Air taxis make up most of the hype surrounding eVTOLs (electric vertical take-off and landing), despite a long road to market, high initial costs, and many regulatory hurdles. Ryse Aero Technologies, an Ohio-based startup that builds ATV-like aircraft, believes his eVTOL technology can be better used in the near-term market.
The company, which was founded in April 2021, recently opened bookings for its ultralight aircraft Recon. This is his one-man eVTOL with land and water take-off and landing capabilities and a maximum altitude of 400 feet. It is powered by 6 independent motors, each with a removable and rechargeable battery.
Ryse CEO Mick Kowitz told TechCrunch: This means it is intended for one-person use, cannot fly in congested areas, and cannot carry heavy cargo.
It also means that the FAA does not prescribe the number of training hours required. can fly one.
“We train for one to two hours and you operate it,” says Kowitz.
So far, Ryse has built four prototypes and several prototypes that are currently being tested on farms. The startup sees a number of potential use cases for aircraft — search and rescue, parks and recreation, oil and gas extraction — but Ryse’s go-to-market strategy targets U.S. agriculture.
“We’re really committed to less compacting the crop, less compacting the soil, and being able to get to the field during the planting season,” says Kowitz. “There may be blight in the fields and the soil very wet, but you still have to get out there. We walk two to three miles to where the problem is, and the Recon gets there pretty quickly without a lot of compression.”
Soil compaction, by the way, is caused by the weight placed on the soil by human traffic, livestock trampling, vehicles, and other agricultural machinery. This compresses the pores that would otherwise transport water and air, impeding root growth and causing oxygen starvation.
In addition to avoiding soil compaction, Kowitz says Recon saves time, an even more valuable commodity for farmers, ranchers and vineyard owners. The Recon has enough battery capacity to get him 10 miles back 10 miles away. This equates to about 25 minutes of play at a top speed of 63 mph.
Image credit: Rise Aero Technologies
“Your time is valuable. In the agricultural world, many people don’t necessarily value their time because they think they have plenty of it,” says Kowitz. . “In farm life, they have also lived with the idea that time is what they spend going out to the fields. What is it worth to you?”
How about 1.5 million? That’s what Recon is for when it hits the market. And while that might seem like a pretty penny to urban slickers like you and me, in the agricultural world, it’s nothing — at least according to Kowitz. cost, and many farms purchase multiple tractors.
It’s still too early to know for sure how long the reconnaissance plane will last in the field, but Kowitz said Ryse has been conducting environmental, vibration, and sensor tests, and the aircraft’s lifespan is likely to be between eight and five. I believe 10 years.
Recon is already in demand. Ryse has already booked about $15 million in future revenue from bookings, Kowitz said, meaning 100 of her potential customers have signed up to confirm delivery dates. .
One of the hurdles the company may face is whether the aircraft can actually be put into commercial operation. Part 103, the FAA’s ruling on ultralight aircraft, states that vehicles must only be used for recreational or sporting purposes. According to Ryse, there are many operators using this type of aircraft to improve their business operations without violating regulations, and the company has been discussing its use cases with the FAA “without concern.” increase. The FAA has not commented specifically on Ryse, but he told TechCrunch that it evaluates each on a case-by-case basis.
The company is building a production facility and aims to produce 10 vehicles per month through 2023, with deliveries beginning at the end of the year, so Ryse shouldn’t worry too much about that. The company has raised his $5.5 million, and with another $25 million in Series B funding, starting next year he hopes to scale production to 100 units per month by 2025.
