Skyportz to Build Private Vertiports with Electro.Aero

Skyportz, the Australian-based infrastructure developer, has joined forces with battery charging specialists Electro.Aero to build vertiports on private properties that will “form the essential backbone of an Advanced Air Mobility ecosystem”.

The concept, known as a “vertiport in a box”, was announced by Skyportz CEO Clem Newton-Brown at the Revolution.Aero conference in Dublin, Ireland, when the focus of the industry has been on larger vertiports at existing airports.

“This is the low-hanging fruit which will form the essential backbone of an Advanced Air Mobility ecosystem,” he said. “However, if this industry is to reach its potential we need to break the nexus between aviation and airports and let private property owners develop their own vertiports.”

Newton-Brown said the shift in focus comes as traditional vertiports, which will be built at existing airports, are costly and nowhere near being adopted. Furthermore, the government rules and regulations are still in development and no electric aircraft manufacturers have started operating commercially. 

With this in mind, he sees great potential in installing vertiports on private properties, especially considering the battery pack and solar panels can be used to power the buildings.

“At Skyportz we are focusing on affordable options that property developers can incorporate right now into new developments or retrofit into existing buildings,” Newton-Brown added. 

“We will soon be releasing a beautiful tiny modular vertiport building that can be delivered to site in a shipping container, and assembled without heavy equipment, complete with a high powered battery bank and charger with solar panels,” he said.

Meanwhile, Richard Charlton, CEO of Electro.Aero, expects the company’s battery charging and power storage systems to not only charge eVTOLs but also provide sustainable power to the vertiports’ host properties. 

“Electro.Aero is proud to be Skyportz’s supplier of choice for electric aircraft charging infrastructure at their vertiport,” he said.

Skyportz’s collaboration with Electro.Aero comes a couple of weeks after it joined forces with Skyway to assist in the development of urban air mobility (UAM) in Australia.

Skyportz confirmed it will unveil further partnerships upon the completion of the modular design later in 2023. The deals will revolve around weather data, air traffic management systems, booking services, and aviation operators.

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