Transportation, property and progress, insights for a better future
The tide that's coming is one that can lift all boats
Thank you to all my new and existing readers, your support is greatly appreciated. I hope you enjoy this weeks newsletter. As always to reach out and find out more about what we’re building, email me at jonathan@skytrades.io or find me on Twitter @droneevtol
Economic growth is driven by innovation. However, the presence of special interest groups within a society can lead to the creation of economic "rigidities," which stifle competition and innovation. - Mancur Olson
It’s possible that we can have drones and air taxis for our mundane needs. To move to and from meetings and get our groceries and medicine delivered. Then using various modes of transport to enjoy the world around us, trains, bicycles, boats and balloons. Comfy cars on open roads for trips as many cars will have been taken off the road with the use of drones and air taxis, freeing up space for us to spread our wings. To do this low altitude air space needs to be brought into the eco-system.
Removing the fuel but leaving the machine
By 2035 Europe are banning diesel and petrol cars. In the US multiple states have pledged to ban the sale of gas cars. At the same time governments are promoting electrical vehicles. Will adding more cars to our roads stop the climate changing? But in adding to the gridlock and frustration of the road networks it seems like we are missing a trick and it’s more a sideways step than a step change. When transport can change us and the world in many deeper ways we need to think bigger and make the cars fly.
“One believes things because one has been conditioned to believe them.”
- A Brave New World - Aldous Huxley
Changing the world for the better
There are multiple examples of transportation bringing people out of poverty. Access to reliable and efficient transportation can have a significant impact on people's ability to access education, healthcare, and job opportunities, which can help lift them out of poverty. If people are fortunate enough to have good levels of educational access, healthcare and job opportunities a new dawn of transport can further boost their lives.
The horse-drawn carriage became a popular mode of transport for the wealthy in the 17th century. As roads improved and the cost of owning and maintaining a carriage decreased, it became more accessible to the middle and lower classes in the 18th and 19th centuries. As access to low altitude air space is enabled drone delivery and flying cars will become accessible to many.
In the late 1990s, Bogotá implemented a bus rapid transit system called TransMilenio. This system provided a reliable and affordable transportation option for low-income residents who previously had to rely on overcrowded and unreliable buses. The system reduced travel times, increasing access to job opportunities, and improved economic conditions for residents.
In the 1980s and 1990s, China invested heavily in building rural roads, which helped to connect remote villages to larger towns and cities. This investment had a significant impact on poverty reduction, as it allowed farmers to transport their goods to market more easily and access education and healthcare services in nearby towns.
Motorbike taxis, or boda bodas, have become a popular transportation option in Uganda, especially in rural areas where other modes of transportation are limited. This has created job opportunities for many young men who previously had few economic prospects, and has also improved access to healthcare services and educational opportunities.
Seven years ago in 2016, Rwanda's government hired Zipline to establish drone delivery of blood to health facilities in the country. While there was a mix of admiration and skepticism, the strategy has been successful, and investing in drone-based transportation has significantly improved responsiveness to blood deliveries and hospital blood management. Marie Nisingizwe and colleagues conducted a review of the 12,733 blood product orders delivered by drones to 20 hospitals in Rwanda over 32 months.
The results showed that drone-based transportation of blood was significantly better than road-based transportation in terms of responsiveness and hospital blood management. The turnaround times from request to delivery were impressive, and there was a 67% reduction in blood product expirations at the hospitals.
Smaller countries and nation states will leapfrog the larger ones when it comes to urban air mobility if the larger slower incumbent countries don’t adapt. In the same way smaller start-ups disrupt and break the strangle hold of older more risk averse companies. Their size and return requirements preclude them going all in on the new in favour of the old.
London calling
The London Underground, aka The Tube, is a rapid transit system serving London and its suburbs. In 1863 the first underground railway in the world, the Metropolitan Railway, opened between Paddington and Farringdon. Less than thirty years later with multiple lines and stations built in 1890 the first electric trains were introduced on the City and South London Railway.
A network spanning the city, giving low cost access to millions drew people into London for commerce and trade. Strengthening the city and cementing it, at that time, as one of the most powerful cities in world. Without the drive and ability to put in a fully functioning and cost effective transport system would have left London as a backwater.
