Wisk this week has announced the addition of Dr. Pete Kunz to its board.

Dr. Kunz is the Chief Technologist for Boeing NeXt, as well as Boeing’s Senior Chief Engineer for Unpiloted Systems. Previously, Dr. Kunz held several leadership roles, including chief technology officer at Insitu, Inc., an unmanned aerial systems and services (UAS) company where he led both commercial and defense technical development.

“We are pleased to welcome Pete to our board,” said Gary Gysin, CEO of Wisk. “His background in aerospace engineering and his experience in various aspects of the analysis, design and testing of autonomous aircraft is incredibly valuable as we continue the development and certification process for our self-flying air taxi.”

As one of the visionary leaders behind Boeing NeXt’s UAM strategy, Dr. Kunz’s background in autonomous aircraft brings additional technical and industry expertise to Wisk’s board. Dr. Kunz shares a long history of success in the industry and is recognized as a leader in the UAM space. He shares Wisk’s commitment to transforming the future of urban mobility.

“What I see happening at Wisk is extremely exciting and I love the culture that continues to be built there,” said Kunz. “I’m looking forward to helping the company work through the next phase of their aircraft development and bringing safe, autonomous flight to market.”

Dr. Kunz has a doctorate in aeronautics and astronautics from Stanford University, as well as master’s and bachelor’s degrees in aerospace engineering from Penn State.

Dr. Peter Kunz

Why it matters: Dr. Kunz’s extensive experience in the UAM space in both academia and industry will add visionary leadership to the Wisk board. Wisk has a diverse board and leadership team giving it a competitive advantage in aerial mobility.

Source: Wisk Press Release

Vertical Aerospace tweeted it will use Dassault’s 3DEXPERIENCE platform to accelerate product development for its Seraph eVTOL prototype. 3DEXPERIENCE is a cloud-based platform which allows aerospace manufacturers to improve collaboration across design, manufacturing, and testing teams while reducing developmental costs across the value stream. This platform has already been implemented with other eVTOL manufacturers among the likes of Joby Aviation. Vertical Aerospace has a team of 100 engineers and counting and this platform will help give a leg up on the competition.

Before the outbreak of #COVID19, @VerticalAero adopted the #3DEXPERIENCE platform on the cloud. So, even though they are working from home, the team’s mission to revolutionize how people fly is continuing at full speed. Learn how you can do the same: https://t.co/KZN86CPaJ4 pic.twitter.com/yOCdZmPPMl

— 3DEXCITE (@3DEXCITE) June 8, 2020

“At Vertical Aerospace we were fortunate to have moved onto the 3DEXPERIENCE platform on cloud before we were remote working,” said Owen Thompson Cheel, Flight Systems IPT Lead, Vertical Aerospace. “The team has all they need to work from home and by using the platform on cloud we have been able to continue working with virtually no difference in performance. It’s an excellent case for working on the cloud, and the 3DEXPERIENCE platform has allowed us to remain agile and secure without loss of capability, effectively maintaining business continuity.”

Vertical Aerospace will be able to use the cloud-based platform to efficiently deliver its prototype to market while minimizing costs and maintaining quality across the product life-cycle.

“Disruptive innovators like Vertical Aerospace are using the 3DEXPERIENCE platform on the cloud to advance their compelling vision for sustainable mobility and invent new industries,” said David Ziegler, Vice President, Aerospace & Defense Industry, Dassault Systèmes. “As businesses today must completely rethink the way they work, the 3DEXPERIENCE platform on the cloud offers the largest portfolio of applications for product design and engineering from anywhere, with a high level of performance and secure, efficient access to data.”

Why it matters: Dassault Systems is known for its contributions to aerospace program development, most notably its CATIA/ENOVIA/SOLIDWORKS product lineups used by major OEMs including Boeing and Airbus. The 3DEXPERIENCE platform leverages 21st century mobility principles with the latest product life cycle product management technology, ultimately lowering the barriers to entry for players in the aerial mobility space.

After years of intensive research and several successful award-winning electric aircraft models developed since 2007, Pipistrel has achieved a breakthrough feat in aviation history, having type certified the battery powered Velis Electro. Working in tight collaboration with the European Union Aviation Safety Agency, whose engagement was essential to reaching this unprecedented milestone, Pipistrel demonstrated that its new Velis Electro achieves the highest levels of safety.

