Results for: zeva

Joby has announced in a press release today it has signed a long-term agreement with Toyota Motor Corporation to supply key powertrain and actuation components for the production of the the company’s eVTOL production model.

The agreement builds on the long-standing partnership between Joby and Toyota, which has seen the two companies collaborate on a wide variety of projects to support the production and assembly of the Joby aircraft, including advising on the design of Joby’s pilot production line in Marina, CA. Toyota is also Joby’s largest external shareholder, having invested around $400 million in Joby.

JoeBen Bevirt, founder and CEO of Joby, commenting on the agreement, said: “Our partnership with Toyota continues to be an integral part of Joby’s success, from assisting in the design of our pilot production line in Marina, California, to supplying key components for our aircraft.”

“I’m grateful for Toyota’s unwavering dedication to Joby as we work together to deliver a new form of fast, quiet and emissions-free mobility for cities and communities around the world. Their expertise and knowledge has helped put us on track to deliver, at scale, an aircraft that we believe is truly best-in-class.”

The components, designed by Joby and manufactured by Toyota, will be delivered to Joby’s powertrain and electronics manufacturing facility in San Carlos, California, before the finished assemblies are shipped to the company’s pilot production line in Marina for integration. Intended to prove out scalable tooling and processes at low volumes in advance of aircraft production at full scale, Joby’s Marina facilities were designed with Toyota’s help, leveraging decades of experience delivering reliable, high-quality cars at high volume.

Toyota Motor Corporation Connected Company President Keiji Yamamoto added: “We are very pleased to have reached this milestone with our key partner.  Our mutual goal is mass production of eVTOL and helping Joby apply the best practices of the Toyota Production System in meeting high quality, reliability, safety, and strict cost standards.

 “We are excited about the potential for further collaboration as we seek to realize Mobility for All with a seamlessly integrated air-to-ground mobility network.”

Why it matters: Toyota’s manufacturing prowess and technical expertise in powertrain components is a valuable addition to Joby’s technical acumen. Toyota’s $400M USD investment will also help Joby get to certification and commercialization faster than other eVTOL makers, giving it a strong competitive advantage.

Source: Joby Press Release

Related:

• Joby Finalizes Assembly of Company-conforming aircraft (March 2023)
• Joby Completes Second Stage of Certification Process (February 2023)
• Delta and Joby to Partner for Seamless Home-to-Airport Transportation (October 2022)
• Joby Aviation Acquires Uber Elevate, Receives Airworthiness Approval from U.S Military (December 2020)

Whisper Aero, nascent developer of ultra low noise electric ducted fans, just announced $32 million in Series A funding. The round was led by Menlo Ventures, EVE Atlas, Capricorn’s Technology Impact Fund and Connor Capital with additional participation from Kindred Ventures, Abstract Ventures, Moving Capital, AeroX Ventures, Cosmos Ventures, Linse Capital and LaunchTN.

Whisper says it has developed a first of its kind electric ducted fan propulsion system that’s both quieter and more efficient than anything currently on the market. “If you want to get to scale with delivery drones or eVTOL air taxis, you better be really quiet,” Moore said. “You’ve got to be quiet enough that you’re not disruptive to those communities.”

The propulsion system has been designed such that can be scaled up or down for custom applications. Over the past two years, the company has designed, built and flown nine generations of this propulsor. They’ve settled on a product that both reduces the amplitude and that shifts the tonal profile of the noise to something significantly less cacophonous than traditional aircraft propulsion systems. The company says they’ve even been able to tune some of the frequencies into the ultrasonic, beyond what the human ear can detect.

Whisper plans to focus its initial commercialization efforts with the U.S. Department of Defense, an agency that they’ve already been working with for testing. Whisper has scored a handful of small government contracts from the DOD, including the Air Force Research Lab, to validate their propulsor.

The relevance of a quiet aircraft to the DOD is likely obvious. Whisper has validated that it can fly a 55-pound drone with its electric ducted fan at an altitude of 200 feet that is completely undetectable, at least by noise, from the ground. To put that in context, Moore said Boeing’s popular military drone, the Insitu ScanEagle, would need to fly at least 3,000 feet above to not be heard.

Whisper Aero is headquartered in Crossville, TN roughly halfway between Nashville and Knoxville, and emerged from “stealth mode” back in 2021 when it had announced over $7.5M USD in funding from investors, including Robert Downey Jr, Menlo Ventures, Lux Capital, and Kindred Ventures. The newly acquired $32 million will support the company’s rapid workforce and facility expansion efforts, alongside continued research and development testing.

