Zag Daily

MANTA Aircraft has partnered with Shenyang Aviation Group Co. to bring its six seater aircraft to China. The ANN Plus hybrid model will debut at the Airshow China this November. “China is pushing for AAM in many provinces and understand that they have to help with the certification to do this. They are faster than the FAA and take a different approach, they allow the aircraft to be in flight sooner. It’s clear that the certification framework is not completely defined, but the collaboration from the CAAC is good,” Lucas Marchesini, CEO of Manta Aviation. Read more: https://lnkd.in/enGitZUh

Exclusive: tech firm unveils new AI data assistant for micromobility operators to improve support from cities. A city official can ask ‘AI-George’ questions to understand how a shared micromobility scheme is influencing the vitality of their town or city. He can answer questions on the fly, produce new analysis, generate insights, create reports and make recommendations. Zag sat down with one of the makers of the tool Adam Tarshis from Anadue to find out more. “AI-George provides an interactive, real-time, conversational experience for the city. It's quick feedback. It's a scalable response. Cities know not to ask 100 questions a day to a human, but they can ask 100 questions a day to AI-George, and he isn’t going to complain.” Read more: https://lnkd.in/dQidtSvu

Eve Air Mobility launches new fully integrated aftermarket services platform called ‘Eve TechCare’ at MRO Europe in Barcelona. “The 26th edition of Aviation Week Network’s MRO Europe was our most successful since its inception with more than 11,000 registered attendees and over 580 solution providers,” said Lydia Janow, Sr. Vice President of Events, Aviation Week Network. Eve’s new services platform is being positioned as a one-stop solution for operators which integrates technical support, maintenance, repair, and operations (MRO) services, parts and battery management, training, and flight operation tools. Read more: https://lnkd.in/erF_CzkF

EIT Urban Mobility has invested €17+ million in more than 150 companies in the urban mobility space over the past four years. It has also run 50 accelerator programmes and in February 2023 launched the Startups Growth Lab. “Startups Growth Lab is the largest community of sustainable mobility entrepreneurs in the world,” EIT Urban Mobility’s Impact Ventures Director Fredrik Hånell tells Zag Daily. It is designed to “foster connections, share knowledge and provide a supportive environment for early-stage ventures either seeking to grow or looking for investment.” In July, EIT Urban Mobility then launched Growth Lab Premium - one of its key resources is the National Investment Guide, a country-by-country list of venture capital and corporate venture capital firms targeting mobility startups. Read more: https://lnkd.in/eBhEGGzy

Here’s a roundup of some key advanced air mobility announcements at the National Business Aviation Association Convention & Exhibition in Las Vegas. Supernal, a prominent eVTOL developer and part of Hyundai Motor Company (현대자동차) Motor Group, announced two strategic partnerships with Clay Lacy Aviation and BLADE to strengthen the AAM ecosystem. “Partnering with Clay Lacy was an easy choice given our companies’ shared commitment to safe, sustainable aviation and human-centered passenger journeys,” Diana Marina Cooper, Supernal’s Chief Partnerships and Policy Officer told Zag Daily. Read more: https://lnkd.in/evVzZbaN 

Donkey Republic announces a fresh €2 million capital raise days after publishing positive Q3 financial results. “This funding, secured on the heels of positive Q3 results, will enable further investment in fleet expansion and securing new long-term city contracts, positioning the company for continued success,” Donkey Republic Chief Financial Officer Christian Dufft told Zag Daily. Read more: https://lnkd.in/eYMYZkYR

Altitude Angel has formed a new Advisory Board which includes former UK Aviation Minister Charlotte Vere and professionals from NATS Services, BT’s drone division and tech entrepreneurs. Stephen Farmer, Altitude Angel’s Head of Corporate Communications: “As a business, we understood we did not have the expertise required to grow and take it to new levels at a pace we would like, hence our bringing together an Advisory Board.” Read more: https://lnkd.in/gFdcnciv 

Why should micromobility tenders open up to innovation? EIT Urban Mobility’s Julienne Chen and Impact Market’s Erdem Ovacik call for new contractual arrangements between government entities and operators to unleash the full potential of bike share Current procurement challenges cities face when implementing bike share include fixed contract lengths which lock cities into outdated technology, and contracts that prioritise the “lowest price” which fail to incentivise innovative solutions. “With the clock ticking on climate change, we need to be bold and cities will need to capitalise on and spur the innovation and ideas of the private sector if we are to make great strides forward.” Read more: https://lnkd.in/ecMpedzQ

INTERVIEW: The CEO of Italy’s leading micromobility operator RideMovi shares the secrets behind their success and profitability. RideMovi has deployed more than 35,000 bikes, e-bikes and scooters across 40 cities in Europe. “We invested to learn while others invested to grow,” alessandro felici tells Zag Daily. “The combination of fair pricing, widespread coverage and high levels of utilisation means that our margins are twice as high as our rivals.” Read more: https://lnkd.in/ej_w55Q7

In today's edition we're covering the landmark rule from the US Federal Aviation Administration that puts air taxis closer to lift off, plus Lilium’s insolvency & the UK e-scooter trials are set to widen. Subscribe here: https://lnkd.in/eid8KXUt