Tag: urban (Page 2 of 5)

Eve Partners with Porsche Consulting on eVTOL Global Manufacturing and Logistics

June 1, 2022 / WIL BALDWIN

São José dos Campos, SP, Brazil – May 31, 2022 – Eve Holding, Inc. (NYSE: EVEX), a leader in the development of next-generation Urban Air Mobility (“UAM”) solutions and a carve-out from Embraer S.A. (NYSE: ERJ), announced today that it has chosen Porsche Consulting, Inc. to help define the eVTOL (electric vertical take-off and landing) supply chain, global manufacturing and logistics macro strategy.

Considering advanced manufacturing research and innovation, the companies will combine their aeronautic and automotive expertise to support Eve’s implementation plan. The master services agreement that has been entered into by and between the companies includes studies on industrial operation, logistics, supply chain and parts distribution in an unprecedented approach optimized for efficiency, productivity and safety.

The study will address scalability and distributed production as the UAM market evolves to meet projected demand. While digital transformation generates new possibilities for the industry’s use of more agile technologies focusing on business and sustainability goals, comprehensive network solutions are under consideration to meet unique industry needs.

Eve and Sydney Seaplanes Partner to Bring UAM Services to Australia

December 6, 2021 / WIL BALDWIN

Melbourne, Florida, December 6, 2021 – Eve Urban Air Mobility Solutions (Eve), an Embraer (NYSE: ERJ) company, and Sydney Seaplanes, a leader in the transition to sustainable aviation, today announced a partnership that will lay the foundation for new electric air taxi operations in Greater Sydney. With the partnership, Sydney Seaplanes has placed an order for 50 of Eve’s electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft (eVTOL), with progressive deliveries expected to commence from 2026.

The new partnership accelerates the progress towards 100% of greater Sydney’s local tourism and commuter flights coming from zero emission electric aviation.

Benefitting from a startup mindset and backed by Embraer’s more than 50-year history of aircraft manufacturing and certification expertise, Eve unveils a unique value proposition by positioning itself as an ecosystem partner by offering a suite of products and services with the highest levels of safety standards. Eve’s human-centered, eVTOL design combines disruptive innovation and a simple and intuitive design. In addition to the aircraft program, Eve is harnessing the expertise of both Embraer and Atech, a subsidiary of the Embraer Group, in providing globally recognized air traffic management software to create the solutions that will help safely scale the UAM industry going forward.

Embraer Eve and Wideroe Zero Work on Innovative Air Mobility Solutions for Scandinavia

November 10, 2021 / WIL BALDWIN

Glasgow, Scotland, November 10, 2021 – Embraer (NYSE: ERJ) incubator Eve Urban Air Mobility Solutions, Inc. (Eve), an Embraer company, and Wideroe Zero signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU). This partnership aims to develop Urban Air Mobility (UAM) solutions, with a focus on deployment of eVtol operations in Scandinavia.

The relationship between the two organizations began in 2017, when Wideroe signed an order for up to 15 E190-E2. The largest regional airline in Scandinavia is also the launch customer of the new generation E-Jets E2 family, starting the E190-E2 operations in April 2018 in Bergen, Norway.

Now, with the creation of the Air Mobility Business Incubator, Wideroe Zero, the companies will use Eve’s zero-emission and low noise footprint eVTOL vehicle to develop a new concept of operation where passengers will experience the future of electric transportation and a new model of sustainable mobility, connecting people living in a sparsely populated region and challenging geography.

As part of this collaboration, Wideroe Zero will contribute to a market readiness exercise and a vehicle concept of operation study in Scandinavia, furthering Eve’s development of the UAM market in the region.

Eve’s Urban Air Mobility Simulation in Rio de Janeiro Starts in November

October 26, 2021 / WIL BALDWIN

Story from embraer.com

São José dos Campos – Brazil, October 26, 2021 – Embraer’s (NYSE: ERJ) Eve Air Mobility will begin an Urban Air Mobility (UAM) simulation on November 8th, connecting Barra da Tijuca to the Tom Jobim International Airport – RIOgaleão. The initiative, which will use a helicopter, will be carried out in cooperation with strategic partners and government entities.

The evaluation of the entire UAM ecosystem and the main concepts related to future operations will last a month, with six daily flights at a more affordable cost than a conventional helicopter service. The simulation applies prices close to those expected in the future for an electric vertical take-off and landing aircraft (eVTOL), also known in the market as an Electric Vertical Aircraft (EVA).

