It’s a chicken and egg scenario – which comes first, the vertiport or the passenger eVTOL business? Who’s going to invest in the vertiport infrastructure required to get the business off the ground? The vertiport version of a pre-fab tiny house could provide the answer.
by DRONELIFE Staff Writer Ian M. Crosby
Skyportz and Australia-based Electro.Aero announced their formation of a partnership for the joint development of a “vertiport in a box” turn-key solution designed for smaller property sites.
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“The focus in the industry to date has been on larger vertiports located at existing airports. This is the low hanging fruit which will form the essential backbone of an Advanced Air Mobility ecosystem. However, if this industry is to reach its potential we need to break the nexus between aviation and airports and let private property owners develop their own vertiports,” said Skyportz CEO Clem Newton-Brown, speaking from the Revolution Aero conference in Dublin. “At Skyportz we are focusing on affordable options that property developers can incorporate right now into new developments or retrofit into existing buildings. We will soon be releasing a beautiful tiny modular vertiport building that can be delivered to site in a shipping container, and assembled without heavy equipment, complete with a high powered battery bank and charger with solar panels.”
Currently, vertiports requiring big investments are not worth the cost due to the lack of certified aircraft or immediate business model. However, the Skyportz system will provide immediate value upon installation. Its battery pack and solar panels can be leveraged to power the host building, and the vertiport building can be utilized for other purposes prior to aircraft certification.
It is widely thought to be too early to obtain Government approvals for vertiport use, as the standards are still being developed. Aside from display sites, no Government has yet established any rules or regulations regarding vertiports anywhere in the world.
“Skyportz will be getting our network of vertiports and battery packs established now with enthusiastic property owners who will come back later for an aviation use permit. In the meantime they will have developed sustainable power storage and a vertiport building that could be used as a cafe or meeting room”, said Newton-Brown.
The company will announce additional partners following the release of their modular design later this year, including weather data, air traffic management systems, booking services and aviation operators.
“We will offer a complete solution for property owners to activate their sites for aviation. And as a modular, fully transportable system we will be able to supply any global market with our partners at Electro.Aero,” said Newton-Brown. “The key to this industry is breaking the nexus between aviation and existing airports. We need to develop a network of new vertiport sites if the industry is to reach its potential and Skyportz is readying the landscape to partner with infrastructure investors.”
Specializing in battery charging and power storage, Electro.Aero’s systems will be compatible with all electric air taxis, while also providing the host building with sustainable power.
“Electro.Aero is proud to be Skyportz’s supplier of choice for electric aircraft charging infrastructure at their vertiports’, said Richard Charlton, CEO of Electro.Aero “As the world leader in aircraft charging technology, Electro.Aero supplies high powered, mobile aircraft chargers suitable for heavy duty eVTOL and fixed wing operations. Electro.Aero also supplies advanced containerized battery systems to power the chargers, ensuring rapid and consistent recharge times between sorties.”
Read more:
- AAM and Vertiports in Australia: Skyportz and Pelligra Partner
- Urban Air Mobility Infrastructure: Skyportz Closes Funding Raise, Australia Releases $18 M for AAM
- Skyportz Modular Vertiport Design: Company Seeks Property Partnerships Around the World
- Skyportz Reveals Stunning Design for Australia’s First Electric Air Taxi Vertiport
- Air Taxi Infrastructure: Skyportz Announces First Australian Air Taxi Hub Will Serve Brisbane Olympics
Ian attended Dominican University of California, where he received a BA in English in 2019. With a lifelong passion for writing and storytelling and a keen interest in technology, he is now contributing to DroneLife as a staff writer.
Miriam McNabb is the Editor-in-Chief of DRONELIFE and CEO of JobForDrones, a professional drone services marketplace, and a fascinated observer of the emerging drone industry and the regulatory environment for drones. Miriam has penned over 3,000 articles focused on the commercial drone space and is an international speaker and recognized figure in the industry. Miriam has a degree from the University of Chicago and over 20 years of experience in high tech sales and marketing for new technologies.
For drone industry consulting or writing, Email Miriam.
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