordable, and zero-emissions air mobility to Saudi Arabia and the wider MENA region. Improving daily transportation in line with environmental sustainability is a mission we share with all our partners in business, and one which we are committed to delivering on.”

Said Paul Sciarra, Executive Chairman of Joby Aviation.“We are very pleased to have Abdul Latif Jameel as new backers in our recent Series C financing round. We respect their track-record of significant investment in the future of electric mobility.”

Why it matters: Joby’s significant fundraising and expansion plans promise to be competitive with the biggest names in the industry. JIMCO’s investment in Joby is notable given its track record for selecting innovative startups, and its wide range of mobility expertise. To date, the $720M USD raised makes Joby the most funded eVTOL manufacturer. 

TDK Corporation’s subsidiary, TDK Ventures Inc. has added AutoFlightX to its venture capital portfolio. TDK focuses on demanding markets in the areas of information and communication technology and automotive, industrial and consumer electronics. The company has a network of design and manufacturing locations and sales offices in Asia, Europe, and in North and South America. In fiscal 2019, TDK posted total sales of USD $12.5 billion and employed about 105,000 people worldwide.

AutoFlightX V600 prototype

The announcement is the TDK Venture’s fourth investment since the launch of its corporate venture capital (CVC) fund in July 2019 with a goal of investing in innovative startups focused on digital and energy transformation while contributing to sustainability. AutoFlightX is a growing eVTOL manufacturer based in Munich, Germany and has 100 employees with the vision of developing an industry-leading high efficiency eVTOL vehicle.

“TDK’s multi-dimensional core competency in sensors, energy and power makes them our strongest partner so far,” CEO and founder of AutoFlightX Tian Yu said. “As we look into the horizon of tomorrow’s mobility, we are committed to bringing high-endurance eVTOL vehicles with the best reliability and safety. We are thrilled to have TDK as our partner because they are world leaders in commercializing advanced technologies and supporting hard-tech entrepreneurs like us.”

According to TDK Ventures’ Managing Director Nicolas Sauvage, the CVC sought companies that combine avionics and drone expertise with strong unit economics, paired with solid business models in the eVTOL space. For TDK Ventures, the ideal company would unlock a spectrum of use cases in inspection, cargo delivery and emergency responses, all without requiring an installed charging infrastructure base.

AutoFlightX’s 50 kg prototype can carry payloads of up to 20 kg and has a flight time of two to five hours continuous cruise. The company also has a pipeline of platforms that will carry up to 300 kg and can fly two to five hours, depending on the payload.

“We believe AutoFlightX’s innovations reflect a combination of the best consumer drone talent from China paired with the aviation engineering rigor of Germany,” Sauvage noted.

The AutoFlightX team explored customer pain points in traditional industries such as mining, oil and gas and emergency response. In such scenarios, consumer drones didn’t satisfy the needs for vertical take-off, long-duration cruise and hovering while carrying large payloads, so the company began developing an eVTOL solution. AutoFlightX has already signed on several customers in the mining and inspection industries with their V40 Whiteshark platform that can carry up to a 20 kg payload. The AutoFlightX team has also recently completed their first full maiden flight of a 300 kg platform, which can deliver medicine and other time-sensitive supplies of up to a 100 kg payload. Their 1000 kg platform is currently under development, with plans for initial flights in 2020. AutoFlightX believes their 1000 kg platform will ultimately pave the path to air taxis, which will hold up to four passengers and have a range of >300 km with a single charge.

Why it matters: TDK’s investment in AutoFlightX will provide needed capital to expand research and development efforts and means of production in the near term. Further, AutoFlightX larger product offerings will bring competition to other eVTOL manufacturers in Europe, including Volocopter among others. The companies manufacturing experience from China combined with its German-educated engineering force will offer a unique talent advantage in the aerial mobility space.

SkyDrive, a Japanese flying car developer, completed its first tests flights in late 2019 and demonstrated carrying a heavy payload (44 pounds) in a remote location.

SkyDrive is developing the cargo drone for use in industries that carry heavy materials on complex terrain such as slopes, mountain valleys, overpasses, power transmission towers, civil engineering/construction sites, agricultural fields, etc. Usage of cargo drones will help avoid dangerous works, save personnel and shorten the term of works. In realizing its goals, SkyDrive can contribute to responding to labor shortages and improving Japan’s labor productivity sagging due to its declining population.

SkyDrive’s drone prototype which successfully flew a 44 pound payload.