Why it’s important: Noise and performance have long been tradeoffs in the design and manufacturing of propulsion systems. Whisper COO Ian Villa said the team has taken a first principles approach to propulsion and noise, starting with the most basic questions about how to turn electricity into thrust. Thus, the company has seemingly been able to minimize weight and noise while also producing a high-performance motor. Application of this technology in UAM aircraft has potential to hugely increase the likelihood of receiving buy-in from municipal regulatory agencies as well as general public acceptance.

Specialist consultancy company MGI Engineering has launched its a program to develop and manufacture a cargo eVTOL. MGI CEO and Founder Mike Gascoyne officially unveiled its fully functional technology demonstrator at the eVTOL Insights’ London Conference on Wednesday 19th April 2023.

MGI and Gascoyne are applying Formula 1 development philosophies and mindset to the cargo eVTOL market.

“Lightweight composite structures with a highly-efficient, fast-paced iterative design processes are key elements of the company’s approach to tackling the challenges that the cargo eVTOL industry presents and it aims to provide these consultancy services throughout the cargo eVTOL industry.” the company said in a press release this week.

MGI Engineering’s prowess stems from its decades of experience at the pinnacle of motorsport, F1 – a tenure that is reflected through its senior staff and its CEO Mike Gascoyne himself – who has previously worked at McLaren, Tyrrell, Sauber, Renault, Toyota before setting up the Lotus F1 Team through MGI in 2009.

MGI Engineering has been developing cargo eVTOL technologies for the past year, with the aim to provide these services to the wider industry. This effort has culminated in its Mosquito autonomous technology demonstrators for cargo applications. The vehicles are being developed to showcase MGI’s vision, know- how, and approach to the cargo UAV market. Developing ultra-lightweight structural composite designs are a key factor to ensure aerial vehicles can achieve their missions effectively and efficiently. MGI’s solution focuses on a configurable design with two variants of its demonstrator technology; the first is a tilt rotor configuration, with two rotors on each corner capable of tilting from 45 degrees in the forward direction to, 45 degrees rearward. The second features eight rotors with direct drive motors distributed across four wings and all four wings use MGI’s proprietary tilt mechanism that is used to control pitch and roll. This variant is able to take-off vertically and fully transition to winged flight for long distance missions. The modular approach to this vehicle, where wings and rotors can be configured according to the mission profile, allows for scalable common platforms using common battery modules to ensure cost performing kilometre-per-mile solutions for cargo delivery. The vehicle platform concept has also been designed to be scaled-up efficiently to payload capable vehicles carrying up to 500kg. The platform sharing solutions are inspired by Mike’s experience of working with the automotive industry throughout his career.

Mike Gascoyne, CEO of MGI Engineering, said: “We are really proud to announce our cargo eVTOL technology demonstrator programme at this year’s eVTOL Insights’ Conference. We believe that developing sustainable electric aviation vehicles combined with our unique expertise and experience from Formula 1 of lightweight hybrid composite vehicles is the future of the transport industry and will ease the strain on current methods whilst decarbonising multiple sectors. We are very happy to have a fully working demonstrator vehicle that has passed all our tests to date including fully transitioning from vertical to horizontal flight. We’re excited to see where our development journey takes us and look forward to solving the unique and novel challenges the industry presents us with. We also want to invite clients, partners and investors to join our vision to develop highly efficient cargo UAV solutions. MGI Engineering, as a cargo eVTOL consultancy service, understands in order to bring aerial vehicles successfully to market requires a multi-disciplinary team across multiple industries.”

Why it matters: Gascoyne and MGI enter a crowded space of eVTOL makers, but the firm’s techincal prowess on F1 technology could prove useful and help to create a technical advantage over other designs. It is unclear from the press release how fare along their technology demonstrator is with respect to certification or delivery. Expect more news as this program and MGI Engineering develop.

Source: MGI Engineering Press Release

H2FLY, the Stuttgart-based developer of hydrogen fuel cell systems for aircraft, has successfully passed liquid hydrogen on-ground filling tests with the newly developed liquid hydrogen tank which is integrated into its HY4 aircraft.

The efforts are part of the European project HEAVEN, a consortium of five partners to demonstrate the feasibility of using liquid, cryogenic hydrogen-powered fuel cell powertrain in aircraft, led by H2FLY. H2FLY has successfully passed the filling tests of the new liquid hydrogen storage system which is designed and supplied by its project partner Air Liquide based on H2FLY’s requirements. The filling procedure took place in preparation for the forthcoming coupling tests in which the liquid hydrogen storage system will be coupled with the fuel cell system to form a complete hydrogen-electric powertrain. H2FLY led the test campaign on Air Liquide’s Campus Technologies Grenoble, in Sassenage, France together with Air Liquide.

