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.

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.