Last year, SkyDrive received $14M USD in funding from various third parties including Drone Fund, Z Corporation, STRIVE III Limited Liability Partnership, ITOCHU Technology Ventures, Inc. and Energy & Environment Investment, Inc. SkyDrive’s prototype is 4 feet in length and 5.5 feet wide. It can fly for 15 minutes carrying a maximum payload of 60 pounds.

SkyDrive Chief Executive Tomohiro Fukuzawa said: “We are delighted to successfully test this world-leading technology. Our cargo drone has proven to deliver by safely lifting loads of up to 20kg in a mountainous area — saving time and money. “We look forward to expanding on this success by testing heavier loads for customers in the future. Our quest is to create cutting-edge technology that will improve the productivity of businesses across the world — and today we celebrate a key milestone in making that happen.”

The company has also announced plans to develop a flying car and begin mass production by 2026.

Why it matters: SkyDrive is joining a crowded commercial drone space in the UAS industry, however, its funding and technological expertise position it to succeed among the competition. With the completion of the company’s initial test flights, the technical specifications have been demonstrated. Further, the research and development of their drone will trickle down into its flying car aspirations.

Skyryse is a Hawthorne, CA based startup with aspirations of developing semi-autonomous helicopters.

To date, the company has raised $38M and has talent from across the aerospace and automotive industries from the likes of Airbus, Boeing, Ford, SpaceX, Tesla, and Uber, among others. The Silicon Valley firm was founded in 2016 and retrofits existing helicopters with semi-autonomous features meant to reduce pilot workload in-flight. The company describes itself as seeking to re-imagine “urban transportation for the 21st century by making air travel a viable option for more people.”

Mark Groden, Founder and CEO of Skyryse

This round of funding includes previous round investors with the addition of Ford Motor Co. Chairman William Clay Ford Jr.

Skyryse’s business model is a stark contrast to the all-electric, clean-sheet prototypes scattered across the aerial mobility space today. The company has an opportunity to reduce its research and developmental costs by focusing on implementing new technology onto existing helicopter platforms.

Skyryse aims to make helicopters safer, quieter and more efficient. The company’s Flight Stack is designed to simplify flight controls, making the task of flying a helicopter simpler and hence safer. By doing so, helicopters using the technology would then become more viable for use in transportation services and scaled commercial operations.

“Urban air mobility promises a new transportation future, but short-distance flying has traditionally been too expensive for mass adoption,” SkyRyse said in a media release. “Automating critical parts of flight will make flying more affordable; however, wide urban flight usage also requires a safety and communications network that works as reliably and safely as commercial airline flight today. The Skyryse Flight Stack is the first step in creating an entirely new urban aviation system that will allow for safe mass deployment.”

Additionally, Skyryse aimes to include flight control automation with an array of sensors which will help to aim, steer, and stabilize the helicopter in flight. The company plans to implement their improvements under present air network management systems and regulatory agencies.

Why it matters: Skyryse has an opportunity to quickly deliver autonomy solutions to the existing aviation industry. These business models are a logical stepping stone to full-scale aerial mobility operations and all-electric eVTOL prototypes. The envelope protection features and simplification in crew resource management will be critical in making aerial mobility a commercial success.

EHang is one step closer to realizing its aerial mobility vision

EHang today announced its strategic partnership with property developer Heli Chuangxin Real Estate Co. Ltd. to build out an urban air mobility (UAM) demonstration project in Guangzhou. This is a major milestone as EHang prepares for the launch of commercial operations of its much-anticipated autonomous flying taxis.

Under the terms of the partnership agreement, Heli Chuangxin and EHang are committed to building up the infrastructure for the world’s first commercial in-city sightseeing UAM route in Guangzhou.

2 EHang passenger-grade AAVs performed simultaneous flight in the downtown area and CBD of Guangzhou city, near the landmark of Canton Tower and LIEDE Bridge where are must-see sightseeing place for all tourists in Guangzhou.

On November 30, two passenger-grade AAVs of the two-seater EHang 216 model performed simultaneous flight demos, vertically taking off from and landing at Heli Tiande Centre in Guangzhou on the Centre’s opening day. Six EHang 216 AAVs were also on display.

“Today’s demo flights mark another key step forward in Guangzhou’s journey to making urban air mobility a reality and lead global efforts in such commercial operations,” said Hu Huazhi, EHang’s founder, chairman, and CEO. “We are thrilled to be working together with our partners to enable safe, autonomous, and eco-friendly urban air travel as soon as possible.”

The November 30 demos took place four months after EHang announced that it had selected Guangzhou as its first UAM pilot city globally. EHang and Guangzhou plan to establish a low-altitude air transportation network that shuttles passengers and cargo in a safe, fast, environmentally friendly, and cost-efficient manner.