This filling milestone follows the company’s announcement in November 2022 that it had started the mechanical integration of Air Liquide’s liquid hydrogen tank into H2FLY’s fuel cell-powered aircraft HY4 after the tank passed the vibration and LH2 leakage tests in September 2022.

Prof. Dr. Josef Kallo, co-founder and CEO of H2FLY says “The successful on-ground filling tests today, mark the next milestone in our pursuit to doubling the range of our HY4 aircraft. It is a critical step for our upcoming flight test campaign this summer, which will demonstrate the feasibility of liquid hydrogen as a fuel for medium and long-haul flight.”

For more than 10 years, H2FLY has been researching, testing, and refining, resulting in the development of the HY4, a four-seat aircraft with hydrogen-electric propulsion, that first took flight in 2016. There have been several key milestones across the past three years, including:

• In 2020 H2FLY was granted a permit to fly the latest generation of the HY4 aircraft, which featured a fully redundant powertrain architecture. Across more than 100 take-offs the company successfully demonstrated the applicability of hydrogen-electric propulsion solutions in aviation
• In 2021 the company signed a strategic partnership with aircraft manufacturer Deutsche Aircraft that will see the companies work together to fly a CS25 class aircraft powered by H2FLY’s hydrogen fuel cell technology. The climate-neutral regional aircraft demonstrator is expected to fly in 2025
• Earlier last year, the company completed a cross-country flight, from Stuttgart, Germany to Friedrichshafen, covering 77 miles, marking the first time a hydrogen-powered passenger plane has flown between two commercial airports
• Also last year, the company set what is believed to be a world altitude record for a hydrogen aircraft, flying at 7,230 feet, confirming the company’s position as a leader in this new category

Why it’s important: By reaching this milestone, the consortium demonstrates world-leading experience in liquid hydrogen refueling operations and liquid hydrogen handling on board of an aircraft. H2FLY resides amongst a small collective of groups advancing the boundaries of hydrogen flight, signaling high likelihood of practical alternative energy-powered flight in the near future.

LaunchPoint, a new company developing sustainable propulsion solutions for aviation, has recently begun shipments of its 12kW motor and controller solution for hybrid-electric aircraft.

The new motor system from LaunchPoint is designed for both VTOL and fixed-wing applications where low-weight, high-power solutions are required. The goal behind the product is to help companies developing new electric and hybrid aircraft to increase payload, range, and performance capabilities of their designs.

The 12kW motor system, released as a single product, is made of of two 6 kW electric motors stacked on single engine shaft. As part of the product package, LaunchPoint also provides the interface, documentation, and software needed to pair the alternator to a customer’s aircraft for a fully functioning hybrid generator system.

The first units were shipped to customers in Q4 2022 for high-power drone applications with large payload and extended flight requirements. 

Said Mitsuru Ishikawa, CEO of Ishikawa Energy Research Co, “LaunchPoint’s generator technology represents the best power-to-weight ratio among other competing technologies. Our projects are joint developments with top Japanese manufacturers and require the weight and power advantages that LaunchPoint offers for our drone programs.”

Image of one of LaunchPoint’s Propulsion Units

Based in Goleta, California, LaunchPoint has already conducted several successful seed funding rounds, and found several customers in the growing sustainable aviation industry.

Why it’s important: LaunchPoint represents yet another increasingly successful company in the growing hybrid-electric and fully-electric aviation propulsion industry. Moreover, the initial shipment of units to customers proves the commercial viability of LaunchPoint’s products, and gives this hybrid-propulsion solution a chance to prove itself in real-world mission applications.

Sources // LaunchPoint Press Release, PAC Biz times

Related:

• Magnix Announces Hydrogen Propulsion Development
• Ampaire Flies its First Hybrid-Electric Regional Aircraft
• Electra.Aero Completes Tests of Hybrid eSTOL Aircraft Engine

SkyDrive Inc., a leading eVTOL aircraft manufacturer based in Japan, has announced that Taiho Co., Ltd., a total engineering company, has signed a memorandum of understanding and agreed to a pre-order of SkyDrive SD-05 aircraft for commercial use. Taiho is a member of the newly established Public-Private Council for Advanced Air Mobility in Kagawa prefecture in the Shikoku region.

