Sky's the Limit

Welcome to Go Above Traffic.

The eVTOL newsletter that makes you feel as good as when you didn’t know the answer in class but the teacher didn’t call on you.

Those were the days…

And now, onto eVTOLs!

What you need to know in eVTOLs this week

X-Peng - Aero HT

We finally know $280,000 is the price for China based Aero HT’s ground module and eVTOL combo.

They will start accepting pre orders later this year. Trial production is slated for 2025 and deliveries are planned for 2026 (don’t hold your breath on hitting that date).

The company is throwing around numbers like 10,000 eVTOLs manufactured per year eventually, but we’ll wait to see them get a few sold and out the door first.

Beta Technologies

Why make money just on eVTOLs when you can make money charging them as well?

That’s the game Beta Technologies is playing. And they won a $20M federal contract to install electric aerial vehicle (EAV) chargers in rural areas.

The contract with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response (ASPR) would allow Beta to build charging stations to enable an emergency preparedness platform for the federal department.

Beta is also supplying charging stations for the private sector. They have 20 airports in the U.S. on board already and another 50 in development.

Volocopter

Turns out you can’t lead a company to the brink of bankruptcy, fumble the world wide debut of your product at the Olympics and expect to keep your job.

Just ask Dirk Hoke, CEO of Volocopter, who announced he will be stepping down in February 2025.

The typical charade of a booted exec was in full effect. The Board gave the typical “thanks for your efforts and best of luck” spiel. Hoke reciprocated with the neccassary corporate jargon to land his next role.

No announcement on the incoming leader but that person will have their hands full.

Supernal

Hyundai’s eVTOL division, Supernal, says its four-passenger eVTOL will be ready by 2028.

If this sounds familiar, that’s because the company introduced a prototype at CES back in 2020, too.

The aircraft will cruise at 120mph and reach an altitude of 1,500 feet and will “operate as quietly as a dishwasher,”

Supernal’s ties to Hyundai could give it an advantage in manufacturing prowess, but they’ll still have to go through the FAA certification process where others are a fair bit ahead.

EHang

Rumor were swirling that EHang was part of in an investigation by the US government.

The stock price plummeted almost 20%.

EHang went on a full court press of unequivocal denial.

The company's founder, Chairman, and CEO, Huazhi Hu, along with the management team, stated they have no personal ties to the incident in question.

Seems like a big mix up. Hard to tell if it was a pointed attack or just general confusion from retail investor and a game of telephone.

Either way, not an ideal week for EHang bag holders.

The Markets

Or “The Casino” if you prefer the Wall Street Bets mentality…

Another week another bumpy performance across the eVTOL sector.

Nothing to write home about on the positive or negative side.

EHang has been soaring but coming back down to earth based on the shenanigans mentioned above.

Everything else is piddle along.

Load up on now if you think one of these will make it through these trying times.

The ones that come out the other size as healthy business will be big winners.

If you’re sitting on the sidelines, enjoy watching the paper hands panic or move onto the next shiny thing.

The $100K Life Savings Bet

“Know what you own, and why you own it.”

-Peter Lynch

P Lynch is pretty famous in the investing world. And this is one of his most famous sayings.

It’s an easy rule to follow. Or at least it’s easy to see if you’re following it.

Do I know what I own:? Yes - I own $100K of Joby stock. That’s it.

Do I know why I own it? Yes - I have a high conviction belief that an air taxi’s are an inevitable outcome. It does not seem like that big of a mental jump to envision a common mode of transportation being eVTOLs.

People will use this service when it’s available.

I own Joby because I believe they are the most likely to be one of the winners in this space. They are pacing ahead of the competition to FAA certification and commercialization.

So are we in the money?!

The eVTOL gods giveth, and the eVTOL gods taketh.

This week, they taketh about almost eight grand from me.

Nothing more than a bump in the road. A minor one at that.

Still probably a good time to load up on more. Our faith is not shaken in the slightest.

Lighten Up

Final Question

What fictional character would make the best spokesperson for the entire eVTOL industry?

— best reply gets a shoutout next week.

Best Answer From Last Week

I asked “What percentage of the US population knows what eVTOL stands for?What will that percentage by in 2030?”

Best reply came from Rachael in California:

“I bet not even 1% know what eVTOLs are right now. Hopefully by 2030 it’s at least 5%. Because that will mean they’re somewhat main stream and I might be able to get into SF without a traffic induced aneurysm.”

Thanks for reading and let us know what you want to see more of next week. We read every single reply.

Stay above.

— The Above Traffic Team