The pilot program enables EHang to test more flight routes and vertiports before moving into passenger-grade commercial operations. Last year, EHang already started commercial operations of air cargo transportation in and near its home base in Guangzhou, working with the express delivery company DHL-Sinotrans and retail company Yonghui.

In January 2019, EHang was selected by the Civil Aviation Administration of China as the country’s first and only pilot company for passenger-grade AAV programs. To date, EHang has safely conducted over two thousand test flights both inside and outside of China to ensure that its AAVs operate safely and reliably.

Why it matters: This milestone partnership for EHang and Heli Chuangxin Real Estate Co. Ltd. represents the progress made by the aerial mobility manufacturer. EHang appears to be on a strong growth trajectory as the company has made strides to build up its pilot program and autonomous route network in its first target city, Guangzhou. Further, the company has begun the process of filing for its IPO in the United States. Expect to see EHang making waves in the aerial mobility space in the coming weeks and months as they prepare to begin commercial operations.

Advanced energy storage capability will be a key technological enabler for aerial mobility and major OEMs are beginning to notice.

Airbus has selected Ampirus Inc. of Fremont, CA to power its Zephyr project. Zephyr is a light, unmanned platform which made its first flight in 2014 and operates at high altitudes and low speeds for several weeks at a time.

Airbus has selected Amprius to power its Zephyr prototype and research battery technology for its aerial mobility programs.

As aviation begins to adopt electrically powered flight, the need for more efficient and energy dense batteries has emerged. Current battery technology does not offer nearly the amount of energy as a similarly sized fuel tank, a barrier which will need to be broken for electrically propelled aircraft to be commercially viable. 

Amprius claims that its lithium ion cells have the highest power density commercially available.

“What Airbus was seeking was the highest specific energy available in a battery,” says Jon Bornstein, Amprius’ chief operating officer.

“These are very light aircraft, and the kind of endurance they require is, once the sun sets, that you can power everything without gliding below a certain floor. The other thing is cycle life: the number of charge/discharge cycles. We were able to demonstrate those two things to them, and also the fact that our batteries were inherently safer than their legacy supplier.”

“Any battery fundamentally consists of a cathode and an anode, and we’re replacing a graphite anode with silicon, because silicon has 10 times more energy capacity compared to graphite,” Bornstein says. “But there’s also a problem with silicon, in that when it’s charged – when you stuff lithium ions into it – it expands. After a few charge/discharge cycles it cracks, and no longer functions. We’ve solved that with nanowires.”

“It’s essentially a lithium ion cell like any other,” Bornstein says, “just with an anode replacement. It uses materials that are available in the industry, and assembly technology that only needs slight modification. The biggest difference is the anode, and the manufacturing of the anode, which is totally different from anode manufacturing in a typical battery factory.”

An artist’s rendition of Zephyr, Airbus’ high altitude, low speed UAV.

Airbus has not disclosed the investment size but it will enable Amprius to ramp up production for its Zephyr project and includes funding for cell technology research in emerging aerial mobility programs. Bornstein points out however, aerial mobility platforms will require unique energy storage requirements, unlike unmanned aerial vehicles.

“Zephyr is essentially a glider, so you don’t really need power; you don’t need to pull a lot of current,” Bornstein says. “Whereas, in an urban air mobility vehicle you have a takeoff and a landing phase – so you need power to get off the ground, then you go into a cruise where you’re just sustaining the altitude, and then you land, which, again, takes power. The cells we’re developing for EVTOL are ones in which power is a critical factor. And we shine there as well.”

“There’s typically a significant trade-off between energy and power,” he continues. “If you want to pull a lot of current and sustain high power over an extended period, that usually means you have much lower energy. To get high energy you need to have, let’s say, thick electrodes – but that also creates a problem of impedance. We’ve taken advantage of our silicon anodes to have both high energy and high power; and that’s why the folks at Airbus really liked what we have, because we don’t have to trade that off. I mean, it’s not as good as just pure energy – but it’s much, much better than anything else that’s out there.”

Why it matters: Airbus’ investment in Amprius signals firm commitment to developing the necessary technologies needed to sustain aerial mobility. With this research, energy density will no doubt increase to the point at which aerial mobility vehicles can accomplish the missions they were designed to operate. While this investment is primarily aimed at the Zephyr project, it will no doubt trickle into the aerial mobility platform. Expect to see Amprius around for the foreseeable future as they lead the revolution in making electric propulsion a reality. 