SkyDrive is developing the SD-05 eVTOL with the vision of making air mobility a form of daily transportation. The company successfully completed its first demonstration vehicle flight test in Japan in 2019, and the SD-05 is in the process of acquiring its Japan Civil Aviation Bureau (JCAB) certification.

Taiho sells and maintains control and measurement equipment, and performs electrical, communications, and civil engineering works for customers in various industries including electrical energy, chemicals, oil refining, nuclear power generation, and paper manufacturing. In recent years, the company has been actively investing in new fields such as robotics, including the in-house development of automated driving and monitoring robots for the livestock industry.

The Shikoku region, where Taiho is headquartered, faces transportation and regional revitalization challenges. As a leading infrastructure provider in this area, Taiho believes that the all-electric and compact SD-05 can be a solution to these issues.

SkyDrive and Taiho are committed to bringing advanced air mobility to Shikoku. The two will work closely with all stakeholders, including flight operators, vertiports, and power supply infrastructure providers to make this vision a reality in the region.

SkyDrive is one of the leading eVTOL aircraft manufacturers in Japan, and its SD-05 is expected to play a significant role in the future of air mobility in certain regions. With the support of companies like Taiho, SkyDrive can continue to develop its eVTOL technology and bring it to market.

Why it’s important: The partnership between SkyDrive and Taiho marks another step forward for the development of advanced air mobility in Japan. The Shikoku region, which faces transportation and regional revitalization challenges, could benefit greatly from eVTOL aircraft such as the SD-05. The small size and all-electric nature of the aircraft could make it an excellent solution for the region’s transportation needs.

This announcement also demonstrates the global growing interest and investment in eVTOL technology. Taiho’s agreement to pre-order SkyDrive’s SD-05 eVTOL highlights the potential of these aircraft in all generalized industries that work in transportation and logistics. Overall, the development in this region could also serve as a model for other regions facing similar challenges, further propelling the adoption of eVTOL aircraft.

Source // SkyDrive

Related:

• SkyDrive Collaborates with VPorts for Vertiports in Dubai (March 2023)
• SkyDrive Receives Order for up to 100 eVTOLs from Pacific Group (November 2022)
• SkyDrive Begins Accepting Private Owner-Operator eVTOL Orders (April 2023)

Skyway, an Urban Air Traffic Management operation center and air traffic navigation provider and Skyportz, a Melbourne company focused on securing access to a range of vertiport development locations, announced that they are collaborating in a new partnership to expand the comprehensive infrastructure for Urban Air Mobility in Australia. This partnership will bring together Skyway’s capabilities in urban airspace navigation, vertiport planning and development, and vertiport management systems with Skyportz’s extensive network of potential landing sites across Australia.

“This partnership is a significant step towards unlocking the potential of UAM,” said Clifford Cruz, CEO of Skyway. “By combining our strengths in airspace management, vertiport planning and development, and  management systems with Skyportz’s vast network of potential landing sites, we are at the forefront of this transformative industry.” 

Skyportz is a vertiport developer with ready-to-activate sites throughout Australia; including existing helipads and airports, suburban and urban locations such as business parks, shopping centers, car parking garages, industrial sites, and greenfield city fringe developments. The company is also helping property developers to future-proof their projects so they can offer access to air taxi and freight services as soon as they start operating. 

“Skyportz’ focus is on securing access to a range of Skyportz locations to ensure that we can offer the backbone of a destination network for UAM,”  said Clem Newton-Brown, CEO of Skyportz. “We are thrilled to partner that business model with Skyway’s ability to provide comprehensive and  customized vertiport management systems and UATM infrastructure”. 

A collaboration with Skyportz opens the door for Skyway to provide a comprehensive infrastructure that satisfies the time-sensitive demands of the ever-expanding UAM market while securing it’s already substantial influence as a leader in vertiport development. As they increase their reach through this significant collaborative  relationship, Skyway and Skyportz will enable a shift towards innovative problem solving within the aviation industry as a whole. At a time when industry-wide action is undeniably critical, these two companies leverage each others’ strengths and set a new pace for UAM development on a global scale. 

Why it’s important: Skyportz’ partnership with Skyway will allow for greater collaboration between a UATM and vertiport firm focused on operations in Australia and represents foundational alliance creation that should help to pave the way for future aerial mobility developments in the region. This infrastructure is being built far ahead of full scale commercialized eVTOL operations, but the advantage of being a first mover in the industry will be large if growth projections over the next decade hold at least partially accurate.

