Source: Finance Association
Author: Zhao Hao
① Boeing Chief Technology Officer Todd Citron said that the company plans to enter the Asian flying car business market by 2030;
② Boeing opened a research and development base in Nagoya, Japan, and Citron participated in the ribbon-cutting ceremony.
On Thursday (April 18) local time, Todd Citron, the chief technology officer of Boeing of the United States, said that the company plans to enter the Asian flying car business market by 2030 to explore the demand for rapid travel in congested cities in the region.
Optimistic about the future of electric air taxis, Boeing completed the acquisition of Wisk Aero about a year ago. Citron revealed in an interview with the media that the eVTOL (electric vertical take-off and landing aircraft) developed by Wisk Aero will use technology developed independently by the company, which is rare in the eVTOL industry.
Boeing's plan is to first obtain certification in the US and then expand to Asia. Details of the Asian business will be finalized in the future. Currently, it is uncertain whether Boeing will sell eVTOLs to other companies or operate this service itself. Currently, Boeing is choosing its first Asian market, with Japan among the options.
Within Japan, Boeing opened a research and development base in Nagoya, Japan. Citron participated in the ribbon-cutting ceremony and said at the press conference that the new research center will strengthen Boeing's global engineering capabilities and long-term partnerships in Japan.
According to information, the Nagoya base is the aircraft manufacturer's first R&D base in Japan and the company's seventh R&D facility outside the US. According to media reports, Boeing has already employed 27 R&D personnel from 12 countries in Japan and plans to increase this number to around 50 in the future.
Citron suggests that Boeing may develop potential collaborations with car manufacturers, and Aichi Prefecture, where Nagoya is located, is home to Japan's famous automobile industry cluster.
Will Shaffer, president of Boeing Japan, also mentioned the advantages of opening a base in Nagoya. Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Kawasaki Heavy Industries, and Subaru, which manufacture key components for Boeing, all have factories nearby. “Another opportunity in this region is talent. We have cooperated very closely with Nagoya University and other places.”
It should be pointed out that before Boeing, several companies had applied for flying taxi certification from the Japanese government, including the local startup SkyDrive and the German VoloCopter. According to Japanese media, four companies, including SkyDrive, have scheduled to fly eVTOLs at the 2025 Osaka Kansai World Expo.
Editor/Jeffy