Tag: Uber

EmbraerX to Spin-Off Eve, Launch the Future of Urban Air Mobility

October 16, 2020 / WIL BALDWIN

Eve Urban Air Mobility Solutions, Inc. (Eve) has been launched as a new, independent company dedicated to accelerating the Urban Air Mobility (UAM) ecosystem. Eve is developing a full portfolio of solutions to enable the UAM market and ultimately benefit people’s lives, including the progression and certification of the company’s electric vertical takeoff and landing vehicle (eVTOL), the associated comprehensive services and support network, and the creation of urban air traffic management solutions. André Stein, former head of strategy for EmbraerX, has been appointed CEO of Eve.

Eve will benefit from greater focus, speed, and agility, allowing the company to innovate and execute at an accelerated pace in order to fully capitalize on the global UAM opportunity. Having been incubated for almost four years within EmbraerX, now is the right time to establish Eve as an independent company.

“We value the vast potential of the UAM market, as it represents a new business segment in which we foresee significant opportunities for Embraer. Innovation and diversification are key pillars of Embraer’s new strategic plan, which will increase revenue and improve profitability over the next few years,” said Francisco Gomes Neto, President and CEO of Embraer. “That is why I am eager to announce Eve, the first company to graduate from EmbraerX. Eve stands primed to create a new frontier in transportation with intelligent, environmentally friendly, autonomous-ready aircraft and the associated ubiquitous support and urban air traffic management solutions.”

As part of the company’s initiative to accelerate the UAM revolution, EmbraerX has been part of the Uber Elevate Network since its inception in 2017.

“Eve’s launch is an important next step in commercializing Embraer’s eVTOL designs while building on Embraer’s ability to design, certify, and deliver safe, globally-accepted aircraft. We look forward to our continued partnership to make aerial ridesharing a reality,” said Eric Allison, Head of Uber Elevate.

Benefitting from a startup mindset, backed by Embraer’s more than 50-year history of aerospace expertise, Eve today unveils a unique and valuable market proposition. Eve’s human-centered eVTOL design represents an actual, certifiable product development, as evidenced by the first flight of the engineering simulator in July 2020, and the company 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.

Jaunt Air Mobility Taps Triumph Aerospace for eVTOL Vehicle

June 11, 2019 / WIL BALDWIN

BERWYN, Pa., June 11, 2019 /PRNewswire/ — Triumph Group, Inc. (NYSE:TGI) announced today at the Uber Elevate Summit in Washington, D.C. that its Triumph Aerospace Structures business unit has entered into a non-binding memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Jaunt Air Mobility to provide engineering services in support of Jaunt’s all electric Vertical Takeoff and Landing (eVTOL) concept air vehicle. Triumph will support Jaunt’s efforts to develop and build a full-scale demonstration aircraft based on Jaunt’s reduced rotor operating speed aircraft (ROSA™) in support of urban air mobility (UAM) operations.

Triumph Group Logo (PRNewsfoto/Triumph Group)

“Working with Jaunt and our other partners, Triumph will help bring ROSA to reality,” said Kaydon Stanzione, CEO of Jaunt Air Mobility. “Triumph’s experience in innovative structural design is essential for streamlining future certification of Jaunt’s unique configuration.”

“We are excited to be a key contributor to Jaunt’s new air vehicle concept. Triumph’s experience in aircraft design, development, and certification, demonstrates the capabilities required to bring the Jaunt eVTOL air vehicle to reality, and achieve their program milestones consistent with the growing market potential for eVTOL aircraft and Uber’s vision for all-electric, on-demand aviation,” said Michael G. Engers, Vice President, Strategy and Business Development.

Triumph Aerospace Structures will design the aircraft structure to optimize weight, cost, and producibility in support of the program. The engineering services will be provided at Triumph’s Technology and Engineering Center in Arlington, Texas.

About Jaunt Air Mobility

Jaunt Air Mobility LLC is a transformative aerospace company focused on developing advanced air vehicles that incorporate innovative technologies and management strategies providing the highest levels of operational efficiencies, safety, and community acceptance. We are the pioneer and world-leader in Reduced Rotor Operating Speed Aircraft (ROSA™) design and development. ROSA™ is the metamorphosis of the best features available from helicopters and fixed-wing airplanes. For more news and information on Jaunt Air Mobility; please visit www.jauntairmobility.com.

