Flying cars accelerating effects
A global market opportunity
There are powerful reasons to care about flying cars and Unmanned Aerial Vehicles(UAVs). These stretch from growing global GDP to saving lives by increasing the availability of medicines and vital products to those in need.
One area that is interesting to consider is the use of energy. The advances in Electrical Vehicles(EVs) on the roads is helpful in reducing diesel, gas and petrol consumption, which is a goal of many. If electrical cars are part of a solution then flying electrical cars are 10X ground EVs.
Rather than more cars on clogged highways and cities, (albeit with batteries) drones and flying cars will take stress out of the creaking road system for all of us. Do we really need to spend time debating if we should add more lanes to our highways, spending billions of tax dollars and taking space from everyone while double charging us for the privilege through congestion charges when we have square miles of air space available?
If the goal is to increase Electrical Vehicle usage which it appears to be, flying cars must be part of the solution. Getting more people in Europe and the US to use them is good. However, other countries can tip the balance faster and in some cases leap frog the US and Europe with faster, sensible legislation and innovative governments. Developing countries who don’t have old phone networks are not looking to put in 1870's technology from The Bell Telephone Company before they put in 5G technology! The same will be true for leapfrogging flying cars. Transportation and mobility is the key to unlocking growth as we have been shown time and again.
(lexica)
India A Country Of 1.4 Billion People
India has an urban air mobility sector which is gathering pace. With the average Indian commuter spending 1.5 more hours daily than those in other Asian cities, costing cities $22 billion a year, solutions like urban air mobility (UAM) are high in demand.
Morgan Stanley predicts the global UAV market will reach $1.5 trillion by 2040.
Bengaluru based Bumble Bee Flights raised $37 million in Dec 2022 for its human carrying prototype, expected to launch in April 2023, and to build an assembly plant for air taxis that can be used for travel, logistics, and air ambulances.
New Delhi's Hunch Ventures and NY's Blade Urban Air Mobility formed Blade India, offering helicopter services in Maharashtra, Karnataka, and Goa, and plans to use electric vertical aircrafts. With the Indian urban population at 35.9% and growing. India's urban air mobility market is vast, with applications ranging from travel and medicine to emergency services and e-commerce companies relying on drones for deliveries. Factor in what the rising tide would bring with peoples underutilised air rights being brought into the equation and growth on a massive scale is inevitable.
(researchmatters.in)
In Australia
A UAV manufacturer Carbonix has partnered with H3 Dynamics to develop and produce a hydrogen-powered eVTOL unmanned aircraft system. Carbonix specialises in advanced composite manufacturing, aerostructure design and control systems, while H3 Dynamics has 15 years of experience in hydrogen UAV technology. The use of hydrogen will allow for increased flight duration and support long-distance inspection applications, making it attractive for BVLOS drone operators. The hydrogen-powered eVTOL will be the first to use H3 Dynamics' hydrogen-electric nacelle tech and will free up fuselage volume for aerial deliveries. Australia is likely to be the first to use hydrogen-powered drones for remote deliveries and surveying. H3 Dynamics' plan is to increase the size of hydrogen airframes every year with the ultimate goal of flying passenger-scale aircraft.
(carbonix)
In Japan & Vietnam
Sky Drive an eVTOL manufacturer and Pacific Group, a renewable energy and investment firm have entered into a MOU to pre-order 10 of SkyDrive's SD-05 flying vehicles, with an option to pre-order up to 90 more. The two companies will also collaborate to assess the potential use of the SD-05 in the Vietnamese market and to explore sustainable mobility solutions.
The SD-05 aims to offer a new way of moving around for the Vietnamese market and to help address the traffic congestion problems and greenhouse gas emissions.
Pacific Group's Executive President and Founder, Le Ngoc Anh Minh, said "Vietnam has committed to reaching net-zero emissions by 2050, and we see a clear need for eVTOL vehicles in big cities like Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi.”
SkyDrive is also working toward obtaining certificate for the SD-05 from Japan's Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport, and Tourism and is preparing to showcase the SD-05 during the World Exposition Osaka, Kansai in 2025. The SD-05 has a projected range of around 10 km and a maximum cruise speed of 100 km/h, though these specifications are subject to change as development continues.