Pipistrel has received an EASA type certificate for its Velis Electro aircraft.

Conceived as a fundamental part of the ‘Velis Training System’, the Velis Electro was designed to be simple to operate and maintain, without compromising safety. Employing Pipistrel’s type certified electric engine, the Velis Electro delivers power instantly and without hesitation – using a simplified user interface in a cockpit that maintains the same look-and-feel of its conventionally powered siblings. The reduced number of moving parts dramatically decreases maintenance costs and the risk of malfunctions is further minimized thanks to its built-in continuous health-monitoring system.

This enhanced reliability allows the Velis Electro to have more than double the lifespan of power-train elements in comparison to the previous generation of electric aircraft. The revolutionary power train is entirely liquid-cooled, including the batteries, and demonstrated the ability to withstand faults, battery thermal runaway events, and crash loads as part of the certification process. The overall result of all these breakthrough innovations is a drastic reduction in the operating costs, significantly contributing to the affordability of pilot training.

“The type certification of the Pipistrel Velis Electro is the first step towards the commercial use of electric aircraft, which is needed to make emission-free aviation feasible. It is considerably quieter than other airplanes and produces no combustion gases at all,” said Mr Ivo Boscarol, founder and CEO of Pipistrel Aircraft. “It confirms and provides optimism, also to other electric aircraft designers, that the Type Certificate of electric engines and airplanes is possible. The engine, which Pipistrel type certified separately, is also available to other aircraft OEMs. For Pipistrel, this achievement injects additional motivation for the future eVTOL and multi-seat hydrogen-powered projects. Pipistrel is especially thankful to all our customers for their confidence in our products, which allows us to continue developing these innovative aircraft,” he added.

Ivo Boscarol, Founder and CEO of Pipistrel

Mr Dominique Roland, Head of the General Aviation Department at EASA, expressed: “For EASA, the type certification of this aircraft marks a significant dual milestone: on 18th of May 2020 we type certified its engine as the first electric engine – now we have followed up with the first type certification of a plane flying that engine. This was a truly ground-breaking project which has yielded many learnings for the future certification of electric engines and aircraft, undoubtedly a growth area in coming years in line with the aims of environmental protection.

“It should also be noted that this innovative product was, despite the many challenging aspects, certified in less than 3 years, showing the excellent work performed by Pipistrel and the EASA teams. Finally, it is worth mentioning that the certification team was composed of EASA staff, but included experts from the Swiss and French authorities, in order to prepare and facilitate the entry into service of the Velis Electro in these two countries.”

Mr Paolo Romagnolli, Head of Engineering at Pipistrel, highlighted the technical excellence: “The Velis Electro project has been one of those engineering challenges we like at Pipistrel. EASA Type Certificate is an uncompromised affirmation of the safety of the design. Having achieved this with a relatively small team is proof that young, talented, and motivated professionals can bring innovation into reality. Completing the work nobody else has ever done before makes us all very proud of being members of this engineering team.”

Why it matters: The Pipistrel Velis Electro is the world’s first fully electric airplane ever to receive type certification from EASA. The two-seater, intended primarily for pilot training, is a game-changing aircraft in terms of technological innovations and cost-efficiency. Its EASA certification paves the way for the future of environmentally sustainable, emission-free aviation, particularly in the eVTOL space.

Source: Pipistrel Press Release

Kitty Hawk has announced this week it is ending its Flyer program to focus on its heavier prototype, Heaviside launched last year. This update is to no surprise as the bulk of the eVTOL/aerial mobility market has shifted from the inception of the Flyer to larger vehicles with the ability to carry multiple passengers. Heaviside fits the bill with a top speed of 180 mph and a range of 100 miles.

Kitty Hawk’s Flyer frame in 2015.

“Today, we are winding down the Flyer project,” Kitty Hawk CEO Sebastian Thrun and Flyer President Alex Roetter wrote in a blog announcement. “We have learned what we needed from it—things like vehicle design and testing, manufacturing aircraft, and most of all, how humans would experience eVTOL. We are proud to have built the first electrically-powered VTOL aircraft in the world flown by non-pilots.”