About Triumph Group

Triumph Group, Inc., headquartered in Berwyn, Pennsylvania, designs, engineers, manufactures, repairs and overhauls a broad portfolio of aerospace and defense systems, components and structures. The company serves the global aviation industry, including original equipment manufacturers and the full spectrum of military and commercial aircraft operators. More information about Triumph can be found on the company’s website at http://www.triumphgroup.com.

Embraer Announces CEO Succession

March 20, 2019 / WIL BALDWIN

Paulo Cesar de Souza e Silva concludes his tenure at the end of April and will support the transition process of the company as Senior Advisor of the Board of Directors.

São Paulo, Brazil, March 18, 2019 – Embraer, following shareholder approval of the transaction with Boeing, announces that the current President and CEO of the company, Paulo Cesar de Souza e Silva, concludes a successful professional cycle with the company on April 22, 2019 which is the end of his current two year elected term.

“Paulo Cesar idealized the partnership with Boeing and led the negotiation process of the transaction that will bring Embraer and Brazil to a much more competitive and prominent level in the global aviation industry,” said Alexandre Silva, Chairman of the Board.

For 22 years at Embraer, Paulo Cesar came from the financial market to structure the company’s sales financing area. For six years he was President and CEO of Commercial Aviation and in 2013 launched the E2 Program, the medium-sized commercial jets considered today to be the most efficient in the market.

In 2016, Paulo Cesar became President and CEO of the Embraer Group, with a mission to make the company more efficient, competitive and better prepared to face structural changes in the global aviation market.

His administration established three key initiatives focused on value creation and the sustainability of the company. The first was the transaction with Boeing. The second was the creation of the Passion for Excellence program, a structural transformation project focused on reducing costs and increasing operational efficiency, generating significant annual recurring savings. The third was the creation of EmbraerX, responsible for disruptive innovation and the development of opportunities for the future, such as eVTOL (electric vertical take-off and landing vehicle), a project that will revolutionize urban transport in partnership with Uber.

“Without the support of the Board and Embraer’s 18,000 employees and colleagues, none of our achievements would have been possible”, noted Paulo Cesar. “We are challenged to remain at the forefront of engineering and operations. In Executive Aviation and Defense, and with the KC 390 joint venture with Boeing, we will expand our international competitiveness and everything indicates that we will have another 50 years of success ahead.” And he added: “I am sure that the new leadership of the company will find fertile ground ahead to expand and consolidate Embraer.”

Paulo Cesar was invited to be a Senior Advisor to the Board, with the task of facilitating the integration of the future President and CEO and advising the Board on the monitoring of assets and resources segregation, an integral part of the process of concluding the partnership with Boeing. As it was reported, 96.8% of Embraer’s shareholders approved an agreement with the North American company last February, which should be concluded after obtaining all approvals of the Regulatory and Competitive Agencies in Brazil and abroad.

Embraer also informs that the future President and CEO, to be elected for the next term, will be recruited externally and announced on or before the Ordinary General Assembly on April 22nd.

About Embraer

Embraer is a global company headquartered in Brazil with businesses in commercial and executive aviation, defense & security. The company designs, develops, manufactures and markets aircraft and systems, providing customer support and services. Since it was founded in 1969, Embraer has delivered more than 8,000 aircraft. About every 10 seconds an aircraft manufactured by Embraer takes off somewhere in the world, transporting over 145 million passengers a year.

Embraer is the leading manufacturer of commercial jets up to 150 seats. The company maintains industrial units, offices, service and parts distribution centers, among other activities, across the Americas, Africa, Asia and Europe.

Boeing CFO Greg Smith (left), Boeing CEO Dennis Muilenburg (center), and Embraer CEO Paulo Cesar Silva

Story and images from http://www.embraer.com

EmbraerX Displays The Future of Urban Air Mobility at SXSW

March 8, 2019 / WIL BALDWIN

Austin, TX, USA, March 06, 2019 – Austin’s South By Southwest (SXSW) festival is the stage of EmbraerX’s first Prototype Room, a space for connection between technology, accessibility, collaboration and creativity. By showing its collaborative ecosystem mind approach, EmbraerX aims the enhancement of urban air mobility acceptance in a human-centric experience.