BLADE, provider of Air Mobility services worldwide, has recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding agreement with Jaunt Air Mobility to bring Jaunt’s eVTOL aircraft to India for commercial operations.

Above: Rendering of Jaunt’s Journey aircraft with BLADE branding

BLADE currently operates major helicopter and private jet flights on-demand in urban locations throughout the world, providing the most accessible urban air mobility solution to date. Already, Blade’s prices near UberX prices in New York locations. With the introduction of EVAs (electric vertical aircraft), urban flight will become even more affordable.

With this new agreement, Blade India has agreed to work with Jaunt Air Mobility, a key developer of a unique eVTOL aircraft, to launch electric vertical air mobility networks in India starting in 2027. The MoU states Blade’s intention to purchase 150 Jaunt Journey aircraft, with an option to order another 100 aircraft to meet projected demand.

Currently, India represents the third-large aviation market in the world. Said Amit Dutta, Managing Director of BLADE India: “With its vast expanse and increasing congestion, India is one of the biggest markets in the world for AAM solutions. With BLADE’s first mover advantage in nurturing the Urban Air Mobility ecosystem in India and Jaunt’s technical expertise, this partnership is well poised to pioneer the transition to electric and revolutionize the transportation system.”

Simon Briceno, Chief Commercial Officer for Jaunt, commented: “We are thrilled to partner with an exceptional BLADE India team to pursue the launch of a new form of urban air travel in India and the subcontinent region. ur collaboration with BLADE India and our clear path towards aircraft certification means that the Indian public will soon be able to benefit from the development of a new safe, affordable, and accessible mode of transportation”

According to Jaunt, it’s aircraft design will offer the safety, flexibility, comfort, and efficiency benefits of a helicopter combined with those of a fixed wing airplane, at a fraction of the operational and maintenance costs, all with zero emissions and a very low noise profile.

Branching out to electric air mobility has been part of BLADE’s roadmap for several years now, with plans to augment and eventually possibly entirely replace helicopter routes with all-electric vertical aircraft. To this end, it has also made agreements with Beta Technologies, Boeing’s Wisk, Jet Linx, and EmbraerX’s EVE.

Through this partnership, Jaunt and also will work with Blade to help develop the necessary infrastructure and customer-facing experiences for electric air mobility in India. This will include the introduction of charging infrastructure, as well as use Blade’s existing short haul operational routes in India to integrate the Jaunt Journey.

Why it’s important:

With this agreement, BLADE adds yet another eVTOL maker to its ever-growing list of partners. By cornering the existing market for on-demand helicopter transportation, BLADE has made itself the forerunning company for eVTOL operations going forward, as many of its existing routes and operations can be replaced with eVTOL to save on operating and maintenance costs, and increase demand.

In addition, this agreement markes a major partnership for Jaunt Air Mobility, who has been working on the goal of signing commercial operator agreements with transportation providers globally. Jaunt has already also made partnerships in South Korea and Latin America. It’s partnership with Blade is one of its most significant to date, providing the company with clear and high-potential path to market in India.

Source // BLADE Air Mobility, Global NewsWire

Related:

• BETA and Blade complete first piloted eVTOL flight in New York area
• EmbraerX’s Eve to Provide BLADE with up to 60 eVTOL Aircraft
• Jaunt and MintAir partner to launch aerial mobility service in South Korea
• L&T Technology Services is Awarded $100 million to Manufacture Jaunt Air Mobility Aircraft

Japanese-based eVTOL maker, SkyDrive, this week announced it has received its first order from a private party of its SD-05 two-seat eVTOL. The SD-05 has already received numerous orders from commercial operators since its unveiling last year, but the first order comes from long-time SkyDrive investor, Kotaro Chiba.

Chiba has invested in SkyDrive since 2018 and is the co-founder and managing director of DRONE FUND. DRONE FUND is a venture capital firm that focuses on drone technology and advanced air mobility (AAM) industry which aims to develop these technologies globally. Chiba is an angel investor with over 60 start-ups as well as 50 venture capital funds experience.

Chiba said “In 2018, I was captivated by SkyDrive’s vision of the future and its innovative aircraft, fueling my dream of flying cars. Upon seeing the company’s first prototype, I was convinced that my dream was finally within reach, and I enthusiastically made the decision to invest in SkyDrive. Driven by my passion for the first flying car of the future, I obtained my private pilot license. Since then, SkyDrive has conducted successful crewed test flights and applied for type certification, further solidifying my confidence in the team’s ability to make the dream a reality. I eagerly anticipate the exciting adventures that lie ahead in the skies with SD-05.”

