Electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) is the future of aviation and as an emerging market in the broader urban air mobility (UAM) industry, it has rightfully garnered the attention of investors around the world. Companies and firms, even government agencies, are pouring billions of dollars of investments into eVTOL every year. In 2020, despite the debilitating effect of the pandemic to the economy, developers have raised $1.3 billion in private investment.

The UAM market presents a global opportunity set to rake in hundreds of billions of dollars annually. The revenues that it will provide to air mobility operators will finance more vehicles, vertiports and others. All these works required to build new aircrafts and infrastructure will then generate thousands of job opportunities. In the United States alone, around 280,000 new jobs are expected to be created to meet the demand for manpower.

Moreover, reports to determine consumers’ willingness to get onboard electric air taxis are promising. Potential passengers in almost all age groups have expressed positive inclination towards urban aero mobility. This is vital information, as it indicates a universal consumer acceptance of eVTOLs by the time they are ready to take to the skies. It will also encourage investors to remain optimistic on the industry’s outlook and progress.

Areas of UAM Ecosystem to See Expanded Investment in 2021

Actual Aircraft

Out of all the areas in the urban air mobility ecosystem, the ones that have received the largest amount of investment to date are the eVTOL companies making the actual aircraft. German air taxi developer Volocopter has recently closed a Series D fundraising round for VeloCity, bringing its total funds raised to $388 million. Fellow German eVTOL developer Lilium also secured more funding, acquiring about $275 million of investment in 2020.

Meanwhile, urban air mobility companies like Joby Aviation and Archer Aviation have raised more funding, around $1 billion each, through mergers with special purpose acquisition companies (SPACs). The entrance of SPACs into the space is one of the biggest investment trends being watched in the eVTOL sector. Many SPACs and other private investors are gearing to take advantage of the growing demand for public shares in electric vehicle companies.

Archer, for instance, has announced that it was going public with a SPAC called Atlas Crest investment Corp. Volocopter also has expressed interest in a SPAC merger, stating that it will be a good financing option for the industry with such large capital requirements involved. This year, most SPAC activity appears to be propelled by the potential in eVTOL companies, even if they are pre-revenue and will not generate returns some time soon.

As for Texas-based developer Astro Aerospace (OTC:ASDN), it has been revealed that it will be taking over Horizon Aircraft, a company based in Canada developing its own eVTOL. The transaction will reportedly close in the second quarter of 2021. Astro’s acquisition of Horizon is expected to cement its place as the leader in the global eVTOL market. The company is confident that its shareholders will see exponential growth in this next chapter.

Other Areas

While a big chunk of investments for eVTOL goes for the developers of the actual aircraft, this could change as investors start to recognize the potential value of other elements, such as batteries, infrastructures and other digital services. It is also anticipated that more private equity will increasingly go after segments necessary to enable air taxi operations, like vertiports and charging hubs.

For a vehicle as large as an eVTOL aircraft, a battery system that can power a high-voltage motor for the entire duration of the flight, including emergency reserve, is needed. eVTOL batteries require high levels of power to get off the ground and maintain control while on air. Cycle life is critical as any interrupted battery operations during a flight could have catastrophic consequences. Any battery to be used for eVTOLs must also be lightweight.

Manufacturers of electric air taxis have had problems with sourcing batteries at some point. But with recent advances in battery technology, this will turn to be a promising future market. United Kingdom-based company OXIS Energy has been making headway developing a lithium-sulfur battery designed for electric airplanes. HyPoint is another start-up deep into developing fuel cells ideal for air mobility uses.

Another element of the UAM ecosystem expected to see more private investments in 2021 is infrastructure. Vertiports, for instance, will be a crucial enabler for UAM. Currently, there are few regulations to exist for vertiport design and operations. In most cases, eVTOL developers have the responsibility of conducting initial feasibility studies on their proposed infrastructure, subject to approval of authorities like the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).

Recently, a number of airports have announced plans to develop ground infrastructure for eVTOL aircrafts. These include Cologne Bonn and Dusseldorf Airports in Germany and Cranfield Airport in England. Flying taxi startup Lilium has also announced its plans to build a vertiport network at the Lake Nona community in Orlando, Florida. The German company will be working with Tavistock Development Company for the $25-million project.

In the future, most airports are expected to be the center of intermodal UAM. But until Congress and the civil aviation authorities like the FAA and the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) release a comprehensive guideline for UAM infrastructure, industry players will be flying blind. For now, eVTOL aircraft developers themselves have to come up with short and long term plans for vertiport integration, with help from aerodrome operators.

The recent UK Air mobility consortium and Paris urban air mobility initiative are big steps in exploring vehicle development, infrastructure requirements and regulatory challenges relevant to the introduction of eVTOL flights to their cities. Still, substantial investments are needed to prepare the existing ecosystem before regulators approve full operational roll out of the aircrafts.