It should be noted, the incredible accomplishments of Kitty Hawk’s Flyer program were important in developing a deep understanding and strategy for bringing a commercial eVTOL vehicle to market. During its history, Kitty Hawk built over 111 prototypes and conducted in excess of 25,000 test flights.

In its blog post detailing the sunset of the Flyer program, Thrun and Roetter say that, with the closing of Flyer, they are “doubling down” on Heaviside. Further, Kitty Hawk and Boeing have been working for the past year on a strategic partnership centered on another prototype design dubbed Cora, a semi-autonomous two-seat aircraft (now renamed Wisk).

Why it matters: With an impressive logbook of flight tests completed and technical understanding of developing eVTOL platforms, Kitty Hawk is well positioned to get their Heaviside prototype into flight test with a strong configuration from the start. With backing from the likes of Google co-founder, Larry Page, as well as their Silicon Valley roots, Kitty Hawk promises to be a continued voice in the aerial mobility space, as they embark on a new chapter for the company.

Lilium looks to resume flight tests in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic as restrictions on business operations are eased around the world. The German-based company has been working from home for the past two months and has been looking for ways to resume operations while maintaining social distancing among other preventative measures. Lilium currently expects flight testing to begin in “a few months.”

Over the past several months, Lilium has been producing its second technology demonstrator aircraft, which will incorporate some design changes from the first prototype flown in 2019, fly at faster speeds, and be able to transition from vertical lift-off to fixed-wing cruise flight. Lilium aims to have the model fully certified by 2025. This latest edition of the Lilium Jet can seat up to five passengers.

In a recent presentation, Lilium’s Chief Program Officer Yves Yemsi demonstrated the company’s implementation of new management processes, including stage gate reviews at its company and across the supply chain. This concept has been successfully used elsewhere in the aerospace industry in tracking the overall technological readiness of a flight vehicle and its systems at organizations like NASA, Boeing, Airbus, and more. “We don’t want to lose quality at any stage so we are putting controls in place at all levels,” explained Yemsi, who formerly held a senior quality and program role with Airbus.

Why it matters: Earlier this year, Lilium completed another round of funding, generating over $240M bringing its fundraising total to $340M. The company has equipped itself with more than 450 employees, 35 of which hold PhDs, and many of which come from prestigious aerospace companies. Alongside its German competitor, Volocopter, the company has amassed an impressive amount of capital and talent. With restrictions easing around the world in light of COVID-19, TransportUP expects to see Lilium back in the spotlight as it looks to resume flight testing.

Read more news about Lilium here.

Archer has announced today plans to bring an eVTOL aircraft to market, the first major project announcement since the COVID-19 pandemic began. Founded by Brett Adcock and Adam Goldstein, the California-based company draws on technical prowess from the likes of Wisk, Airbus, Joby Aviation, and NASA currently sporting a team in excess of 40 engineers. The duo noticed a business need for aerial mobility to alleviate congestion in urban areas and are committed to delivering a sustainable and efficient vehicle in the coming years. Further, the company already has investors including Walmart eCommerce CEO Marc Lore.

Archer’s eVTOL prototype, computer rendering.

Development of Archer’s prototype is in its infancy, but the company plans to be able to carry four passengers at 150 mph up to 60 miles. It plans to certify the vehicle under EASA’s new special condition rules for eVTOL aircraft. Early concepts, show a six propeller configuration on a fixed wing and a V-shaped tail. “We are still evaluating different concepts and the architecture, including lift plus cruise and vectored thrust,” said Adcock. “We’re looking at what part of the battery capacity is accessible for cruise, and the need to negotiate around emergency power reserves and trying to design around the worst possible operating conditions.”

Archer predicts it will need in excess of $1B USD to get its vehicle into commercial service, not yet being able to offer a timeline for development and certification. The company plans to seek additional strategic investors to meet this goal, but did not disclose other significant investors besides Mr. Lore.

Archer’s founders Brett Adcock and Adam Goldstein.