Source // AviationWeek

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JetPack secures funding to build a futuristic flying motorcycle

JetPack has raised a seed round of $2 million from investors indulging Draper Associates, Skype co-founder Jaan Tallinn, YC, Cathexis Ventures and a group of angels that it says will fund the development of the Speeder’s first functional prototype. Earlier this month, we reported on a competitor, Aviator Cycles, debuting its own prototype for a flying motorcycle.

JetPack has secured $2M to develop its Speeder prototype.

These vehicles fit a niche market, likely best suited for futuristic/sci-fi-like recreation, rather than inter-city transport. Earlier this year, JetPack revealed plans for the their prototype, dubbed, the Speeder. The company claims the motorcycle can be controlled by a pilot, but will be mostly or completely autonomous, if desired. JetPack also claims the vehicle can reach speeds in excess of 400mph and has an impressive 5 minute refueling time.

“Should fully fund the first full-scale flying prototype, including all modeling designs and build,” says JetPack CEO and founder, David Mayman. Mayman is no stranger to pushing the edge in aerospace. He brings experience from creating an actual jet pack capable of speeds over 100mph and a small footprint.

JetPack believes the Speeder is more viable near-term than other VTOL designs because it will rely on turbine propulsion, rather than battery-based flight systems. Mayman states, “current battery energy density is just too low for most electrically powered VTOLs to be truly practical,” and that timelines optimistically for that to change are in the five to 10-year range.

Why it matters: JetPack appears to be entering a niche space of the eVTOL and aerial mobility industry. While other companies are emerging, their unique proposal of using turbine-based propulsion may bring them to market faster, but it remains to be seen if their operating costs will be superior to electric alternatives. Ultimately, it may not matter as these flying motorcycles are likely to be used solely for recreational purposes where operating economics aren’t as necessary of a consideration. Backed with Mayman’s experience in developing jet pack prototypes, we expect JetPack to be in the conversation of this sector in the coming years.

Source // Tech Crunch

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OXIS Energy and Bye Aerospace have begun a 12-month collaborative program announced in late July that seeks to achieve a 50% to 100% increase in flight time from a single charge on Bye Aerospace eAircraft.

OXIS has developed an innovative Lithium Sulfur (Li-S) battery technology that offers significant benefits to aviation markets. Compared to existing Li-ion battery systems technology, the high gravimetric energy density of the OXIS technology – in excess of 500 Wh/kg at 20Ah capacity – offers a two-fold reduction in battery system weight resulting in a significant increase in flight duration.

eFlyer prototype in-flight. Source: Bye Aerospace

At the outset, the program will test OXIS cells and modules against the performance characteristics of existing and soon-to-be-announced Bye Aerospace aircraft. This will produce data that will demonstrate the advantages of the OXIS Li-S technology to the aerospace sector and more specifically, to Bye Aerospace’s future aviation applications.

 OXIS CEO, Huw Hampson-Jones said, “We believe this collaboration will offer Bye Aerospace the confidence that OXIS Li-S systems will deliver the battery technology that meets the demanding performance and quality required to increase the efficiencies of their future electric aircraft. OXIS is focusing its research and development on the transformation of piston and turbo prop aircraft that is required for regional flight transportation. We believe this to be the first phase in the electrification of commercial aircraft and will ultimately form the basis for the electrification of Air Taxis, with the additional requirement for regional aircraft.

The United States has an impressive tradition of aviators who understand the need to experiment and embark on the deployment of new innovative technology, thus effecting a seismic paradigm shift in the powering of aircraft from using lead based fossil fuels to Li-S battery systems that are free of any toxic pollutants. As a consequence of the significant extension of aircraft flight duration, both companies believe this will allow for the widespread adoption of electric aircraft across the skies of the United States.”

eFlyer artist rendering. Source: Bye Aerospace

George E. Bye, CEO of Bye Aerospace, acknowledged the importance of next-generation technologies to help companies such as Bye Aerospace keep up with the revolutionary trends of electric aviation and the resulting demands for more efficient aircraft. “OXIS Energy’s battery technology continues to be an important consideration, and we appreciate the opportunity to collaborate in this way.”

Why it matters: Lithium Sulfur (Li-S) batteries appear to be the future of electrically-propulsed aircraft given its superior energy density and weight reduction potential. The new technology will offer eVTOL and electric aircraft manufacturers greater flexibility in expanding a vehicle’s range, payload capacity, or a combination of both. As energy density improves, we expect electric propulsion aircraft to become a reality for manufacturers and customers across the industry and their stakeholders.