Photo: Skyportz
At the moment, we still haven't got any certified electric air taxis or dedicated vertiports. Although there's been tremendous progress all over the world, the certification process still delays things much more than we'd like. A vertiport developer and an expert in chargers for eVTOLs (electric vertical take-off and landing) have come up with an ingenious alternative that could prove to be the holy grail of AAM (Advanced Air Mobility).
The general consensus in the industry is that vertiports should be developed in connection to existing airports. The Australian company Skyportz challenges that belief with an infrastructure concept that could accelerate things and operate more efficiently. The main idea behind this concept is full autonomy. Skyportz believes that any property owner, anywhere in the world, should be able to incorporate a small "vertiport in a box" if they want to.
Compared to the extended, complex vertiports that most AAM companies envision for the future, Skyportz's solution is a modular vertiport building.
This innovative vertiport building comes with its charger, high-powered battery bank, and even solar panels for clean energy. The modular design means that it can simply be delivered in shipping containers and assembled on-site without the need for any heavy equipment. Thanks to this, it can be delivered worldwide and quickly installed anywhere.
The best part is that vertiports in a box are so versatile that they can function as something else until the moment when air taxis are ready for commercial service. The concept's battery pack and solar panels were also specifically designed to power the host building. At the same time, the vertiport itself can operate as a café, a meeting room, or many other things, similar to shipping container tiny homes.
In other words, property owners or developers can add this vertiport in a box now, and benefit from its advantages, even if air taxis aren't currently certified. Later, when these electric aircraft get the green light, and when the owners can get the adequate pilot license, this smart structure can revert to its original purpose. Why waste time until certification when this alternative solution is so easy to implement?
Skyportz is developing this clever concept together with another Australian AAM company, Electro.aero. Electro.aero specializes in high-powered chargers and containerized battery systems specifically designed for heavy-duty eVTOLs. This is the main partnership behind the "vertiport in a box" concept, but Skyportz plans to add more partners for air traffic management systems, weather data, and booking services.
If eVTOL makers such as Jetson want to democratize flight by providing a private electric aircraft that anyone can fly, Skyportz wants to democratize infrastructure by separating vertiports from mainstream airports. The Australian startup is set to reveal its modular solution later this year.
Compared to the extended, complex vertiports that most AAM companies envision for the future, Skyportz's solution is a modular vertiport building.
This innovative vertiport building comes with its charger, high-powered battery bank, and even solar panels for clean energy. The modular design means that it can simply be delivered in shipping containers and assembled on-site without the need for any heavy equipment. Thanks to this, it can be delivered worldwide and quickly installed anywhere.
The best part is that vertiports in a box are so versatile that they can function as something else until the moment when air taxis are ready for commercial service. The concept's battery pack and solar panels were also specifically designed to power the host building. At the same time, the vertiport itself can operate as a café, a meeting room, or many other things, similar to shipping container tiny homes.
In other words, property owners or developers can add this vertiport in a box now, and benefit from its advantages, even if air taxis aren't currently certified. Later, when these electric aircraft get the green light, and when the owners can get the adequate pilot license, this smart structure can revert to its original purpose. Why waste time until certification when this alternative solution is so easy to implement?
Skyportz is developing this clever concept together with another Australian AAM company, Electro.aero. Electro.aero specializes in high-powered chargers and containerized battery systems specifically designed for heavy-duty eVTOLs. This is the main partnership behind the "vertiport in a box" concept, but Skyportz plans to add more partners for air traffic management systems, weather data, and booking services.
If eVTOL makers such as Jetson want to democratize flight by providing a private electric aircraft that anyone can fly, Skyportz wants to democratize infrastructure by separating vertiports from mainstream airports. The Australian startup is set to reveal its modular solution later this year.
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