Why it matters: Archer joins a quickly crowding space of eVTOL manufacturers dreaming of a future with aerial mobility shifting the paradigm in how we travel in urban areas. The founders have significant entrepreneurial experience and seem to have been able to poach talent from reputable firms in the industry. Moreover, this is the first announcement of a new prototype since the COVID-19 pandemic began. This signals continued interest in the industry, but the pandemic will undoubtedly cause roadblocks and developmental delays to manufacturers’ sky-high expectations.

Diehl Aerospace has signed a contract with Volocopter for the development and production of its flight-control computers (FCC). The primary and secondary flight-control computers will be used on Volocopter’s highly anticipated VoloCity prototype, one of the first fully electric air taxi eVTOL vehicles.

Volocopter’s first flight model, VoloCity which will feature flight-control computers from Diehl Aerospace

Diehl is no stranger to the commercial aerospace sector. For years, it has been an industry leader in cabin interiors and aircraft systems to OEM’s including Boeing, Airbus, Bombardier, and Embraer, among others. This contract marks the company’s first entry into the aerial mobility space and also one of the first contracts of its kind for the industry as a whole.

Initial developmental work has begun for VoloCity’s flight-control computers. Under current program schedules, certification is expected in 2021 and entry-into-service (EIS) is expected in the next two to four years. Diehl stated it also is looking into opportunities to partner with manufacturers in the aerial mobility to complement other product lines, such as cabin interiors and systems integration.

Diehl Aerospace not only produces avionics, but also cabin integration systems.

Diehl Aerospace is a joint venture of the German Diehl Group and the French Thales Group. They currently supply cabin liners, lavatories, galleys, cabin lighting, avionics, fire protection, and air distribution systems to a variety of commercial and military customers.

Why it matters: This is one of the first major contracts in the aerial mobility industry including a major supplier in the commercial aerospace supply chain. Diehl brings years of technical experience developing systems (including flight-control computers) which have previously been certified on exisiting aircraft platforms. This partnership will give Volocopter a competitive edge in the aerial mobility space as it will not need to develop its own controls logic from scratch. In the context of COVID-19, this is also an exciting partnership as the commercial aerospace supply chain will need to find new, innovative ways to adapt its capabilities in a new world with significantly slowed air travel and aerospace manufacturing.

As the world starts to return to a new-normal living in the wake of COVID-19, VoltAero has announced its final production configuration for its eVTOL prototype dubbed Cassio. The company has already begun flight testing on its Cassio 1 testbed and plans to begin deliveries by the end of 2022.

In March, the company began testing its power-plant technologies on its testbed, Cassio 1, based on a modified Cessna 337. The forward facing propellers will not be like those in the announced in the final production configuration, the test configuration simply allows for easier integration without major modifications to Cassio 1. The goal of Cassio 1 is to validate the two Safran ENGINeUS™ 45 electric motors and an aft-facing internal combustion engine.

The French company will offer 3 variants in its product lineup:

• Cassio 330, a four-seat configuration with propulsion from a combined hybrid-electric power of 330 kilowatts;
• Cassio 480, configured with six seats and a hybrid-electric propulsion power of 480 kilowatts;
• Cassio 600, with a 10-seat capacity and hybrid-electric propulsion power of 600 kilowatts.

VoltAero’s Cassio prototype production configuration featuring one aft-facing hybrid electric power-plant

This diverse product family will offer flexibility to a variety of customers and mission requirements. The Cassio family will be able to offer up to 920 nm of range at a 200-knot cruise speed. Further, the aircraft will be certified under EASA CS-23 requirements, offering more flexibility for pilot type certification and operation.

VoltAero plans to build the all-composite aircraft in Southwest France and will seek opportunities to license production in North America and Asia. The company is lead by former Airbus CTO, Jean Botti, who lead Airbus’ E-Fan X electric aircraft development program.

Why it matters: VoltAero’s configuration is a logical intermediate between general aviation purpose-built aircraft seen today and eVTOL aircraft of the future. It will offer a familiar configuration to the aviation community while taking advantage of technologies including a composite airframe and hybrid-electric power-plant. We also view the technical pedigree at VoltAero to be ahead of the competition in the UAM space. Expect to see more as VoltAero continues flight tests and begins production on a greater scale.