Tickets went on sale today on Flapper, an independent platform for on-demand flights. The service is available on www.flyflapper.com.br or in the Flapper app. The aircraft will be operated on the route by Helisul Aviação, one of the largest helicopter operators in Latin America. Universal Aviation, a global airport services company, will run ground operations. The concessionaire, RIOgaleão, and the Mario Henrique Simonsen Business Center (CEMHS) complete the partnership as the points of origin and destination, related to the experience.

The UAM industry intends to democratize access to the new air transport system using disruptive innovations and more affordable prices. Eve’s aircraft, scheduled to reach the market in 2026, will be all-electric and designed with a focus on users, to provide efficient and comfortable transport with low noise levels and zero carbon emissions.

The simulation is part of a concept of operation (CONOPS), started in August 2021 in Rio de Janeiro, aiming to integrate Urban Air Mobility into Brazilian airspace. More than 50 specialists from 12 institutions are collaborating on the innovative initiative, mapping the operation and service processes to identify the needs of users, the community, and other stakeholders.

The simulation, which will be monitored by the National Civil Aviation Agency (ANAC) and the Department of Airspace Control (DECEA), has the support of Skyports, focused on the design, construction, and operation of vertiports; EDP, one of the largest companies in the energy sector; Beacon, the platform from EmbraerX, designed to connect industry resources, the aftermarket supply chain and aviation professionals in a more agile way; and Atech, the company responsible for the development, implementation, and support of the Embraer Group’s air traffic flow control and management systems (civil and military).

Airbus Reveals the Next Generation of CityAirbus

September 21, 2021 / WIL BALDWIN

Toulouse, France 21 September 2021 – Airbus (OTC: EADSY) has announced plans for a new CityAirbus at the Company’s first #AirbusSummit on “Pioneering Sustainable Aerospace” as the emerging Urban Air Mobility (UAM) market begins firming up. Ushering in the next generation of CityAirbus, the fully electric vehicle is equipped with fixed wings, a V-shaped tail, and eight electrically powered propellers as part of its uniquely designed distributed propulsion system. It is designed to carry up to four passengers in a zero emissions flight in multiple applications.

CityAirbus is being developed to fly with a 80 km range and to reach a cruise speed of 120 km/h, making it perfectly suited for operations in major cities for a variety of missions.

Sound levels are a key factor for an urban mission; Airbus’ extensive expertise in noise-friendly designs is driving CityAirbus’ sound levels below 65 dB(A) during fly-over and below 70 dB(A) during landing. It is optimized for hover and cruise efficiency, while not requiring moving surfaces or tilting parts during transition. The CityAirbus NextGen meets the highest certification standards (EASA SC-VTOL Enhanced Category). Designed with simplicity in mind, CityAirbus NextGen will offer best-in-class economic performance in operations and support.

Airbus is benefitting from years of dedicated research, innovation, two electric Vertical Takeoff and Landing (eVTOL) demonstrators, and development on sound technology across its portfolio of products, as well as decades of experience in certifying aircraft. The Vahana and CityAirbus demonstrators have jointly conducted 242 flight and ground tests and have flown around 1,000 km in total. Furthermore, Airbus has used extensive subscale flight testing and wind tunnel campaigns and has leveraged its computing and modelling power. CityAirbus NextGen is in a detailed design phase right now and the prototype’s first flight is planned for 2023.

Beyond the vehicle, Airbus is working with partners, cities, and city inhabitants in order to create the ecosystem that is essential to enabling this new operating environment to emerge in a true service to society.

Embraer Eve and Helipass Partner to Expand UAM Operations in France and Beyond

September 20, 2021 / WIL BALDWIN

Melbourne, Florida, September 20, 2021 – Embraer (NYSE: ERJ) Eve Urban Air Mobility Solutions and Helipass, SAS, today announced a new collaboration to accelerate and deploy electrical vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft, also known in the market as EVA (Electrical Vertical Aircraft), across France and Europe. The partnership aims to fly Eve’s electric aircraft for a total of 50,000 flight hours per year. This could lead to an optional increase of 100,000 annual flight hours across Helipass’ network.

Helipass plans to open digital bookings on its platform to offer an innovative and seamless user experience to customers throughout its network. To support the expansion of this partnership, Eve will work with Helipass to develop training, on-site support, and technical publications to facilitate the launch of EVA commercial operations.

