In April 2023, vertiport infrastructure company Skyportz and expert in chargers for eVTOLs (electric vertical take-off and landing) Electro.Aero announced a partnership to jointly develop a “vertiport in a box” — an affordable, modular, turn-key solution for smaller property sites wanting to join the Advanced Air Mobility future.
“The focus in the industry to date has been on larger vertiports located at existing airports. This is the low-hanging fruit which will form the essential backbone of an Advanced Air Mobility ecosystem,” said Clem Newton-Brown, Skyportz CEO. “However, if this industry is to reach its potential we need to break the nexus between aviation and airports and let private property owners develop their own vertiports.”
On its end, Skyportz is focusing on affordable options that property developers can incorporate into new developments or retrofit into existing buildings.
“We will soon be releasing a beautiful tiny modular vertiport building that can be delivered to site in a shipping container, and assembled without heavy equipment, complete with a high-powered battery bank and charger with solar panels,” Newton-Brown added.
The Skyportz system will provide something of value from the moment of installation — the battery pack and solar panels can be hooked in to power the host building and the vertiport building can be used for other purposes while we wait for aircraft to get certified.
It is generally considered that it is too soon to get approvals for vertiport uses from Governments as the standards are still in development and nowhere in the world has anyone set out the rules and regulations (other than for display sites).
“Skyportz will be getting our network of vertiports and battery packs established now with enthusiastic property owners who will come back later for an aviation use permit. In the meantime, they will have developed sustainable power storage and a vertiport building that could be used as a cafe or meeting room”, said Newton-Brown.
Skyportz will be announcing further partners once their modular design is released later this year — including weather data, air traffic management systems, booking services, and aviation operators.
“We will offer a complete solution for property owners to activate their sites for aviation. And as a modular, fully transportable system we will be able to supply any global market with our partners at Electro.Aero”, said Newton-Brown.
On its end, Electro.Aero will be supplying its battery charging and power storage tech to support electric aviation. Their systems will be suitable for all electric air taxis, with the added bonus of providing sustainable power to the host building.
Takeaway
What makes the Skyportz system unique is the fact that it will be providing something of value from the moment of installation — the battery pack and solar panels can be hooked in to power the host building, and the vertiport building can be used for other purposes.
Electro.Aero specializes in battery charging and power storage to support electric aviation, and Skyports plans to add more partners for air traffic management systems, weather data, booking services, and aviation operators.
Action point
The solution Skyportz is proposing will undoubtedly be adopted by some of the world's richest cities as well as major corporations looking to make their executives even more productive. However, since such a building won't cost as much as a "regular airport," it seems that even smaller municipalities could "play ball." It would be interesting to see which cities and towns will be among the first ones to adopt this tech. Perhaps the one you're working for?
This could be interesting for construction companies operating in places that are looking to be more tech savvy. With Skyportz's solution, these cities and towns could easily and affordably prepare for the air mobility future — helping businesses in the area quickly move from one side of the city to the other, or to another city altogether. It is these kinds of benefits that your business should sell - making cities more futuristic could drive some business. You just have to partner with Skyportz first.