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Movement.
Tracking Notable Moments in Mobility.
We live in an era of unprecedented innovation and transformation in the mobility sector. Movement highlights key developments in the field, drawing on designbivouac’s three decades of expertise in mobility.
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Archer and United to Service New York City
Archer Aviation and United Airlines are collaborating to introduce an electric air taxi network in the New York City area, aiming to transform urban transportation by offering rapid, sustainable connections between Manhattan and major airports.
Archer Aviation and United Airlines are partnering to launch an electric air taxi network in the New York City area, aiming to revolutionize urban mobility. This initiative aims to provide fast, efficient, and environmentally friendly transportation between Manhattan and major regional airports, such as Newark Liberty International and JFK.
Archer’s EVTOL aircraft could provide a flexible overlay for urban area and regional aerial transport.
Revolutionizing Urban Commutes
Using Archer’s eVTOL (electric vertical takeoff and landing) aircraft, the service will significantly reduce travel time, cutting what is often a 60-to 90-minute drive down to an estimated 10-minute flight. By leveraging advanced electric aviation technology, the partnership aims not only to ease congestion on city roads but also to support broader sustainability goals by offering zero-emission transportation options. This collaboration marks a significant milestone in integrating air mobility into everyday urban life.
The partnership plans to deploy Archer's Midnight eVTOL (electric vertical takeoff and landing) aircraft to connect Manhattan with airports such as JFK, LaGuardia, and Newark, as well as regional airports like Westchester County, Teterboro, and Republic. These flights are expected to significantly reduce travel times, with trips taking approximately 5 to 15 minutes, compared to over an hour by car during peak traffic.
The Midnight Aircraft
Archer's Midnight aircraft is designed to carry four passengers and a pilot, offering a range of up to 100 miles and speeds of up to 150 mph. The aircraft's electric propulsion system aims to provide a quieter, more environmentally friendly alternative to traditional helicopters.
Integration with United Airlines
United Airlines has placed a $1 billion order for Archer's eVTOL aircraft, with an option for an additional $500 million. The air taxi service is designed to be available as an add-on to United's commercial airline tickets, enhancing the overall travel experience by providing seamless transfers between flights and city centers.
The air taxi service is designed to enhance the overall travel experience by providing seamless transfers between flights and city centers.
Infrastructure and Future Plans
The initial phase will utilize existing helipads and aviation infrastructure, with plans to develop dedicated vertiports in the future. While the service's launch date in New York City has not been announced, Archer aims to debut its air taxis commercially at the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. The company is currently working towards obtaining FAA type certification for its aircraft.
A Step Towards Sustainable Urban Mobility
This initiative represents a significant move towards decarbonizing air travel and alleviating ground traffic congestion in densely populated urban areas. By leveraging electric aviation technology, Archer and United Airlines are setting the stage for a new era of efficient and sustainable urban transportation.
Robinson’s New R88
Robinson Helicopter Company has unveiled the R88, its first all-new helicopter in nearly 15 years. This 10-seat, single-engine utility helicopter is designed to meet the growing demand for versatile and cost-effective aerial solutions.
Robinson Helicopter Company has introduced the R88, its first completely new helicopter design in nearly 15 years. This 10-seat, single-engine utility helicopter is engineered to address the increasing need for flexible, efficient, and cost-effective aerial operations. With its expanded capacity and modernized features, the R88 is positioned to serve a wide range of missions—from passenger transport and cargo delivery to emergency response—marking a significant evolution in Robinson’s lineup.
Significantly larger and more powerful than other helicopters in its lineup, the Robinson R88 will be capable of demanding tasks such as wildland firefighting and medical evacuation missions.
Key Features of the All New R88
Capacity and Performance: The R88 can accommodate up to 10 occupants (two pilots and eight passengers) and offers a payload capacity of up to 1,800 pounds with full fuel. It boasts a range of over 350 nautical miles and a flight endurance of more than 3.5 hours.
Powerplant: Powered by a 1,000-horsepower Safran Arriel 2W engine, the R88 delivers robust performance suitable for various missions.
Versatile Cabin Design: The helicopter features a highly configurable flat-floor cabin, allowing for multiple seating arrangements and mission-specific configurations, including passenger transport, medical evacuations, public safety, and cargo operations.
Advanced Avionics: Equipped with the Garmin G500H TXi avionics suite, the R88 offers enhanced situational awareness and operational efficiency.
Safety and Maintenance: Standard safety features include an inlet barrier filter and impact-resistant windshields certified to Part 29 transport helicopter requirements. The R88 is also expected to be type-certified for optional single-pilot IFR operations.
Robinson R88 cockpit can accommodate one or two pilots.
R88 flexible interior layout can be confirgured to carry up to 9 passengers or a significant amount of cargo with mid and rear seats removed.
Dual cyclic controls are featured in the R88.
