Page 30 - AAA March / April 2024 Digital Magazine | GBP

patents are U.S. com- Urban Air Traffic Management
panies Joby Aviation,
Wisk Aero, and Beta
Air. As the range of
most eVTOL proto-
types that are being
developed is inad-
equate to support
intercity and other
such longer-distance
flights, the industry is
searching for solutions continued to make progress in
that would extend the
operational range of
air taxis.
Propulsion and energy systems
lead in the volume of patent
filings over the last two years.
With noise pollution being one
of the main barriers for public
acceptance of AAM, there is also
a push for quieter propulsion
systems.
U.S.-based Beta Technologies
is developing a comprehensive
shared charging network to
answer the need for eVTOLs to
quickly recharge or swap energy Asia Pacific region, there have
sources; Archer Aviation has pur- been continued investments and in Singapore and the Asia-
chased several units of BETA’s
interoperable and multimodal
fast-charging system, which
employs the Combined Charging done. AAM infrastructure is
System (CCS) utilized by top
electric aviation OEMs. BETA’s
charging systems are in use at
14 locations across the east-
ern U.S and development work
is underway to install them at
another 55 locations along with
East and Gulf Coasts, as well
as at Archer’s flight test facil-
ities in California. Meanwhile,
Embraer’ Eve Air Mobility has
developed Vector, an agnostic
30 | MARCH - APRIL 2024
(Urban ATM) software solution
for fleet and vertiport operators,
and future service providers,
including Air Navigation Service
Providers (ANSPs).
Busy Asian Scene
There is plenty of activity in
the Asia Pacific region as well.
As early as in 2019, Skyports
collaborated with Volocopter in
launching a vertiport prototype
in Singapore. Skyports has
the region, including a collabo-
ration with AirAsia to study air
taxi infrastructure development
in Malaysia. Japanese vertiport
startup, Skyscape, recently
announced plans to develop
an ‘Integrated Aviation Centre’,
which will be among the first
vertiport facilities in the coun-
try. In South Korea, Volatus
Infrastructure has been part-
nering with local firms for AAM
infrastructure development.
Infrastructure development for
AAM is gaining significant trac-
tion around the globe, says Alan
Lim, Director, Alton Aviation
Consulting in Singapore. “In the
partnerships in AAM infrastruc-
ture by various stakeholders.
However, more still must be
not just about vertiports. The
urban air traffic management
system as well as the rules
and policies that govern AAM
flights within urban areas need
consideration.”
A Slice of History
In October last year, Chinese
eVTOl company Ehang obtained February that it had completed
Civil Aviation Administration of
China (CAAC) type certification
for its EH216-S, making it the
first eVTOL aircraft in the world
with such an approval. The
company is yet to start commer-
cial operations of its self-flying,
two-passenger aircraft. The cer-
tification will allow the company
to not only start commercial
service but also independently
design, develop, and manufac-
ture aircraft. The EH216-S has
a 22 sm (19 nm) range, 80 mph
cruise speed, and a maximum
payload of 485 pounds.
At the Singapore Airshow earlier
this year, Hyundai Motor Group’s
Advanced Air Mobility (AAM)
company Supernal inked two
Memoranda of Understanding
(MOU), one with the Singapore
Economic Development Board
(EDB) and the other with
the Civil Aviation Authority of
Singapore (CAAS), to develop
AAM capabilities and expertise
Pacific region. The company,
which unveiled S-A2, its eVTOL
concept in January this year,
recently made news by appoint-
ing former NASA director David
McBride as the company’s Chief
Technology Officer (CTO).
In Pole Position
After using its eVTOL for New
York City’s inaugural electric air
taxi flight on November 12 last
year, Joby Aviation announced in
the third of five stages of the
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