Our newsletter reflects the focus of Akin's cross-practice autonomous systems and advanced mobility team on developments in the regulatory, policy, trade, intellectual property, and cybersecurity and privacy spaces. Autonomous Akin brings you the latest news and developments so that you can keep a pulse on what is happening in government and industry that is impactful for your business. For our new readers, you can subscribe to future issues of this newsletter here. Thank you!
In this issue
- Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS)
- Advanced Air Mobility
- Technology, Environment and Legislation
- Autonomy & Electric Vehicles
- Events
Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS)
A Stranded Motorist Tied His Phone to a Drone and Got Rescued – Outside
On March 5, search and rescue crews in Lane County, Oregon, published the tale of a stranded motorist who used rope, his cell phone and an aerial drone to send an SOS message that ultimately led to his rescue. The incident occurred on January 30. Authorities have not released the man's name. The man was driving along rural backroads in Willamette National Forest when his pickup truck became stuck in deep snow. He was not alone—a woman approached him from a nearby minivan who had been trapped the previous day. A photo released by authorities shows the vehicles stranded next to the Box Canyon horse camp, which is located approximately 70 miles from Eugene on the eastern slope of the Cascades. There was no cell reception in the area, and both motorists faced a dire situation: neither had told anyone about their respective outings.
FAA Issues Special Unmanned Aerial System (UAS) Waiver to Alaska – Alaska Native News
Alaska is the first state to be able to grant permission for unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) to operate and test with the aim of securing certification for national airspace flight. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) granted the waiver this week, which was requested by the Alaska Department of Transportation & Public Facilities (DOT&PF) in late 2020. Alaska is now the only state with the ability to allow UAS operations classified as research or development, including aircraft under 300 pounds, to be conducted in our UAS test-site airspace. "This officially establishes Alaska as the leader in research for Unmanned Aircraft Systems," said Gov. Mike Dunleavy. "I am looking forward to seeing how Alaskans support and grow this developing economic sector."
Bill Preempting Local Governments on Delivery Drone Restrictions Zips Through First Senate Stop – Florida Politics
Legislation that would ease construction of drone ports and limit local governmental oversight and restriction flew through the first of three Senate stops. Drone ports—fixed or mobile locations for the housing, maintenance, fueling and piloting of commercial drone fleets—began facilitating deliveries in December across Florida at Walmart stores in Brandon, Clermont, New Port Richey, Tampa and Valrico. Walmart now uses delivery drones, operated through its DroneUp network, to deliver goods within a one-mile radius of seven stores in those areas. Bills (SB 1068 and HB 1071) by four Republican lawmakers—Sen. Jay Collins and Reps. Wyman Duggan, Juan Fernandez-Barquin and Spencer Roach—would ease the expansion of those and similar operations. The House measure advanced through its first panel Friday. Its analogue did the same Monday, clearing the Senate Committee on Commerce and Tourism by an 8-1 vote. "This is a preemption bill," Tampa Sen. Jay Collins said. "Creating a uniform and predictable framework of regulation is necessary to ensure a safe and successful drone delivery industry."
Wing's New Delivery Network Lets Its Drones Deliver More with Fewer Stops – The Verge
Wing, the drone delivery company owned by Google parent company Alphabet, is unveiling a new system that enables its drones to dynamically take pickup and delivery jobs back-to-back without needing to report back to an originating base. The ability is part of the company's new Wing Delivery Network, a decentralized logistics system that can automatically delegate tasks to a fleet of drones throughout a metro area. Wing Delivery Network consists of the drones themselves, pads where drones can take off and land as needed for charging, and Autoloader stations. Autoloaders are installed at retailers' parking lots, and employees can load a prepared order when ready. Then, an available drone can come and lower a rope to grab it without anyone waiting around.
Drone Technology is Finding Unlikely Uses Across Sectors – The Globe and Mail
Sunda pangolins are odd-looking creatures, with long tongues and bodies covered in scales. These housecat-sized animals are critically endangered: poached and sold on the black market for traditional medicinal ingredients. Save Vietnam's Wildlife, a nonprofit conservation organization, has been working for years to rescue and rehabilitate them. But the organization kept hitting snags when the pangolins were released back into the wild: they became difficult to track and collect data on, hindering efforts to improve their long-term survival outcomes. Thanks to advances in drone-based technologies, the organization can now keep closer tabs on the pangolins long after their rescue.
Advanced Air Mobility
Australia is Getting Its First Vertiport Network for Electric Air Taxi Operations – Autoevolution
It's said that when a door closes, another one opens. This could turn out to be true, and not just wishful thinking, for Australia's automotive industry. If building cars is no longer successful here, why not switch to building flying cars? Commonly known as air taxis, these small-capacity aircraft that are entirely electric are on the verge of revolutionizing air mobility. And Australia is free to seize the opportunity. A large property developer, who also happens to own the former Ford and Holden manufacturing plants in South Australia and Victoria, has big plans. What if these old assembly factories started making flying cars instead of conventional ones?