While the eVTOL industry is working towards more development and acquiring certification in 2021, only time will tell. There will likely be more scrutiny as to whether air mobility companies are meeting the demanding timelines required for such ambitious commitments – most of them are looking at mid- to late 2020s deployment. Fortunately, investors are more than happy to fund numerous projects at the moment.

 

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If there’s one business that people will always need and is guaranteed to make you money, it is a moving business. Remember that there will always be people that need to move to a new home. These people will usually need help in moving. 

However, there are also a lot of other moving companies out there. So if you want your moving business to survive in this competitive arena, you will need to step up your game. You will need to optimize every aspect of your business. Here are 7 ways to upgrade your moving business.

1. Jumpstart Your Marketing

If you want to upgrade your moving business, it is important that you take your marketing seriously. Even if your business plan is effective, and your equipment is top of the line, but if your marketing is subpar, then there is very little chance of you selling your services. 

Luckily, it is very easy to market nowadays. All you need is an attractive website, and an effective social media marketing plan to support it. Your website should act as your base operations, and your social media marketing should be the one to lead your potential clients to your website.

2. Be Discerning When You Hire Employees

Aside from your marketing, it is important that you are careful when choosing your employees. Remember that your employees are the ones who will deal with your clients. They are the ones who will handle your client’s materials, and they are the ones who will drive them to their new homes. So it is imperative that you take your time before filling up any positions in your company.

Take the time to question them about their past work experiences. You should also check their background and make sure that they don’t have any history of criminal behavior. It might be a hassle to double-check on all your potential employees, however, it is important, because the success of your business depends on it.

3. Upgrade your Equipment

When it comes to the moving business, speed and efficiency are very important. Your clients are paying good money for your services. So they expect the very best from your company. They expect that their moving schedules are followed to the letter and that their possessions arrive at their destinations without any damage. 

So it makes sense that you upgrade all your equipment as much as possible. If you have the budget, it is a good idea to mechanize your operations. Although you should still have human workers to handle more complex, moving operations, it is still important that you utilize heavy machinery for your heavy lifting. Pieces of equipment such as high-speed robot arms are very precise and can load and unload heavy items with unerring speed. Although investing money on robotic equipment might seem risky, you’ll be surprised at how affordable they could be. Their efficiency and speed are also of such a high level, that your investment will be worth it in the end.

4. Customer Satisfaction is Key

Even if you are as careful as possible, there will be times where your clients will launch complaints against you. A move might not have gone as smoothly as they would have expected it to, or one of their packages might have gone missing or broken.

It might not be your mover’s fault or it really might be their fault. However, what’s important is that you placate your clients as quickly as possible. Remember that a negative review could make things very difficult for your company. So it is best that you hire a customer service representative, and teach them how to address and placate irate clients. By doing so, you will be able to show your clients that you care.

5. Purchase Business Insurance

When it comes to running a business, it is important that you purchase business insurance. Remember that like any kind of business there are risks involved. 

One of your employees might get injured during a move or one of your trucks might lose control and suffer irreparable damage. All of these occurrences might happen, and it may costs you a fortune in hospital bills. 

So it is imperative that you purchase business insurance as soon as possible. By doing so you will be able to conduct business without fear of getting into financial trouble due to an accident.

6. Be meticulous with your finances

If you want to run your moving business well, and still make a profit out of it, you will need to be meticulous with your finances. Remember that running a business takes a lot of money, and if you are careless with your finances, you might risk spending more than you could afford. 

So it is important that you have a set monthly budget. Take the time to list down all your company’s expenses, and follow it to the letter. This will ensure that you never go over budget. You can also automate your payments by using a business credit card Singapore and have a limited fund you can use each month.

7. Be Efficient with your Moving Leads

Aside from upgrading your company’s marketing, it is also important that you are efficient with your moving leads. What’s a moving lead? They are the leads you get from lead providers, and they allow you to reach out to potential clients. So if you have a good set of leads, you should never waste them. Make sure that you automate your company’s emails, and have all your sales representatives contact these leads. By doing so, you will be able to expand your clientele in the long run.

Conclusion

When it comes to running a moving business, you will need to be as effective and efficient as possible. Remember that you will have to compete with a lot of other moving businesses. And if you don’t bring your A-game you won’t be able to keep up. With these tips, you’ll be able to elevate your moving business to new heights.

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At some point, most people get the chance to construct their dream houses in the best way they know how. For those that haven’t reached that point yet may have a rough idea of how they want those houses to look like. However, the world is on the verge of a climate crisis, and everything is being done to cut down on the carbon footprint, and this includes construction practices. In order to reduce pollution, the following are some of the best sustainable building practices that people should start adopting right now.

Synthetic Roofs

The roof is the only part of the house that doesn’t require heavy materials, and for this reason, they are the ideal parts of construction that can make use of recycled materials to the fullest without compromising the integrity of the house. Recycled plastic can be compressed into solid sheets, which can then be used as roofing materials, granting the house owner the advantage of repelling water from the rain while at the same time exerting very little pressure on the rest of the house. The use of synthetic roofs is a practice that is quickly gaining pace and is much cheaper because there’s much plastic in the world with no solution for getting rid of them fast enough.