Tomohiro Fukuzawa, Founder & CEO of SkyDrive Inc., said “Since we unveiled the design of our SD-05 in September 2022, we have received numerous inquiries, not only from companies but also from private individuals. As we aim to create a future where everyone has access to eVTOLs as their daily transportation, we understand that it is important that we have an option for individuals to own their aircraft. We received inquiries from Mr. Chiba more than once and we are truly grateful that he confirmed the pre-order as the first individual owner right after we decided to receive pre-orders from individuals. We will develop fully automated aircraft in the future and further promote the realization of a society where everyone utilizes the sky for daily transportation.”

SkyDrive did not disclose the terms of the new personal-use preorder agreements, including whether or not they are backed by a down payment. The company has also not revealed the purchase price for the SD-05 vehicle, which it aims to start delivering in 2025.

Why it matters: Owner-operator arrangements for eVTOL aircraft offer private owners access to aerial mobility and true freedom to travel with fewer limitations than those placed on commercial operators. With deliveries starting in 2025, SkyDrive continues to be one of the leading eVTOL makers to market and has built a strong order book and recently secured an additional round of Series C funding.

Source: SkyDrive Press Release

Salt Lake City, UT – Altaport, a leading developer of airport and heliport automation systems, has announced strategic partnerships with market leaders and innovators in the aerial mobility industry to act as a systems integrator for eVTOL vertiports. These partnerships will enable Altaport to combine multiple critical systems into a single platform, facilitating the safe and efficient handling of high-volume ground operations for eVTOL and cargo drones. The collaborations augment Altaport’s existing system functionalities and reflect the company’s commitment to providing comprehensive vertiport management solutions for the future of electric aviation.

Ultimately, Altaport, in partnership with key service providers, aims to build the future of aerial mobility by serving as a platform for collaboration between public and private entities in the advanced air mobility ecosystem for vertiport infrastructure.

To this end, Altaport will develop a VAS (Vertiport Automation System) product, able to be integrated in Vertiports throughout the world.

Altaport has partnered with key market leaders and innovators in the aerial mobility ecosystem, including TruWeather, Electro.Aero, Fortem, 1200.aero, ResilienX, and Moonware. These partnerships will augment Altaport’s existing system functionalities, which include resource scheduling, ground service provisioning, passenger management, and vehicle charging. The new partners bring expertise in areas such as low altitude micro-weather, ADS-B, FOD detection, airspace incursion sensors, ground handling operations, and charging solutions for the electrified future of air mobility.

Said Robert Carroll, Altaport co-founder: “We are pleased to be working side-by-side with our partners to build the future of mobility. The advanced air mobility ecosystem will require massive coordination between sophisticated public and private entities. Altaport, in partnership with key service providers, has an important role to play as a platform for collaboration.”

Altaport’s current digital tools are currently used by heliport and airport managers worldwide to orchestrate ground operations. In addition to the new partnerships, Altaport also has an existing partnership with Volatus to provide the digital components of their vertiport solutions.

With these strategic partnerships, Altaport is well-positioned to continue developing their advanced Vertiport Automation System (VAS) and prepare infrastructure managers to meet the demands of the budding eVTOL aerial mobility industry.

Why it’s important: Altaport’s VAS system, along with its partners’ technologies, will provide essential functionalities for managing high-volume, highly autonomous ground operations at vertiports, including resource scheduling, ground service provisioning, passenger management, and vehicle charging. These partnerships also provide real-time visibility into factors that affect vertiport operations, such as weather, airspace awareness, and system health monitoring. Altaport’s existing deployment in Brazil and upcoming expansion to Latin America and North America lay the foundation for an advanced air mobility ground infrastructure network to support the launch of eVTOL operations.

South Korean Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) developer PLANA, led by CEO Branden J. Kim, has officially established its U.S. branches in Silicon Valley and Irvine, California.

The establishment of these offices is to facilitate the FAA certification process of the company’s AAM aircraft and expand into the global markets. The company will also continue to partner with other American companies to expand the ecosystem for its AAM aircraft.  

FAA certification is a process that verifies the airworthiness of all parts, including design, as well as the type and production qualification of the airframe as a passenger aircraft. In the U.S., electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft are also required to meet the safety standards applicable to large transport class aircraft, and all certification processes must be completed before the product can be marketed and exported to the US and other countries.  

“FAA certification is one of the most important processes for companies in the aerospace industry,” said Braden J. Kim, CEO of PLANA. “With the establishment of the U.S. subsidiary, we plan to increase our interactions in the newly created AAM market as well as FAA certification.”