Pelligra seems to believe that there's a great opportunity for the country to play an important role in the emerging electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) sector. Perhaps it's time to move on from the local car manufacturing industry to a new mobility segment, and a new vision. In addition to this ambitious plan of "repurposing" its manufacturing plants, the property developer has also initiated a collaboration with a domestic eVTOL infrastructure expert, Skyportz. Together, they plan to set up an entire network of vertiports, which would be the first of its kind in the country.
Drone Certification is a Cautionary Tale for eVTOLs – The Air Current
A decade ago, many investors expected commercial drone operations to be a lot further along than they are today, particularly in the United States. While there has been some progress on integrating small drones into the national airspace system, it's safe to say that neither the FAA nor industry has exceeded expectations. In January of this year, the Government Accountability Office faulted the FAA for lacking a comprehensive strategy for drone integration, which has hindered all but the simplest line-of-sight operations.
How Customer Experience Will Make or Break Advanced Air Mobility – McKinsey & Company
Advanced air mobility (AAM) is loosely defined as short-haul flights that leverage new technologies, aircraft designs and business models; the flights may range from a few kilometers up to about 100 kilometers in the urban environment (urban air mobility) or up to 800 kilometers over larger areas (regional air mobility). AAM has been attracting much interest from aviation experts in recent years, with equipment manufacturers and operators pursuing projects related to the transport of both people and goods. This article focuses on the passenger AAM market, especially strategies for overcoming "hassle factors" to improve the customer experience and convince people that AAM is a better option than ground transport for some urban and regional trips.
Technology, Environment and Legislation
TomTom 2.0: Where Next for This Mapping Pioneer? – Automotive World
The full promise of future mobility arguably hinges on mapping technology. That's a bold statement, but one that location data players, and their customers, are increasingly admitting. Humans have long relied on maps to navigate travel—the oldest known map dates from around 12,000 BCE. As these devices evolve into smart, adaptive sources of spatial intelligence, their application potential and importance multiply. TomTom has jockeyed into one of the leading positions in today's digital navigation technology market. Its GPS device made it into Time magazine's list of the 50 most influential gadgets of all time, coming in at number 22. Over the years, the company has expanded from simple navigation maps for turn-by-turn directions to maps that improve the functionality of advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) and, more recently, High Definition (HD) maps for autonomous vehicles (AVs).
Sunshine, Heat and Bitcoin Will Reshape Electricity in Texas – Bloomberg
No electricity grid in the United States has added more renewable power over the past decade than the Texas grid has. Back in 2012, both California and the Midwest generated more power from wind, solar and other renewables than the Lone Star State. But in 2022, Texas was the winner. The future of the state's grid is a study in supply, demand and uncertainty. One thing that is certain: most of Texas's renewable generation today is from wind. Last year, wind projects in the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (Ercot, the grid that covers most of the state) generated more than 107,000 gigawatt-hours of electricity; solar generated 24,000, less than a quarter of what wind produced. But solar is growing rapidly, and generating most during the hottest months, when the grid is under the greatest strain to meet high demand.
A Climate Vulnerable Nation Takes the World to Court Over Emissions – Bloomberg
Vanuatu, one of the most vulnerable countries to global warming, is taking matters into its own hands. After the world failed to boost targets for cutting emissions at last year's climate summit, the Volcanic atoll in the South Pacific is turning to international law to make sure countries live up to their commitments to curb greenhouse gases. Vanuatu, leading a core group of 18 nations, wants the International Court of Justice (ICJ) to issue its assessment of what countries are obliged to do in order to make sure that global temperature rise is kept below the Paris Agreement target of 1.5 degrees Celsius. While those who breach their official pledges will not be taken to court directly, the ruling would be the most authoritative legal voice on where they are falling short both in terms of emissions cuts and finance to poorer nations. "If states don't do what the ICJ says needs to be done, they are violating the law," said Margaretha Wewerinke-Singh, professor of law at the University of Amsterdam and lead counsel for Vanuatu.
Autonomy & Electric Vehicles
Biden Makes Electric Vehicle Credits Elusive in Bid for US Auto Renaissance – Bloomberg
The Biden administration's requirements for electric vehicle (EV) tax credits will reduce the number of models eligible for incentives until tens of billions of new investment in U.S. manufacturing by automakers and suppliers kick in. The guidance released Friday clarifying provisions of the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA)—President Joe Biden's landmark climate bill—will leave few EVs eligible for up to $7,500 credits as of April 18, administration officials said. The reason: most don't meet new requirements that battery components or critical minerals are sourced from North America or U.S. free trade partners. The global auto industry eagerly anticipated the U.S. Treasury Department's notice, with lobbyists pushing for months to loosen up the sourcing and content requirements. While tax credits for consumers included in the legislation, known as the IRA, will be difficult to attain, those incentives and additional perks for manufacturers have helped trigger announcements of more than $52 billion in EV and battery investment in the United States.
