Perfect timing as I prepare to deliver another keynote at the Arab Aviation Summit next week on the topic of electric propulsion innovations and how they are shaping the future of advanced air mobility (AAM). Please join us in Ras Al Khaimah, UAE on the 27th and 28th of February 2024.
In the meantime, Lufthansa Innovation Hub wrote about how over the last 14 years, the AAM industry filed an unprecedented 760 patent filings record.
AAM Innovations Point to a Maturing Industry
These developments are a sign that the industry is not only gaining momentum, but has reached the critical maturity level. With a recent rise in patent in the AAM sector, the data since 2022 shows how these innovation are shaping the future of AAM.
The chart above chart shows how the US accounts for the majority of patent filings with in 2022, 60% of all AAM patents originated from the U.S., up 71% by 2023 and solidifies the country’s role internationally. China holds the second patent filing spot, but saw its share halve from 16% in 2022 to just 8% in 2023. Europe saw a decline to only 7% of the total patents filed in 2023. Lilium, ranking fifth and representing the forefront of European AAM innovation, significantly expanded its patent portfolio in 2023.
Three U.S. companies stand above here, Joby Aviation, Wisk Aero, and Beta Air with Ips. Specifically, Last year alone, Beta Air has filed for more patents than any other company within a single year.
This also has attracted traditional aerospace stakeholders such as Honeywell and BEA Systems drawing from their other industry experience.
Collaboration runs high these days, another testament of industry maturity. Archer and Wisk Aero, under the OK of Boeing, are working together. We will see more collaborations happen.
As the chart illustrates, the category known as “Power and Magic Movers,” predominantly focused on propulsion and energy systems, leads not just in the volume of patent filings for both 2022 and 2023 but also showcases the most significant uptick in intellectual property (IP) activities.
A New Urban Mobility Index
A new urban mobility index from The Oliver Wyman Forum, in partnership with the University of California, Berkeley, published its fifth Urban Mobility Readiness Index, ranks 65 major cities worldwide on their preparedness for mobility’s next chapter.
Stay tuned for more that we are officially live!