Netherlands-based flying car manufacturer, PAL-V has announced plans to set up a manufacturing plant in Gujarat, India, building off of its announcement to test the prototype in the area last week at the Economic Times Summit in Delhi.

The Pal-V Liberty, a road-capable personal gryocopter available starting at $399k USD

The company is in its final stages of certification in Europe as of February 2020.

The announcement also comes with new Memorandums of Understanding (MoU) with the Principal Secretary of State, MK Das. This MoU will greatly help the flying car manufacturer in receiving all the necessary regulatory approvals to set up a new production plant in Gujarat. 

PAL-V chose Gujarat for its world-class infrastructure, relative ease of conducting business, and low cost basis for producing its flying car prototype at scale. The PAL-V Liberty has been under development for the past decade, will have the ability to transform from a car to a flight vehicle in less than 3 minutes, and can fly distances of over 500km.

The Liberty will be able to seat two people with 20kg of baggage. 

Why it matters: This announcement follows recent news from PAL-V last week at the Economic Times Summit in New Delhi and signals a significant investment in India for the final production and testing of its vehicles. In addition, another agreement with Kuwait Airways for suggests that that PAL-V may expect its first customers to be residents of the East. If the company meets its 2021 goal of delivering final vehicles to customers, it would be among one of the first to do so and usher in the era of aerial mobility.

EHang recently announced that the company obtained operational permit for its two-seater passenger-grade AAV, the EHang 216, from the Civil Aviation Authority of Norway (CAA Norway). This is the first operational permit for long term testing flight of EHang 216 in Europe, laying a solid foundation for future urban air mobility (UAM) operations in other EU countries.

After the assessment of test flight plans and contingency plans, the CAA Norway issued an operational permit for EHang 216 to conduct flights together with a local customer for the purpose of testing and certification. According to CAA Norway, it believes the country ’s geographic conditions suit the testing of unmanned aircraft well. Covered with a long strip of land with abundance of sparsely populated areas and free airspace, the country has started to build a network of small airports since 1960’s, connecting most territories throughout the country. For the test flight of EHang 216, CAA Norway looks forward to witnessing it at Elvenes airport.

Bente Heggedal, Head of section for unmanned aviation, CAA Norway and Hu Huazhi, EHang Founder, Chairman, CEO.

Bente Heggedal, the Head of section for unmanned aviation, CAA Norway commented, “EHang is an exciting and forward-looking project that shows the rapid development of UAM and AAV technology by today. The autonomous passenger aircrafts of the future can contribute to more efficient transport, particularly in urban areas, and the electric models are a great contribution to the green shift. We look forward to EHang demonstrating a well-proven and secure system, so that passenger AAVs can be a safe alternative for passenger transport.”

Surrounded by sea on three sides and rich in oil and gas (O&G) resources, Norway is a big exporter of O&G. According to Norway’s 2020 National Budget, its oil industry contributes to 14% of its GDP and one fifth of the national income. In addition, an economic survey by Statistics Norway projected the country’s total oil investment to reach $18.3 billion in 2020, accounting for 19% of the nation’s total investment.

At present, Norwegian offshore drilling platforms are still using helicopters for various transportation tasks such as personnel, spare parts, supplies, and O&G samples, which cost high in fuel and man powers.

EHang’s networked and intelligent AAV provides a safe, autonomous, and eco-friendly solution, it enables simultaneous control and real-time data exchange of multiple AAV through a command-and-control platform, which not only significantly saves cost in labor, but improves the operational efficiency by providing uninterrupted services 24-hours per day.

With key features of safety, automation, vertical take-off and landing, big payload, cluster management, efficiency, and low cost, the EHang’s AAV solution is expected to play a significant role in various tasks such as frequent and point-to-point O&G samples delivery, maintenance and inspection, wind power plant servicing, and transportation of radioactive materials, etc.

“In the new wave of the development of the oil industry in Norway, EHang expects to empower the O&G industry with our AAV technologies to reduce costs and increase efficiencies, and promote the use of green energy. In the past two years, we have established strategic partnerships with valuable European partners such as Vodafone, FACC and the ProSiebenSat.1 Group. We expect to work with more strategic partners and help them with our safe, autonomous, and eco-friendly air mobility solutions”, said Hu Huazhi, Founder, Chairman and CEO of EHang.