PTAB Nixes Patent in MIT Electric Vehicle Charging Dispute – Law360
The Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB) has wiped out a technology company's patent covering a wireless charging system created by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), finding that the patent asserted in parallel Delaware federal court litigation is invalid as obvious. The three-judge panel's Monday final written decision axed all challenged claims in a patent held by wireless charging company WiTricity Corp. on an energy transfer system developed by physicists at MIT—which was challenged at the PTAB by rival InductEV Inc. after it was slapped with a Delaware federal patent suit that is pending. According to the panel, combinations of two prior art references render the technology obvious.
Volkswagen Plans Almost $200 Billion in Investment Focusing on EVs, New Tech – Wall Street Journal
Volkswagen AG is planning a spending spree of close to $200 billion over the next five years to fix its struggling business in China and try to hoist the German car maker out of its niche as an also-ran in the U.S. The German auto maker said Tuesday it would target 68% of that investment, or about $131 billion, on the development of EVs and new digital technology, with a particular focus on expansion in China and the U.S. That compares with about 56% in the previous investment plan. The move is the first major strategy announcement by Chief Executive Oliver Blume since he took the reins at VW in September after the board ousted his predecessor, Herbert Diess. With the company's new five-year investment plan, Mr. Blume is now starting a spending war with rival auto makers as he tries to claw back market share in China and make the company's U.S. business relevant after decades of failed attempts to build significant market share.
Elon Musk's Cost-Cutting Targets at Tesla Pressure EV Rivals – Wall Street Journal
Car makers trying to catch up to Tesla Inc.'s TSLA 1.62% increase, green up-pointing triangle EVs were thrown a curveball recently with Elon Musk's latest goal: slashing the cost of building next-generation cars by 50% in coming years. Analysts already estimate Tesla's bestselling vehicles enjoy thousands of dollars in cost advantages over rivals in producing EVs, and those competitors have been trying to close the gap.
BMW and Volkswagen Are Spending Whatever It Takes To Rival Tesla – Wall Street Journal
Making EV investments pay off is a challenge for all auto makers, but it is easier if you can charge luxury prices. Bayerische Motoren Werke, better known as BMW, closed the financial reporting season for the German car industry Wednesday with a glitzy annual conference for press and investors. It had already disclosed a record profit for last year, but its outlook was new, including a target for 15% of its sales volumes to be from all-electric vehicles this year, up from about 9% in 2022.
Jidu Partners with Baidu to Offer ChatGPT-like Services in Cars – China Daily
Smart EV company Jidu Auto will integrate Baidu Inc's ChatGPT-like artificial intelligence services in its cars to provide better human-machine interaction. Xia Yiping, CEO of Jidu, said the company will integrate Ernie Bot, an AI chatbot project developed by Baidu, into its cars to develop the world's first large-language-model-powered AI interactive experience for intelligent vehicles. Baidu's Ernie Bot completed its internal testing in March before being made public. Founded in 2021, Jidu Auto is a joint venture established by Baidu and carmaker Geely Holding Group.
FHWA Issues Requirements for EV Charges—But Not for Trucks – Transport Topics
The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) has issued a final rule for minimum standards of EV chargers, but has chosen to not yet broaden the rule to include minimum standards for medium- and heavy-duty electric truck charging infrastructure. The agency said it did not want to issue a final rule for these trucks so as to not "pre-empt the pace of the technological innovation." The FHWA decision is important to trucking trade groups and motor carriers who have in recent months expressed concerns that the needed electric charging infrastructure for commercial trucks will not be in place in time to comply with anticipated state regulatory mandates for the adoption of electric trucks.
IAM Live: Auto IP USA
May 4, 2023
Detroit, MI
Law-Tech Connect AUVSI Workshop
May 8, 2023
Denver, CO
Akin partner Jennifer Richter will be speaking on a panel titled "Show Me the Money! Tapping Into Opportunities to Work with the Government."
AUVSI XPONENTIAL 2023
May 8-11, 2023
Denver, CO
Akin partner Ruben Munoz will be speaking on a panel around patent licensing and litigation issues.
Law-Tech Connect Energy Drone + Robotics Workshop
June 12, 2023
Houston, TX
Akin partner Jennifer Richter will be speaking on a panel titled "A Holistic Approach to Securing Energy Infrastructure" and Akin Gump counsel Christopher Treanor will be speaking on a panel titled "Clearing the Air - How Advanced Tech Contributes to Methane Compliance."
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