Akihabara News (Tokyo) — SkyDrive has gained top level political support in Osaka for its ambition to develop the eVTOL industry in Japan, using the heart of the Kansai region as its main base.
On Tuesday, the Japanese eVTOL startup signed an agreement with Osaka that featured the personal attendance of Governor Hirofumi Yoshimura and Mayor Ichiro Matsui, signaling the importance which they place on this initiative.
“The realization of ‘flying cars’ will not only shorten travel times and improve convenience, but also solve various administrative issues, such as transportation in the event of a disaster and utilization as a tourism resource,” declared Mayor Matsui. “Facing Osaka Bay, where many industries are concentrated, Osaka has enough area to realize ‘flying cars’ and develop it as a new industry. We hope that this cooperation agreement will further accelerate the efforts to realize the flights of ‘flying cars’ at the 2025 World Expo and commercialize them, leading to the creation of innovative new industries in Osaka.”
SkyDrive CEO Tomohiro Fukuzawa added, “We have been continuously discussing the implementation of flying cars with Osaka, but this agreement has brought us one step closer to the realization of practical applications… Osaka has a geography that connects the airport and the bay area with urban areas via the sea and rivers, making it an ideal place to launch air mobility in Japan.”
Most of the agreement relates to the exchange of information and promotional activities for the eVTOL industry.
In November 2020, the Osaka Roundtable on a Moving Revolution Society in the Sky was launched, with the inaugural members being Osaka Prefecture and 41 private companies and organizations. No other Japanese local government has been so proactive in its support for the development of the eVTOL industry.
In a related initiative, SkyDrive is collaborating with Obayashi Corporation, Kansai Electric Power Company, Kintetsu Group Holdings, and Tokio Marine & Nichido Fire Insurance on an air taxi business feasibility survey in the Osaka Bay area, with results expected to be delivered in the coming months.
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