Good day, readers: Welcome to The Station, your one-stop shop for all modes of transporting people and things from point A to point B, past, present, and future. Kirsten Korosec, your normal host, is on a well-deserved vacation in the woods, so I will be taking over this week to bring you the news and wish you a Happy New Year and speedy hangover recovery.
It is officially 2022, but let us look back at the last 12 months. To summarize, everyone bought e-bikes; robotaxis and autonomous trucks are getting closer to commercialization; teleoperated sidewalk delivery robots are becoming a thing; the National Highway Traffic and Safety Association is keeping an eye on Tesla and Chevy; every OEM is investing serious cash into electrification, including battery joint ventures; and eVTOLs received a large amount of investment.
Let us take a closer look at that final point. Aria Alamalhodaei, one of my colleagues, authored a two-part piece on the eVTOL trends. The first portion of the report looks back to 2021, identifying trends such as:
With firms like Archer Aviation, Joby Aviation, Lilium, and Vertical Aerospace all combining with blank check companies, SPACs have taken off and helped propel a ridiculous amount of money into the market. On-the-ground infrastructure, such as vertiports and chargers, is becoming its own business unit, and businesses such as Archer, Hyundai, and Volocopter are looking into methods to integrate air mobility into current transportation networks.
Increased orders for eVTOL aircraft have been placed, beginning with United Airlines’ $1 billion agreement with Archer. Automobile manufacturers such as Hyundai, Honda, and Xpeng are putting money towards developing their own flying automobiles.
All of this activity is laying the groundwork for what will happen in 2022. Aria’s predictions include the following:
“Certification will undoubtedly be the key story of 2022,” said Sergio Cecutta, founder and partner of SMG Consulting. More automakers are expected to enter the market. That much is obvious from large investments in Joby by Toyota and Stellantis, as well as a production agreement with Archer.
There will be more SPAC transactions. “But the high capital demands of aviation might mean many businesses are still searching for a massive influx of funding via the public markets,” Aria writes. You may email me at rebecca.techcrunch@gmail.com if you have any comments, criticisms, tips, or opinions to give. Since we are making forecasts, I would be remiss if I did not provide some predictions for the realm of micro-mobility in 2022. I chatted with a few specialists and received some fascinating, if not outlandish, comments.
According to the crystal ball, E-bikes will become more prevalent in the shared micro-mobility market. Fresh venture capital funding is drying up, and there are not likely to be any more new entries into the area. Those that have made it this far are likely to stick around and they are maturing and becoming more efficient.
According to Segway’s Tony Ho, based on orders and queries for cars he is seeing come in, the ride-hailing businesses (aka Uber and Lyft) may be returning to play. All those ADAS scooters we started seeing last year. It is here to stay, and it will only get worse. However, wait, there’s more! Prepare to travel in smarter cars that will not only change the way you ride but also present operators with greater revenue options.
The importance of data cannot be overstated. Operators will sell sensor data in some form. Micro mobility alternatives will be significantly more integrated with transportation planning programs like Google Maps, according to Horace Dediu, industry expert and co-host of the Micro mobility Podcast.
We may also foresee a marriage between micromobility and the metaverse, according to him. You could be wondering, “What the f&%!” Wait for it to happen. Imagine a smart helmet with an augmented reality visor that gives you instructions or tempts you into the local coffee shop with a floating discount! Form factors are new and heavier. Personally, I would like to see a little car with a roof! We all dislike being caught in the rain. Micro mobility services should be better integrated with public transportation.