It is worth remembering that the governments of today are largely hamstrung when it comes to massive, life changing transportation projects. There are multiple and complex reasons for this, poor regulation or good regulation thats now old. Bad management, good management held back, politics and whatever you choose to throw in the mix. It falls to entrepreneurs to solve the problems and find the wedges to allow us to grow at the pace we were once able to operate at.
US Unmanned Aerial Vehicle R&D
Senators Mark Warner and John Hoeven have submitted a legislative proposal aimed at bolstering the research and development of unmanned aerial systems (UAS) technologies across the US UAS test sites. This move is set to extend the authorization of the Federal Aviation Administration's (FAA) UAS test sites for an additional five years, all the way through to 2028.
The legislation specifically seeks to authorize research grants via the FAA, earmarked for the purpose of validating or demonstrating technology that is related to the integration of UAS in the national airspace system (NAS). Moreover, in order to receive such grants, the recipient would need to have a contractual arrangement in place with an FAA UAS test site.
In addition to these provisions, the proposed bill has highlighted several key research areas that need to be focused on, including the detection and avoidance capabilities of UAS, the operation of multiple unmanned aircraft systems, beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) operations, unmanned systems traffic management, command and control, and UAS safety standards.
Florida & China
Florida government agencies can no longer use DJI drones due to a new law that went into effect. This law prohibits the use of drones from foreign countries of concern, which means DJI. Law enforcement agencies are unhappy about this and must switch to drones on Florida’s approved list, which includes Skydio, Parrot, Altavian, Teal Drones, and Vantage Robotics. Some officers argue that DJI drones are reliable and safe for their professional needs. However, the ban is in place due to concerns about Chinese-made drones posing a cybersecurity risk.
Phoenix Smoothies in the Sky
Flyby, a Los Angeles-based drone delivery startup, has raised $4m in pre-seed funding to develop its technology and expand its reach. The company, which was founded in 2020 by engineers from Yale University, NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory and Anduril, a defence contractor, is testing its autonomous drone delivery technology in Phoenix, Arizona. Flyby is partnering with three restaurant brands; Nekter Juice Bar, Mad Greens and Tokyo Joe’s, to deliver food within a 1 mile radius of the pilot area. Flyby's drones can deliver meals in an average of under four minutes, for a flat fee of $3.
Flyby’s drones are built to be gentle on packages, making them ideal for transporting fragile items such as smoothies. However, they are currently only operating at Level 3 autonomy, meaning they still require human oversight. The company aims to achieve Level 4 autonomy, which would allow for even less human intervention, with the help of its new funding. The investment round was led by MaC Venture Capital, with participation from Anthemis, Evening Fund, and Weekend Fund, as well as individual investors.
Vertiports for Dubai
Foster + Partners, the renowned British architecture firm, has revealed the concept design for a Skyports Infrastructure vertiport terminal adjacent to Dubai International Airport (DXB). It is part of a larger vision for a network of electric vertical take off and landing (eVTOL) infrastructure that will connect Dubai's most popular and populous areas.
They created a terminal that integrates seamlessly with existing transportation hubs, including the RTA's Dubai Metro network and Dubai International Airport. The DXB vertiport is one of four locations currently being considered by Skyports Infrastructure and Dubai's Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) as part of this ambitious vision. The conceptual vertiport connects with Dubai International Airport and the Dubai Metro, providing seamless, sustainable travel across the city for both international and domestic passengers.
The RTA and Skyports Infrastructure aim to develop the network of vertiports for air taxi services by 2026, providing high-speed, zero-emissions travel that integrates seamlessly with Dubai's existing transportation infrastructure. As the world continues to explore new forms of mobility, the DXB vertiport terminal serves as an exciting glimpse into a more sustainable and innovative future.
We don’t want faster horses
We now look at transportation as done, not something to do. Quangos have sprung up, arbitrary rules and regulations have slowed down innovation and what we are left with is versions of the same thing we had in the 1800s. Just look at the designs of the top selling cars today, you can hardly see the difference and there is barely a difference between the technologies, in spite of the best funded marketing trying to convince us otherwise.
We have the opportunity to take to skies in a meaningful way again, to get our flying cars, bring communities accessible medicines, grow property values and make a real impact on our sustainability ambitions. At SkyTrades we align incentives to make this happen. For more information email me jonathan@skytrades.io.