PLANA is a hybrid-electric AAM aircraft company in South Korea. PLANA is developing an aircraft that uses sustainable aviation fuel in its turbogenerator-based serial hybrid powertrain, and thereby reduces carbon dioxide emissions by more than 80% compared to existing helicopters. Its aircraft can operate over 500km with 5 people including a pilot. The company is currently conducting test flights and verification of a scaled-down aircraft that is 1/5 the size of an actual aircraft and plans to participate in the Grand Challenge (K-UAM) demonstration project conducted by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, and Transport in the second half of this year.

Further, last month PLANA signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with South Korean Low-Cost Carrier (LCC) Jeju Air to create and commercialize an AAM ecosystem.

Related:

• Jeju Island to launch first South Korean air taxi routes by 2025
• Jaunt and MintAir partner to launch aerial mobility service in South Korea

Why it’s important: PLANA acknowledges the criticality of certifying its aircraft in the United States with the FAA, as it will unlock a vast market for commercial AAM operations. This move is a strategic play toward that effort, and will work synergistically with its local efforts to develop an aerial mobility network in popular tourist destinations such as Jeju Island. PLANA is joining two heavily-active areas in the AAM industry in California, with Archer, Wisk, and others based in Silicon Valley, as well as Supernal based in Irvine.

The Association for Uncrewed Vehicle Systems (AUVSI) selected Near Earth Autonomy as an Xcellence in Mission – Humanitarian Award Finalist on April 7th out of a pool of 100 candidates.

The AUVSI Xcellence Awards were held in Pittsburgh, PA to honor individuals and organizations that are innovators in the uncrewed systems industry, with a demonstrated commitment to advancing autonomy, leading and promoting safe adoption of uncrewed systems, and developing programs that use these technologies to save lives and improve the human condition.  

Near Earth develops technology enabling uncrewed aircraft across of various scales to autonomously take off, fly, and land, without requiring GPS. Near Earth partnered with L3Harris to develop a safe and efficient method for autonomous just-in-time, long distance, precise delivery of blood and critical medical supplies to warfighters in contested, unprepared, maritime, and confined environments. 

Near Earth integrated their autonomy technology with the L3Harris FVR-90 fixed-wing, vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) gas-electric hybrid aircraft designed for long endurance flight (12-18 hours), and temperature-regulated blood transportation containers. In test and demonstration events, Near Earth’s system guided aircraft from take-off to hazard avoidance and safe delivery at the point of need. Over 30 autonomous land-based deliveries and 10 ship deck landings have been successfully  completed to date.  

“I’m confident that Near Earth Autonomy’s autonomous blood delivery work will positively impact how we support forward care providers in future military and civilian  settings,” said Nathan Fisher, Division Chief of Medical Robotics and Autonomous Systems at the Telemedicine and Advanced Technology Research Center. “This technology provides a lifeline in austere settings, sustaining life in the critical window between injury and when more advanced care is available.”  

Why it’s important: AUVSI’s recognition of Near Earth Autonomy’s work in the humanitarian space highlights some potential future use cases for the aerial mobility industry, as work is already underway on logistical supporting roles within the medical industry. In the future, air ambulances could also be eVTOL aircraft that feature quicker dispatch times and even possibly reduced crew requirements to increase efficiency of response in the most crucial of medical emergency or evacuation scenarios.

London, UK – Vertical Aerospace, the pioneering British electric aircraft company, has been awarded Design Organisation Approval (DOA) by the UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) for its VX4 eVTOL aircraft. This significant milestone brings Vertical Aerospace one step closer to achieving Type Certification for its cutting-edge aircraft, as the DOA signals the government’s confidence for design of a safe and reliable aircraft.

The DOA is the first of its kind to be granted by the CAA for an eVTOL aircraft, making Vertical Aerospace a trailblazer in the aerial mobility industry. This authorization allows the company to conduct design activities and issue design approvals, demonstrating its commitment to meeting stringent safety and regulatory standards.

In order to obtain the DOA, Vertical Aerospace underwent a comprehensive assessment by the CAA, which evaluated the company’s procedures, quality management system, technical workforce competence, and facilities and equipment. This recognition from the CAA reflects Vertical Aerospace’s dedication to ensuring safety is at the core of its VX4 eVTOL aircraft.