The Prototype Room will feature a series of interactive experiences for people to know, understand and imagine the Flying Vehicle and Urban Air Mobility. The proposal is to invite the public to know and interact with EmbraerX from their projects and ideas more audacious and revolutionary.

All this technologies and activities developed by partner companies that are part of the EmbraerX collaborative ecosystem will take place at Hilton Austin Downtown hotel, room, 602, March 8-13.

“The industry needs to build a collaborative ecosystem to reinvent mobility. But it will only be possible, if we ignite people’s imagination and show we are not offering product, but a social transformation. SXSW is an obvious stage to spread this message by demonstrating Embraer moves toward to the future of urban air mobility and accessibility”, said Antonio Campello, CEO of EmbraerX.

This year the Tech Industry & Enterprise Track is presented by Embraer. This interactive track has focuses on the forward-thinking innovation of today and what we project to be trending tomorrow. Executives and leaders from a variety of industries will be gathered to discuss the evolving landscape of technology driven services. Session topics include new developments from established organizations; technology ecosystems from around the world; strategic B2B practices; and the changing nature of tech-based services within industries.

EmbraerX team will be also attending the panel Mobility, Reimagined: Co-Designing at the Hilton Austin Downtown hotel New Futures, on March 12, at 9:30am, at room 400. The panel will explore how people and technologies will interact in the new age of smart cities and autonomous vehicles. In this opportunity, the Company will address its vision on a truly build safe future-forward transportation for all, which users will be the first to benefit from these new technologies and revolutionary services, what will be the implications on mobility and the design of new frictionless technologies.

EmbraerX, a wholly owned Embraer subsidiary, exists to build disruptive businesses, considering that transportation will probably be disrupted by the exponential growth of new technologies as well as the development of new business models.

Embraer has existing partnerships with dozens of universities and research centers and also co-creates with customers and aerospace companies around the world, in truly collaborative knowledge networks, based upon open innovation concepts, with shared achievements, budgets and risks. The company 50-year successful history is a representation and endorsement of what is being built for the future. eVTOL.

Embraer is part of the Uber Elevate Network, sharing the vision that on-demand aviation has the potential to radically improve urban mobility, improving the quality of life for people who live in congested urban communities.

Urban air mobility can be leveraged by using the eVTOL (electrical Vertical Take Off and Landing). However, the entire ecosystem has to be developed, which demands a significant integration among ride-sharing platform, aircraft manufacturer, infrastructure for vertiports, air traffic management, certification authorities, etc.

As the leading manufacturer of commercial jets with up to 150 seats and a major player in business aviation, in addition its important role in defense and security, Embraer is one of the most experienced partners in this space and Uber recognizes and values Embraer’s ability to bring affordable, yet advanced flight systems to much smaller aircraft.

EmbraerX eVTOL Video – https://youtu.be/87t8NvJGFOU

Bell Announces Partner For Its Urban Air Taxi

June 20, 2018 / WIL BALDWIN

Fort Worth-based Bell partnered with French aerospace giant Safran to help manufacture its vertical take-off and landing aircraft concept, the companies announced Tuesday.

The concept, called VTOL for short, is Bell’s attempt to gain entry into the air taxi space. More than a year ago, Bell announced it was partnering with Uber Technologies Inc. to bring the air taxi idea to life. The Uber Elevate ride-hailing service is scheduled to debut in Dallas-Fort Worth, Los Angeles and Dubai in 2020 and Bell is one of a handful of companies working with Uber to make the air taxis.

Click the link below for the full story!

Bell Uber Air Taxi

Uber’s New Drone to Create Aerial Taxi Service by 2023

May 17, 2018 / WIL BALDWIN

Uber has unveiled its latest “flying car” concept, which looks more like a giant drone than the helicopter-like concept it first developed with NASA last year.

Uber shared the designs for its electric vertical take-off and landing vehicles (eVTOL) at its second annual Elevate summit in Los Angeles this week.

The vehicles will make up the “world’s first urban aviation rideshare network”, which Uber said will be fully operational by 2023.

The new prototype – an update of the one it created with NASA last year – is equipped with a series of drone-like stacked and co-rotating propellers. The propellors rotate in the same direction on two separate rotor systems designed to ensure safe transition between vertical and forward flight.