Following the commercial introduction of the EVA, which is planned for 2026, both companies will endeavor to launch Eve’s EVA aircraft across Helipass’ markets. These flights will include sightseeing, city and airport transfers, as well as a growing on-demand service.

Both parties will look into growing the service beyond this agreement to include additional use cases, as well as the requisite services needed to support the scalability of Urban Air Mobility (UAM) products in Helipass’ core markets.

Honeywell Technology For Drones Increases Range With Hydrogen Fuel Cells

August 18, 2021 / WIL BALDWIN

PHOENIX, Aug. 18, 2021 /PRNewswire/ — Honeywell (NASDAQ: HON) is developing a new technology suite for light drones that allows them to fly three times longer and with less human intervention. Compared with traditional drones using batteries and line-of-sight radio links, drones equipped with Honeywell’s Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) technologies can fly farther, carry more weight, avoid hazards up to three kilometers away and stream video of their progress anywhere in the world.

Honeywell’s BVLOS (pronounced bev-loss) systems are ideal for missions where distance or terrain interfere with radio links or visual guidance. Applications include last-mile package delivery, military intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, pipeline and power line inspection, search and rescue, or use by first responders.

The technologies draw upon Honeywell’s decades of experience building and certifying avionics, engines, and APUs for airplanes, helicopters and military drones.

The BVLOS suite comprises:

Honeywell’s 600-watt and 1200-watt hydrogen fuel cells
Honeywell’s RDR-84K multipurpose radar
Honeywell’s inertial measurement units (IMUs)
Honeywell’s UAV Satcom – the world’s smallest and lightest satellite transceiver

The fuel cells in the BVLOS suite operate three times longer than batteries with equivalent output. They work silently, unlike gasoline engines, and emit no greenhouse gases. Operators can refuel or swap hydrogen tanks in minutes, enabling more time in the air.

Honeywell’s RDR-84K is a phased-array radar that steers beams electronically, meaning it has no moving parts and requires minimal maintenance. It also requires no heavy cooling systems.

In addition to avoiding other aircraft, the radar can detect obstacles, map terrain and identify landing zones. It can act as a radar altimeter and provide mapping for alternate navigation if GPS guidance fails.

The BVLOS suite will allow drone designers to combine data in clever new ways to save weight and power. Its radar computes an avoidance path using built-in circuitry, rather than requiring a separate processor. Its satellite uplink can be used to download real-time weather and traffic reports from other drones.

Honeywell’s UAV Satcom and IMUs are available now, with some IMU models priced as low as $1,800. The RDR-84K and fuel cells are in late-stage development, and prototype fuel cells are available for purchase and evaluation now.

Embraer’s Eve and Kenya Airways Partner on the Future of Urban Air Mobility

August 12, 2021 / WIL BALDWIN

Eve Urban Air Mobility Solutions (“Eve”) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Kenya Airways PLC, the flag carrier of Kenya, through its fully owned subsidiary Fahari Aviation. This collaboration aims to develop operational models for the wide-accessibility of Urban Air Mobility (UAM) to support Fahari Aviation’s key markets. In addition, this partnership will establish the co-creation of a foundation of concepts and procedures to safely scale electrical vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft, also known in the market as EVA (Electrical Vertical Aircraft).

Eve will support Fahari Aviation, the Unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) division of Kenya Airways that promotes safe and secure UAS usage in the region, in establishing its UAM network and collaborate on the required Urban Air Traffic Management (UATM) procedures and UAM operating environment. This partnership will also allow Fahari Aviation to support Eve’s aircraft and product development process which will help guide the integration of UAM with Kenya Airways’ overall operations. Eve’s fully electric aircraft is designed to be accessible to all while being a community-friendly aircraft with a low noise signature and no emissions. It aims to drastically cut road travel time. It is ideally suited as a UAM aircraft bringing all traditional aviation travelers closer to their final destination efficiently and comfortably.

The partnership will deliver a robust strategy to provide Fahari Aviation’s passengers with a sustainable, accessible, and affordable transportation option. It is estimated that using UAM from the airport to downtown, EVA can reduce conventional road trips by up to 90% turning an hour and a half ride into a 6-minute flight.