The VX4 is a piloted eVTOL aircraft with a capacity of four passengers and a range of 100+ miles (160km). Vertical Aerospace conducted a successful maiden flight of a prototype VX4 with a tether in September last year, and the current flight test program aims to test higher altitudes, speeds, and the transition from vertical to horizontal flight for the first time.

Stephen Fitzpatrick, the founder and CEO of Vertical Aerospace, expressed his excitement about the DOA, stating, “Vertical is the first British electric aircraft company in history to receive a DOA from the UK aviation regulator. This approval is a critical step forward in our mission to decarbonize air travel and bring the UK’s first electric aircraft to market.”

Vertical Aerospace has also initiated the certification process for the VX4 in Japan, with the Japan Civil Aviation Bureau’s (JCAB) acceptance of the VX4’s validation program. The company has secured 100 VX4 pre-orders through leasing firm Avolon, with Japan Airlines, and 200 pre-orders with Japanese conglomerate Marubeni Corporation.

In addition to working towards Type Certification with the CAA and validations with the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) in the USA, Vertical Aerospace is also in discussions with the National Civil Aviation Agency of Brazil for the VX4’s future validation program.

Paul Harper, Vertical Aerospace’s head of certification, praised the achievement, saying, “Receiving a DOA from the CAA is a huge testament to our team and the hard work we are doing to ensure safety is at the core of the VX4. It represents a significant milestone on our journey to Type Certification and we would like to thank the CAA for their guidance and continued support. I believe that in formally working with JCAB, as the fourth aviation regulator Vertical is committed to certifying with, we are on track for establishing the most detailed understanding of global regulators’ needs and differences for eVTOLs. This will give us a competitive edge in bringing the VX4 into service.”

Vertical Aerospace’s DOA from the CAA, along with its ongoing efforts towards international certifications and partnerships, demonstrates the company’s dedication to leading the way in the development of electric aerial mobility and contribute to the decarbonization of air travel.

Why it’s important:

Vertical Aerospace’s recent Design Organisation Approval (DOA) from the UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) for its VX4 eVTOL aircraft marks a pioneering achievement in the aerial mobility industry, as it is the first of its kind awarded by the CAA for an electric aircraft. The DOA signifies Vertical Aerospace’s capability to design a safe and reliable aircraft, and brings the company closer to achieving Type Certification, a crucial milestone for commercial operation. Vertical Aerospace’s global approach to aerial mobility, as demonstrated by its partnerships with international aviation regulators, highlights its commitment to becoming a leader in the emerging eVTOL market and advancing electric vertical aviation as a sustainable transportation solution.

Volocopter has announced this week the opening of its production facilities in Bruchsal, Germany. The facility includes final assembly lines and area on the airfield to conduct flight tests and pre-delivery quality checks. Volocopter stated in a press release that they have obtained regulatory approvals to produce up to 50 VoloCity aircraft each year.

Volocopter has held a production certificate with EASA since 2021 and the approvals cover the entire VoloCity production process including manufacture of carbon fiber components, assembly of the electric propulsion unit, and final assembly.

The ribbon-cutting ceremony was held on 4 April 2023 at the Bruchsal facility. The event also featured a crewed flight of the Volocopter 2X. Key guests included Dr. Volker Wissing, Federal Minister of Digital Affairs and Transport; Mr. Winfried Kretschmann, Minister of the State of Baden-Württemberg; Dr. Anna Christmann, Federal Government Coordinator for German Aerospace Policy; and upward of 70 business and political representatives.

“Right here is where the aircraft that will change how humanity moves about cities will take off and make its way across the world. This region is known for transforming mobility – the bicycle, the car, and soon Volocopter, too. Electric air taxis and Volocopter in particular is a technology made in Germany that will make the world a more sustainable place,” said Dirk Hoke, CEO of Volocopter.

“Germany is already a world leader in the development of air taxis, thanks in part to Volocopter’s great pioneering spirit. I would like to support and build on this leading role by creating a framework that enables innovation and progress. We are working with key industry players on a strategy for air taxi operations here in Germany, in which all technical and legal issues are addressed without delay. We are doing this so that the first drones carrying people and goods can take off very soon,” said Dr. Volker Wissing, Federal Minister of Digital and Transport.

Volocopter will spend the next month fully ramping up operations at the new production facility and expects to start offering commercial flight services in 2024.

Why it matters: Volocopter is advancing ahead of the competition with full scale assembly lines and production certificates to manufacture its Volocity eVTOL. While a long road is ahead for full vehicle certification and entry into service, Volocopter has made significant progress and appears on track for commercial operations next year.

Source: VoloCopter Press Release