With a starting price of $3.3 million, the R88 is poised to disrupt the single-engine helicopter market by offering superior performance and capabilities at a competitive price.
For more information, visit the official R88 page.
New Mobility Initiatives Aim High
Canada’s Aim to Design an EV Domestically is Right On Target with Project Arrow
MOVEMENT: TRACKING NOTABLE MOVEMENTS IN MOBILITY
Canada’s Project Arrow is on target. Joby Aviation goes public.
Originally published: August 31, 2022
Canada’s First Electric Vehicle Takes Shape
The Automotive Parts Manufacturers’ Association PMA is Canada’s national association representing OEM producers of parts, equipment, tools, supplies, advanced technology, and services for the worldwide automotive industry. The organization has sponsored Project Arrow to accelerate Canada’s electric vehicle production effort. Having participated in the early judging of the remarkable entries into the Project Arrow competition, it is great to see how the competition has progressed from early concept sketches to refined renderings and physical mockups.
Joby Aviation Goes Public on the NYSE
This month, Joby Aviation went public on the New York Stock Exchange. This marks a distinct moment when a range of eVTOL companies will continue progressing in the marketplace. Congratulations to all of those at Joby on this remarkable accomplishment.
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Joby Aviation Big and Quiet Announcement
This video was originally posted back in February. It features Joby Aviation founder and CEO JoeBen Bivert announcing a recent merger that will accelerate the company’s eVTOL efforts. Beyond the merger announcement, what is remarkable about the video is just how quiet the Joby aircraft appears to be on takeoff as it lifts off at the end of the video.
In addition to powerful vision videos like the one featured above from Jeep, demonstration videos like this and the noise comparison amongst various aircraft that Joby Aviation just released in early August of 2021 are great ways to generate interest in a company’s offering, especially if they are doing things in innovative ways as it appears the team at Joby certainly is. For more, visit Joby Aviation’s YouTube channel.
Does your local power grid incorporate a fair amount of renewable solar and wind energy? Interested in reducing greenhouse emissions from the vehicle you drive? If so, you are welcome to use my Tesla Referral code to earn Tesla discounts:
https://ts.la/danny72983
Image and video credits: APMA, Joby Aviation.
Future Offroading with Jeep
Jeep reveals its vision for future off-roading adventuring. Joby Aviation makes continued progress on its quiet eVTOL mobility offering.
MOVEMENT: TRACKING NOTABLE MOVEMENTS IN MOBILITY
Jeep reveals its vision for future off-roading adventuring. Joby Aviation makes continued progress on its quiet eVTOL mobility offering.
Originally posted: July 31, 2021
Jeep Introduces Future Vision for Off-Road Mobility
When you’ve been doing something for over 80 years, it’s helpful to take some time to think about the future. Jeep recently launched a vision video showcasing several features that may be incorporated into its future vehicle lineup. It’s refreshing to see companies undertake future vision work, as it demonstrates foresight and a willingness to take calculated risks.
It makes sense that Jeep took this on. They have a long history of staying close to their consumers and sharing future vehicle concepts at events like the annual Jeep Safari event in Moab, Utah. There, they reveal a range of concept vehicles to gain consumer and press feedback. Similarly, with this vision video, Jeep has taken an opportunity to look ahead on the time horizon and share a vision for the type of outdoor experiences they might bring to future Jeep owners. Work like this can be expensive, but doesn’t necessarily cost more than what is traditionally spent on concept vehicles. Given the current context of COVID-19, which has shut down the automobile exhibition circuit, concept vision videos reach broader audiences and make a lot of sense.
It takes courage to do this kind of work. Concepts can easily be misinterpreted. As product cycles shorten, predicting future feature time horizons and anticipating the cultural context in which technology will be presented remains difficult. But the benefit of this kind of optimistic, experience-grounded vision work is that it helps rally development teams and, hopefully, the world as we look towards more engaging and sustainable forms of mobility. And regarding optimism and feeling good, it never hurts to feature adorable K9 friends.
What do you think of the concepts Jeep puts forward? Do the features they present resonate with you? Do you agree with their timeline?
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Joby Aviation Big and Quiet Announcement
Joby Aviation founder and CEO JoeBen Bivert announced a recent merger that will accelerate the company’s eVTOL efforts. What is remarkable about the video is just how quiet the Joby aircraft appears to be on takeoff as it lifts off at the end of the video.
In addition to powerful vision videos like the one featured above from Jeep, demonstration videos like this comparing aircraft noise across various aircraft are great ways to generate interest in a company’s offering. For more, visit Joby Aviation’s YouTube channel.
Does your local power grid incorporate a fair amount of renewable solar and wind energy? Interested in reducing greenhouse emissions from the vehicle you drive? If so, you are welcome to use my Tesla referral code to earn Tesla discounts:
https://ts.la/danny72983
Image and video credits: Jeep, Stellantis, Joby Aviation