2024-02-01 · auto-analysis (draft)
Tech CEO on the Future of Travel & Technology w/ Adam Goldstein | EP #82
The conversation covers the future of electric air taxis, focusing on their design, technology, and accessibility, with Adam Goldstein discussing Archer Aviation's vehicle and the advancements that make it possible. The discussion covers the stagnation of the aviation industry, advancements in electric propulsion and energy efficiency, and the role of geopolitical factors in driving innovation. It also touches on the potential for electric air taxis and the need for substantial investment and collaborative regulation. Discussion on the role of pilots in the transition to autonomous air taxis and the future of air travel, including the potential for scaling the industry and the comparison to Uber's business model. The podcast discusses the capital-intensive nature of the business, the transformative potential of urban air mobility, the future of living and cities, and the challenges and a
Topics
Electric Air Taxis Transportation ▶ 0:00
Battery Technology Tech ▶ 7:03
Design and Aesthetics Design ▶ 6:00
Exponential Technologies AI|Robotics|Space|Energy|Longevity|Biotech|Compute ▶ 6:48
AI|Robotics AI|Robotics ▶ 10:25
Transportation Transportation ▶ 9:36
Energy Energy ▶ 8:55
Geopolitics Geopolitics ▶ 13:06
AI AI ▶ 17:25
AI|Robotics|Space|Energy|Longevity|Biotech|Compute|Crypto/Web3|Economy|Geopolitics|Health|Transportation|Other Transportation ▶ 26:06
Capital Intensive Business Economy ▶ 34:10
Urban Air Mobility Transportation ▶ 35:42
Future of Living and Cities Geopolitics ▶ 40:11
Regulatory Challenges Geopolitics ▶ 41:07
Predictions made
open Adam Goldstein: The vehicles will be lower than car ownership in five to seven years.
“over time and when I say over time I'm not talking 50 years I'm talking five years seven years”
Your call:
open Adam Goldstein: These vehicles will have single points of failure and will be safer than helicopters.
“they'll have single zero single points of failure and because they're electric and the uh the power trains are um you know using electric engines and lithiumion batteries they won't need to undergo the same type of Maintenance just similar like I have a Tesla I've owned it for many years I've never maintenanced it once and so you have a a dynamic that you can build a lot of these vehicles Drive the cost you know way way down”
Your call:
open Adam Goldstein: Electric air taxis will be accessible to everyone on Earth.
“ultimately will allow this to be accessible to everyone on Earth you know the old adage friends don't let friends fly helicopters right um because they're so they're so dangerous but”
Your call:
open Adam Goldstein: Battery technology will continue to improve, making electric air taxis more efficient.
“Battery tech has been probably the biggest one um and um the reason why that one is so interesting of all of them is just because it hasn't it's not like it's stopped it's just getting better so the product literally gets better every year”
Your call:
open Unknown: Electric air taxis could change aviation beyond the original products.
“evall electric air taxi company have a chance to totally just change Aviation beyond the original products”
Your call:
open Unknown: The aviation industry will require substantial investment from companies like Archer to drive innovation.
“all very very possible I mean the fa does an amazing job of keeping us safe um the track record is extraordinary”
Your call:
open Unknown: There will be a push for more collaborative regulation to support innovation in the industry.
“there's a big push to make sure that the Regulators are working very collaboratively with the companies obviously safety first but collaboratively to make sure it's not a roadblock to actually get this industry to Market”
Your call:
open Adam Goldstein: By 2030, the industry will need to transition to fully autonomous air taxis to scale.
“if we really do want to scale Beyond you know uh 10,000 20,000 50,000 100,000 Vehicles there is a point where we certainly will need to go autonomous because there simply Aren't Enough Pilots out there to do this”
Your call:
open Adam Goldstein: There will be point-to-point services for eVTOL vehicles in densely populated areas.
“you could effectively have a gondola in the sky that just runs those routes from the the ver deports to the airports going all day every day non-stop you know like every two minutes it's taken off and going right.”
Your call:
open Adam Goldstein: Services will be launched regardless of regulatory timing.
“we will make alternative plans to launch regardless of the timing of the regulator”
Your call:
open Adam Goldstein: Operating before certification is possible.
“we will be able to find ways to operate um kind of before certification”
Your call:
open Adam Goldstein: The air traffic control system will need to be completely changed for the future of flying vehicles.
“Ultimately we'll have to um I think completely change the system here.”
Your call:
Numbers that matter
- 300-400 miles
- 6,500 pound maximum takeoff weight
- Every day
- Newest cell
- Cooler
- 500
- 2040 billion dollars
- 45,000
- 10,000 to 100,000
- 30 million trips per year
- almost a billion dollars
- 650 planes
- 2,300 planes
- 950 cars per thousand people
- 20 cars per thousand people