Green Roofs

This is where you turn your roof into a garden rather than setting up a regular rooftop. For this to work, you have to construct a flat rooftop out of concrete with an entrance and fill the entire space with all forms of gardens; from potted plants to hanging gardens and any other style that you could think of. 

This type of green construction helps you achieve several benefits; You get to have your own garden where you can grow your own food, you also purify the air around the house, and you provide a habitat for all kinds of small animals. A green roof may look insignificant, but if everyone adopted the practice, then pollution would be reduced significantly.

Green Energy

Once the construction of the house is done, you will still need to set up the necessary equipment like heaters, air conditioners, kitchen appliances, among many others. A greenhouse should also make use of green energy solutions. This means that you have to also install solar panels or make use of wind energy for your electrical needs. If you have to use gas, then ensure that the accompanying equipment is safe for the environment and the people living in the house. To get a better idea of what you need to buy and how to install the best industrial-grade valves for your green home properly, check out xhval.com.

3D Prefabs

Imagine constructing your house using materials that have been printed by a 3D machine. Although 3D printing technology is still under development, plans to implement it in the daily lives of human beings are well underway in most parts of the world. Once it becomes economically viable to print house materials, then people can stop going after the environment to source building materials like sand and wood. This would ensure that more trees grow and the water channels remain untouched, which will be good for the ecosystems. Another advantage of using 3D printed prefab houses is that the construction cost will go down; all people would need to do is buy them as a package and set up the house in any part of the country that they want within days.

Using Less Land

Humans are fast approaching the 8 billion mark within the next five years, and this is adding more pressure on the available resources to support them all. One of the many ways that it is becoming increasingly hard to stop the destruction of the environment is the fact that people love using huge tracts of land to construct their houses when they can all decide to use one section for construction and leave the rest to nature. The prestige that comes with owning huge tracts of land is hindering the efforts to preserve the environment, and the only way to remedy this would be to encourage communal land ownership where everyone gets an equal portion of the land to build houses that are enough for them, leaving enough land for nature to reclaim.

Lean Construction

Lean construction is the process where solid plans are first laid out, and the model of the house is first designed using computer software to give the people involved an accurate idea of the exact amount of every construction material that will be needed. This ensures that nothing is bright in excess to avoid having wastage once the construction begins. Lean construction also helps the house owner save money to redirect to other future projects like creating a greenhouse or a garden around the house. Before starting construction, it would save you a lot of trouble if you could get in touch with people who can make this happen for you.

Conclusion

The planet is fast approaching an environmental crisis, and despite efforts by different governments and global organizations to slow that down, the pace of damage is far greater, and this is complicating matters. There are a lot of treaties signed to help save what’s left, but without proper mechanisms to enforce these treaties, there will be people who continue to destroy the environment for their profit. You can play your small role by embracing eco-friendly construction practices next time you choose to build a house.

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In our everyday life, we use various electronic products. They make an integral part of our lives that we cannot live without. These electronic goods help make our lives easier and more comfortable.

Speaking of electronics, they can be very expensive. Many say that electronics in Singapore are affordable. Well, it is true to some extent, but you can save more if you want to.

In Singapore, you can find various types of electronic gadgets. From the latest appliances to the most advanced gadgets, you can find it all in Singapore. If you are planning to buy electronics in Singapore, you should use Ximple.me to save money on your purchases.

Buying Electronics Using Ximple

When it comes to buying electronics, we like to compare the prices of similar products offered by different brands. This helps us to find the best deal to grab. But there are hundreds of brands selling the same product. Comparing the prices of all these brands is not possible manually. This is where you need the help of a reliable price comparison app like Ximple.

Ximple is an online application that allows you to compare the prices of similar products in the market. You can compare the rates offered by all the top electronic brands and find the best deal for yourself.

The app is available for free and is trusted by thousands of consumers in Singapore. However, you can use this app in other countries too. You can download it for free from Google Play or the App Store.

Features of Using Ximple

Ximple is a reliable and trusted price comparison application. By using this app, you can save a lot of money on your electronic purchases. Before you start using the app, here is a brief rundown of its features:

1. Compare prices

The app allows you to compare the prices of electronic goods from all the top-selling brands in the market. All you have to do is enter the product name and the site will provide you with the price list.

2. Search big deals

You can also use this app to search for big deals offered by brands. If you are planning to buy an expensive electronic item, you should watch out for these big deals. This is when the top brands give out their biggest discounts.

3. Brand specials

Almost every electronic brand gives out special offers that are exclusive only to them. Ximple has a section called Brand Specials where you can find out all the special brand deals available in the market.

4. Xgreen

Ximple encourages buyers to shop green and promote sustainable shopping habits. They aim to improve the state of the environment by promoting green shopping and maintaining green consumption habits.

Ximple gives you accurate results and helps you save money on your electronic purchases. The app is available for free on both Google Play and App Store. Install it in your device and use it to compare the prices of different electronic appliances and gadgets.

 

 

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