EHang became a publicly listed company on the Nasdaq Global Market on December 12^th, 2019 under the ticker symbol “EH”. On January 8, 2020, EHang received the first special flight authorization from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and conducted its first-ever trial flight of EHang 216 in America.

Why it matters: EHang is quickly expanding its presence around the world and is now making its mark on the European aerial mobility industry. With competitors in the region including the likes of Volocopter, the company will face fierce competition. However, EHang’s long record of successful test flights and certifications will make it a primary contender in the area for years to come.

Source: EHang

For the past decade, PAL-V has been developing a flying car for the masses and it appears to be entering the final stages of certification with deliveries expected to begin in 2021. Currently, the company is demonstrating compliance to regulatory agencies across the world, has realized its first production facility, and established the European Road Admission.

The PAL-V Liberty has started its road admission tests and has reached the final stage of air certification.

Robert Dingemanse, CEO of PAL-V: “The term flying cars is used for two different applications. The first flying cars, fly and drive, and are used like cars for personal mobility going from door-to-door between towns and cities. Imagine living in Geneva and driving your flying car from your garage to go to an appointment in Cannes (South-France). Driving 10 minutes to the nearest (grass) airstrip, take-off and be on your way to Cannes. After 2 hours you land near Cannes and in minutes you convert your aircraft back to car-mode. Another 10-minute drive and you arrive at your appointment in the city. A journey that normally takes 5.5 hours will now take only 2.5 hours. On top, you enjoyed the birds-eye view of the Alps, the French countryside, and the freedom of flying. A dream comes true.”

PAL-V says it focused on the following design parameters in making its final certification test article: safety, ease of use, performance, compact body. These factors are essential to make a commercial viable flying car as Dingemanse explained, “No one wants to fly a car that isn’t certified, hard to fly or that doesn’t fit a standard parking spot.”

The company for now has designed PAL-V to take off and land from existing airports but plans to make an entry into the eVTOL space in less than a decade.

Why it matters: If the company meets its 2021 goal of delivering final vehicles to customers, it would be among one of the first to do so and usher in the era of aerial mobility. Flying cars have long been a fantasy, however PAL-V appears to have locked in on a final configuration and is near certifying its vehicle. Expect to see PAL-V’s on the road and in the skies near you very soon!

uAvionix recently unveiled a new ADS-B transponder to its product offerings, tailBeaconX. The transponder is marketed for the general aviation community, it replaces the rear position-light and incorporates a 1090MHz Mode S ADS-B Out signal. This design offers an easy solution for aircraft owners trying to adhere to current and future ADS-B mandates.

tailBeaconX, the first ADS-B transponder with aerial mobility in mind.

According to the uAvionix’s website, tailBeaconX is the first commercially available avionics solution developed with the needs of Urban Air Mobility (UAM) in mind. Electric Vertical Take Off and Landing (eVTOL) aircraft, powered by batteries and alternative fuels, require radically different solutions than those that exist today. tailBeaconX weighs only 90 grams, takes no critical volume from an internal avionics bay, incorporates its own antennas, and draws only 3 watts of power. This results in longer flight times and higher payload capacity for the next generation of airborne mobility.

The company said in a news release that tailBeaconX is the first transponder to be specifically evaluated by Aireon and Nav Canada, and that early tests show promise toward meeting performance requirements for ATC-quality surveillance data for general aviation aircraft. “A solution like tailBeaconX will expand the proven safety and operational benefits of ADS-B through a space-based service to the general aviation community,” said Cyriel Kronenburg, vice president of aviation services for Aireon. “We’re pleased to collaborate on these types of innovative avionics solutions with uAvionix as various global ADS-B mandates take effect in the coming months and years.” Aireon’s space-based ADS-B ATC system went live last spring.

Why it matters: tailBeaconX is the first commercially available ADS-transponder developed with the unique needs of the aerial mobility industry in mind. eVTOL aircraft are vastly different from their general aviation counterparts and require efficient applications with minimal physical footprints and power consumption. uAvionix is also developing a full suite of aerial mobility focused avionics including: command and control links, GPS receivers, obstacle detection and avoidance, among others.

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.