Click the link below for the full story and video!

Uber’s new drone for air taxi service

Lyft partners with Southwest Airlines

April 4, 2016 / WIL BALDWIN

Lyft partners with Southwest Airlines to offer bonus points. The ride services company, a competitor of Uber, is offering a new promotion for members of the Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards program. Throughout the rest of the year, the airline will award Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards customers with 1,100 bonus points after taking their first ride on Lyft from one of 11 different airports served by the two companies, including McCarran Airport in Las Vegas. The new program was announced last Thursday, March 31. This is the second collaboration between the two companies. Earlier this month, Lyft offered a $15 discount off of a first time ride for Southwest customers who were not enrolled in the airlines Rapid Rewards program. That offer is also good throughout the end of the year, but cannot be combined with the new offer.

Lyft Partners Airports

In addition to McCarran Airport in Las Vegas, the promotion is also valid at the following airports:

Austin, Texas
Chicago, Illinois (Midway Airport)
Dallas, Texas (Love Field)
Los Angeles, California (LAX)
Louisville, Kentucky
Nashville, Tennessee
Oakland, California
San Antonio, Texas
San Diego, California
Washington, DC (Reagan Airport)

Lyft is currently the second biggest ride service company in the US. This deal with Southwest follows one announced in February between Uber and American Airlines. That deal also offered incentives for rides to members of the airlines AAdvantage program.

Lyft partners

Check Lyft out at www.lyft.com

Uber rides in Las Vegas was a pleasant surprise

April 4, 2016 / WIL BALDWIN

Uber rides around Las Vegas turned out to be a pleasant surprise. I booking a hotel for my stay specifically because it offered a free hotel shuttle. I called the hotel upon arrival, only to find that the shuttle had just left the airport. It was not scheduled to return for another hour. Since I was tired from my un-impressive flight in on Frontier, I decided to take a taxi to the hotel. The very short ride cost $22, and upon sliding my credit card in the taxi, I was asked if I wanted to add a 20%, 25%, or 30% tip. I selected the next option down, which was to enter another amount. The hotel also listed that the shuttle provided local transportation, but that was false, as it only served the airport and the strip. I then decided to try and rent a car, which was not in my original plans for the week. After receiving a couple of very high rental car quotes, I remembered that I had downloaded an Uber app on my phone.

Uber rides around Las Vegas

I decided to give my Uber app a click for a ride. I needed to make a stop at Kohl’s and Whole Foods before returning to the hotel, so I clicked for my first pickup. Upon setup of your account, you create a user ID and enter your credit card info into the app. You put your destination in the app when you request the ride, so you are on your way as soon as you get into the car. The car and driver on my first ride were both very nice. After completion of the trip, you receive an email (or text) receipt listing the ride charge. There is no tip involved (according to the app). I took a total of 6 rides during the week, and only 1 driver was of sub par caliber, including his car. After each ride, you get a survey to fill out on your ride experience. The total of the rides came out to less than 1 day of car rental, so the experience was a success in my book. One of the drivers also mentioned that Uber now serves McCarran Airport in Las Vegas, so I will definitely remember that on our next trip to Sin City!

Uber rides

Check it out at www.uber.com

American Airlines and Uber partner at 11 US Airports

February 12, 2016 / WIL BALDWIN

American Airlines and ride share service Uber have formed a partnership to help provide better and faster service for its passengers. The deal includes 11 airports in the US, and the airline will offer bonus frequent flyer points to help promote the service. Once a customer books a flight online, American Airlines will then send an e-ticket confirmation by email, allowing the customer to click on an “Uber” reminder link to setup their ride share. The American Airlines app will then guide customers to the closest Uber pickup location at the 11 airports included in the deal. The airports include Charlotte, NC; Chicago, IL (O’Hare), Dallas, TX (DFW); Los Angeles, CA (LAX); New York, NY (LaGuardia and JFK); Philadelphia, PA; Phoenix, AZ; San Francisco, CA; San Jose, CA; and Washington, DC (Reagan). We’ll have to stay tuned to see if this results in more protests from taxi drivers in the effected airport locations.

uber-car-black

Lyft Partners Airports

Uber rides around Las Vegas

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