Alstom Leads Way for Automated Train Operation in Stuttgart Network

July 6, 2021 / WIL BALDWIN

Alstom (OTC: ALSMY) has signed a contract with Germany’s Baden-Wuerttemberg State Institute for Rail Vehicles (SFBW) to retrofit 118 regional trains with the European Train Control System (ETCS) Automatic Train Operation (ATO) digital signalling technology. Part of the Stuttgart Digital Node lighthouse project, the contract is valued at approximately 130 million euro¹ and includes an innovation cooperation agreement software maintenance contract and a contract for further maintenance.

In addition to the recently announced S-Bahn project, the new retrofit project covers 118 trains that SFBW operates on the high-traffic Stuttgart network. The trains come from several different suppliers and will be upgraded with the European Train Control System (ETCS) Level 2 and 3 as well as Automatic Train Operation (ATO) level 2 (GoA2) technology. The initial upgrade project will be completed by 2024 and the subsequent upgrade, according to the European Technical Specifications for Interoperability 2022, will be completed by 2027.

While ATO technology has already been implemented in metros and urban rail lines in cities like Paris, the highly automated operation (GoA 2) is now being used for the first time in Germany on the basis of ETCS Level 2 in the Stuttgart Digital Node. When completed in 2024, the new signalling technology will increase capacity and frequency on the Stuttgart network while also making the trains performance more sustainable.

As part of the agreed innovation cooperation, Alstom and SFBW will also define the requirements for Train Integrity Monitoring (TIM), Future Railway Mobile Communication System upgrade capability, Train Capability and for Open CCS On-board Reference Architecture (OCORA). The implementation of the developed requirements by Alstom is part of the contract, as is the software maintenance of the regional trains.

The project is being carried out by the Alstom signalling site in Berlin, Germany, in close cooperation with the ETCS competence center in Charleroi, Belgium. Other locations involved in the various project phases are Braunschweig, Salzgitter, Mannheim and Hennigsdorf in Germany as well as Bangalore, India, Bucharest, Romania and Lyon-Villeurbanne, France. The series installation will take place close to Stuttgart or in Hennigsdorf.

DENSO and Honeywell Ascend Into Urban Air Mobility With Expanded Alliance

May 25, 2021 / WIL BALDWIN

SOUTHFIELD, Mich., and PHOENIX, May 24, 2021 /PRNewswire/ — DENSO, a leading mobility supplier, has signed a long-term agreement with aerospace leader Honeywell (NASDAQ: HON), establishing an alliance focused on electric propulsion units to meet new aerospace needs. Drawing from their automotive and aerospace backgrounds, the companies will develop and manufacture electric propulsion systems for aircraft, initially prioritizing the urban air mobility (UAM) segment with a focus on air taxis and delivery vehicles.

DENSO and Honeywell are in advanced discussions with current and prospective customers and intend to deliver flight test configurations of the electric propulsion systems within the next year. This focus on electrified power sources will not only help the companies fulfill UAM’s promise of providing cleaner, safer, more efficient, quieter and freer-moving transportation in and between cities, but also strengthen each company’s efforts to achieve carbon neutrality by 2035.

The formal alliance follows the companies’ initial teaming agreement in 2019. DENSO’s ability to produce quality components at mass scale paired with Honeywell’s storied aerospace expertise make for an alliance ready to take UAM to new heights. Additionally, the alliance’s electric propulsion systems will integrate seamlessly with Honeywell’s fly-by-wire, avionics and actuation systems, extracting the most thrust and lift from every watt of electricity.

Honeywell is one of the world’s leading makers of electronics, engines and mechanical systems for aircraft. Its systems fly on virtually every airliner in the sky, along with thousands of business jets and light aircraft. DENSO, meanwhile, develops advanced technology and components for nearly every make and model of road vehicle in existence today.

The alliance with Honeywell enhances DENSO’s Second Founding, the company’s strategy to provide value beyond a vehicle-centric focus and produce the core technologies for future mobility. It also bolsters DENSO’s two great causes: “Green” — acting environmentally friendly — and “Peace of Mind” — creating a safer and more seamless world for all. These guide DENSO as it leverages its 30-plus years of electrification know-how to create cleaner, more efficient mobility and will help the company reach its 2035 goal to be carbon neutral. Honeywell has also pledged to be carbon neutral in its facilities and operations by 2035.

The two companies will work together to seek customers who can help transform how the world moves, making transportation safer, more sustainable and efficient.

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