(playgroundai.com)
One Personal eVTOL
Air's 155-mph-top-speed two-seater named One is a personal electrical vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) vehicle that they are selling as a daily commuter vehicle for people with a pilot’s license. The Israeli company, who are moving to the US applied in January to start the process of obtaining a certificate with the FAA.
While others are launching personal eVTOLs to market under the FAA’s light-sport aircraft category. This classification allows manufacturers to bypass the regulator’s safety certification review. Air sees value in obtaining the FAA’s stamp of approval.
The company’s One eVTOL has eight electric motors, driving eight rotors, and no other moving parts. The eVTOL has four completely separate power systems and four batteries. Each battery is connected to two motors.
Air say that transitioning to cruising in this aircraft is simpler than in other more complex eVTOL that we usually see as air taxis. They don’t have any moving components other than the spinning motors. They don’t have any control surfaces. They don’t tilt any motors. They even have fixed pitch propellers.
The company also wants its eVTOL to have the look and feel of a supercar. The One aircraft can be recharged from 0% to 100% within an hour and from 20% to 80% within 30 min. The company says the eVTOL can be stored in most garages and driveways, and moved by trailer. The company has about 300 preorders from customers. Air is planning first deliveries of its aircraft by 2024.
(The Times of Israel)
Fast Charging Flying Cars
Lithium-ion battery company Ionblox has recently raised $32 million with the help of partners including Lilium, Applied Ventures, Temasek, and Catalus Capital. The company aims to use the funding to expand its technology and produce advanced high-power cells for electric aviation and fast-charge cells for electric vehicles.
Ionblox's batteries are developed using high-performance lithium-ion cells with pre-lithiated silicon dominant anodes, which the company claims enable a 50% higher energy density, five times more power, and a fast charge of just 10 minutes compared to conventional lithium-ion cells. The company has received a development contract from the United States Advanced Battery Consortium to develop low-cost, fast-charge electric vehicle batteries, which have been verified by Idaho National Lab. The funding from this round will allow the company to set up its own cell manufacturing in key markets, including the US.
The benefits of this technology for advancing countries are clear. By increasing the energy density and power of batteries for electric vehicles, there will be a greater ability to store more energy in a smaller space, allowing for longer driving ranges and reducing the need for frequent charging stops. The fast charging capability of Ionblox's batteries will also make electric vehicles more convenient to use.
Can The US Unleash It’s Economic Potential?
Recently in the US, Senators Mark R. Warner and John Thune have introduced bi-partisan legislation aimed at streamlining the approval process for beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) drone flights. Currently, UAV operators must seek waivers from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) for each aircraft and each BVLOS operation. The FAA has not laid out any consistent criteria for the granting of waivers, making the process slow and unpredictable, slowing progress for all of us. The Increasing Competitiveness for American Drones Act of 2023 will require the FAA to issue a new rule allowing BVLOS operations under certain circumstances, and establish a “risk methodology” to determine what level of regulatory scrutiny is required. This and landowners securing their air rights is a large step in the right direction to growth in a new market.
It’s only a matter of time before parties outside of DC aviation circles notice the commercial prospects of airspace markets. In the next few years, as drone delivery programs expand, linear property owners and rights-of-way managers – railroads, telecoms, utility companies, municipalities, and REITs – will wake up to the possibility of generating passive income from their currently unused air rights. - Brent Skorup
By opening up new markets for air rights we can increase GDP and create large numbers of new job opportunities. Aviation, without the compounding effects of UAVs, accounts for >5% of US GDP alone. The idea of air rights is rooted in the concept of vertical expansion - the utilization of airspace. Through the sale, lease and transfer of air rights, municipalities and property owners can have an additional source of revenue. Enabling new technologies and UAVs will bring a wave of new growth which will benefit all of us. Timing is everything and at SkyTrades we are building a system for air rights. For those adventurous enough to go on the journey from zero to one, you can reach me at jonathan@skytrades.io
jonathan@skytrades.io