Important Innovations

  Orlando, Florida Will be Germany's Lilium's 1st US Vertiport                                                       Source:  Lilium Lilium's US Air Taxi Operations Start in 2025 from Florida Germany's Lilium air-taxi is one of the most promising, successfully tested and well funded air mobility startups in the world.  I've been blogging about the company's achievements for some time. It now has $375 million in investor funding.  It is establishing a Dusseldorf, Germany Vertiport planned for its eVTOLs - electric vertical takeoff and landing vehicles.  And now, it announced its first US Vertiport at Lake Nona, a smart city being built near Orlando International Airport.  5 year old Lilium is racing ahead in the eVTOL field to revolutionize short haul transit. Lilium is an electric, green, air taxi service, gearing up to take-off. Green Revolutionary Tech Lilium is a fixed wing air craft that seats five and requires an experienced pilot.  It's a green flying

  New Travel Innovation: E-Urban Mobility Vehicle                                                  Source:  KOMMA Part Car and Part MotorBike KOMMA is a brand new electric vehicle for city travel from innovators in Switzerland. The startup says it is an alternative to conventional means of city transportation.  The KOMMA Urban Mobility Vehicle (UMV) is a crossover between a conventional car and a motorbike.  It's electric, has the comfort and safety of a car but with a much smaller footprint.  It's being billed as a brand new means of travel around and between urban areas. KOMMA's Approach and Mantra Could Be Transformative KOMMA's mantra is to create better ways to move around cities than by cars and vans.  The approach of their new technology is by blurring the lines between travel vehicles as we know them.  Their brand new KOMMA UMV is planned for production in 2022.  They believe the small size of their vehicle, the light construction, aero design and its electric p

Morphoz 2020 Concept Source:  Renault Electric Size-Changing Car Renault's electric vehicle concept is truly unique innovation.  Their concept 2020 Morphoz can be physically expanded for a more comfortable long distance drive and contracted to get around crowded, narrow city streets. AI Smarts The electric vehicle is also incredibly smart.  It has an AI empowered smart system that enables the car to recognize its driver as he or she approaches the vehicle. City versus Long-Distance Driving The city driving size of the car is 14.4 feet long with a travel range on a charge of 249 miles.  The long distance version is 15.75 feet long.  With an additional battery onboard, the car can travel 435 miles. Future of Travel Renault executives view their morphing EV as a shared modular car owned by several drivers.  They call it the future of travel as soon as 2025.  

UK's Immense Simulations Gets VC Backing Source:  Immense Simulations  Big Money Pouring into Software for Driverless Cars British software company Immense Simulations makes interactive city simulations of traffic and people flows on any given day.  The company today raised $4.6 million in a Series A funding led by UK's Amadeus Capital Partners and Japan's Global Brain Corporation.  This is a major sign of the times.  Investors are betting on autonomous vehicles going mainstream.  So far this year, companies in the self-driving vehicle sphere have raised $3 Billion in funding. Immense Technology Immense uses data from mobile phone operators, public transport and telematics databases to build city simulations.  Carmakers use the simulations to test their plans for fleets of autonomous cars on scenarios that are as close to real, congested city conditions as possible. CityScapes Immense Simulations has made simulations for driving conditions in many cities inclu

Genesis Concept Car: Luxurious, Small, Electric Source:  Genesis The Genesis Mint Korean luxury automaker Genesis unveiled its newest concept car at the New York International Auto Show that opened today.  It's called the Genesis Mint.  It's a 2 door electric car, that's getting rave reviews from attendees and the press.  It's a small, luxurious, 2-seater that is battery electric powered.  It's designed for city driving. Sporty and Futuristic The Mint is the size of a Fiat with a range of 200 miles and has a quick recharge.  It's futuristic looking, sporty with a minimalist interior.  The driver and passenger share a leather bench between the two front seats.  No word on price or plans for production.  But in this case, a picture is worth a thousand words.  Genesis was spun off from Hyundai three years ago.  It currently has three luxury sedans available for sale in the US that are targeted at customers interested in Mercedes, BMW and Audi.