Japan's Stake in eVTOL Peripherals

Akihabara News (Tokyo) — The rise of the eVTOL industry will require not only a new generation of aircraft, but also a host of peripheral devices and services that are also in development. Here we will broadly survey what we know about efforts to provide such peripherals in Japan, understanding that many more players will likely be entering these fields in future months and years.

Vertiports

As the term “Urban Air Mobility” (UAM) implies, the eVTOL industry is expected to operate largely over cities, suburbs, and other populated areas. After all, with their vertical take off and landing capabilities and relatively limited flying ranges, eVTOLs will be best suited for such environments. Initially, some vertiports could be placed at designated locations within existing airports or at helipads, but the industry will need to quickly develop its own infrastructure in order reach full potential.

Vertiport construction and operation could very well become a crowded sector, since many Japanese firms possess the necessary skill sets to enter this business. Those we currently know about, however, are limited to the following five.

It was announced in February that there would be a vertiport development tie-up between the Japanese firms Kanematsu Corporation and Japan Airlines (JAL) with Brazil-based Eve Air Mobility and UK-based Skyports.

Also unveiled in February was the All Nippon Airways (ANA) partnership with California-based Joby Aviation, which specified in its press release that ground infrastructure would be included within the scope of the agreement.

In March, it became known that Nippon Koei, a construction industry consultant, is looking at the issue of vertiport design and construction, with specific interests in airfield maintenance, airspace control, power supplies, environmental assessment, and security.

DroNext, an Osaka-based drone firm established in 2019, is in the early stages of development of an eVTOL vertiport which it calls DroNext SmartHub, though no specifics have yet been released.

Finally, in the context of making its partnership with SkyDrive last month, it was suggested that Nankai Electric Railway might offer maintenance services to vertiports, though this appears to be a project that is limited in scope.

Recharging Systems

For eVTOLs to become an effective system for public transportation, the vehicles will need to be recharged quickly once they are on the ground, and another class of companies will be involved in the provision of these services.

However, these firms might overlap with the vertiport companies. For example, the Nippon Koei vertiport initiative clearly involves power supplies as one of its dimensions, and that may be true of some of the others as well.

We have yet to hear of any electric vehicle charging company taking an interest in the Japan eVTOL industry, but it’s probably just a matter of time before one emerges.

Air Traffic Control Systems

As eVTOLs, drone delivery, and related services develop, so too will the skies over populated regions become more crowded with small flying aircraft. Companies are thus working on next-generation air traffic control systems to prevent these many zipping and buzzing machines from crashing into buildings, aerial wires, and each other.

This is an area that is already becoming somewhat crowded, as a number of consortiums would appear to jostling to become the industry standard for Japan.

One company to keep an eye on in this space is Terra Drone. First, in August it formed an alliance with Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), Mitsui & Co., and Aero Asahi which has already performed demonstration tests of a flight management system. Terra Drone has also recently made an investment in Belgium-based Unifly, a prominent unmanned traffic management system provider, which seems to indicate that it is quite committed to developing this technology.

Another big player is Sumitomo Corporation, which has launched its QX Project with partners OneSky Systems, a Pennsylvania-based firm, and Tohoku University. Texas-based aircraft manufacturer Bell Textron might also be playing a role in this initiative.

FaroStar, a small Tokyo-based company, has been working on an air traffic control technology called Aurora, designed to automatically prevent collisions. It has also been conducting practical tests and demonstrations.

The startup AirMobility has been working with Tokio Marine & Nichido Fire Insurance Company and Mie Prefecture on its AirNavi navigation system, which includes traffic management functions.

JAL and telecom titan KDDI announced in February that they would be combining their efforts to create a drone traffic management system, which obviously could be extended to an eVTOL system as well.

Washington DC-based ANRA Technologies announced last October that it was entering the Japanese market with its SmartSkies airspace management and drone delivery software platform in partnership with ANA and NEC Corporation.

Finally, the press release on the ANA-Joby partnership stated that development of air traffic management systems is part of their deal, although it is not clear that they intend to develop a system separate from those above.

Communication Systems

Closely related to the air traffic control systems are the communications systems that will service eVTOLs. This will certainly include wide use of 5G technologies at a later stage.

One firm to keep an eye on in this context is KDDI SmartDrone, which is already looking to integrate its 4G LTE networks with next generation drones and eVTOL.

NTT Docomo’s Docomo Sky project, currently aiming to offer drone manufacturers a solution that uses LTE communication for long-range drone flights, also seems poised for an expansion into eVTOL applications.

3D Air Maps

The eVTOL and drone delivery era will require complex feats of navigation to accompany air traffic control systems, and some firms will need to create 3D air maps for the urban landscapes.

The main initiative that has come to attention so far in this sphere is that of Kyoto-based startup MetroWeather, which is working to build an urban weather observation infrastructure to be used for the deployment of both commercial drones and eVTOL.

Insurance

For all the attention being devoted to safety, mishaps are still bound to occur, and there will be a role for insurance companies within the eVTOL industry as well.

It was previously noted the Tokio Marine & Nichido Fire Insurance Company has been working with AirMobility on its navigation system, and this is clearly in preparation for offering eVTOL insurance at a later stage.

Aioi Nissay Dowa Insurance Company also has its eyes on the skies, having decided to offer insurance policies for automated drones that fly over urban areas.

Consulting

Finally, Japan will need private consultants of various kinds to help guide companies through regulatory, cultural, or other obstacles.

Globe+ing is the firm which has most clearly signaled that it wants to occupy this role.