DENTON (UNT) — On Tuesday, October 11th, researchers and a nationwide partnership of companies and government agencies took a giant step toward next generation air travel with a successful live flight test of emerging Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) technologies, including future airspace system automation, advanced communications infrastructure, a surrogate electric Vertical Take-Off and Landing (eVTOL) aircraft and a simulated air route between Hillwood’s AllianceTexas Flight Test Center in Justin and the University of North Texas’ Discovery Park.

This flight not only simulated a potential high-demand route for unmanned, autonomous cargo and passenger-carrying air transports, it also provided vital data for industry standards in airspace management, vehicle-to-infrastructure communications and autonomous flight operations. The North Texas Cohort team organized by NASA’s AAM National Campaign Project were able to expand on earlier NASA-led research to include the integration of live weather data from uMass’s network of weather radars, CASA’s CityWarn system, and dynamic capacity balancing into a complex hardware/software solution needed to realize the next generation of airborne travel. 

“The dream of Jetsons air taxis — which was set in 2062 — has remained just a dream to date, but advances in battery technology, robotics, aerodynamics and communication systems are bringing that Jetsons dream closer day-by-day,” said Keven Gambold, CEO of Unmanned Experts Inc. “The North Texas Cohort is focused on getting these revolutionary aircraft to help with everyday life, from safely delivering locally sourced food from farm to metro centers quickly to taking families to the airport a mere 10 minutes before boarding — faster, safer, cleaner, and more advanced than any other transportation system in the world.”

For the high demand routes to work, eVTOLs would need to be in constant contact with a traffic management system, as the test vehicle was during Tuesday’s test.  This is not only to organize air traffic, but also to ensure the safety and security of the vehicles and people and property below.  The North Texas Cohort research team, a group of 15 entities, including representatives from UNT, Bell Textron, Unmanned Experts Inc., AAMTEX worked with National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), Hillwood and the Federal Aviation Administration as they monitored the next generation aircraft through two ‘laps’ of a test route from AllianceTexas in Fort Worth to UNT’s Discovery Park in Denton, trialing novel communication and safety technologies.

“The test moves the North Texas region one step closer to a future where air taxis, air ambulances and delivery vehicles are a normal part of life,” said UNT College of Engineering professor Kamesh Namuduri, one of the leaders of the project. “We wouldn’t have been successful without all of our partners working in conjunction to make this a reality. We look forward to moving transportation in North Texas forward with the continued support of the entire team.”

The Bell 407GXi helicopter, supplied by Bell Textron as a surrogate eVTOL for the demonstration, completed the flight along a NASA-derived high demand route while providing real air data to a traffic management system known as a PSU, monitored on the ground. Leveraging Hillwood’s AllianceTexas Flight Test Center (FTC), (also known as ‘The MIZ’ for Mobility Innovation Zone) adjacent to the Texas Motor Speedway, the test was able to build upon earlier Unmanned Air Vehicle (UAV) and AAM efforts conducted over the past several years. The FTC has emerged as the ‘go to’ UAV and autonomous system industry destination for the collaborative testing and advancement of next generation technologies, including successful efforts for Bell, Wing, and other ground and air robotics companies.

“Hillwood is proud that the AllianceTexas Mobility Innovation Zone is serving as the catalyst platform for the future of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles and their related traffic systems,” said Christopher Ash, senior vice president of Aviation Business Development for Hillwood and Alliance Aviation Services. “North Texas continues to be on the leading edge of the future of flight and this partnership, organized by NASA’s AAM National Campaign and initiated by the University of North Texas and Unmanned Experts, Inc., showcases the depth of regional assets and corporate resources that have enabled the MIZ to become a global focal point in the technological revolution occurring within air mobility.”

Other partners involved in the research include Avianco; Delmont Systems; ResilienX, Metron; Hermes Autonomous Air Mobility Solutions; AAMTEX, Frequentis; Lone Star UAS Center of Excellence and Innovation; and CASA, University of Massachusetts, Amherst. For more about our partners, click here.

UNT’s portion of the research is part of UNT’s Center for Integrated Intelligent Mobility Systems (CIIMS). CIIMS was established in 2020 to bring together expertise across disciplines, including engineering and business, around intelligent mobility, which includes autonomous flight, ground vehicles, and the systems that will enable their deployment.

Perot Field Fort Worth Alliance Airport (AFW) continues to snag a larger piece of the nation’s air cargo and has been named one of the Top 20 U.S. Cargo Airports ranked by the Federal Aviation Administration.

Alliance moved up three spots to No. 20 in the rankings and landed more than 2.4 billion pounds of cargo in 2021, a volume increase of nearly 46% from the previous year, the airport said in a statement.

“A key player in the national and global supply chain, this recognition reinforces the incredible growth and demand we have experienced at the airport over the past five years,” Christian Childs, president of Alliance Aviation companies at Hillwood, said in a statement. “The airport plays a critical role in our national security efforts and in ensuring Americans have access to essential household goods.”

Airport was created in 1989

Created in 1989 as a collaboration between Hillwood, the city of Fort Worth, and the FAA, Perot Field Fort Worth Alliance has served as a premier destination for aviation and global logistic customers at AllianceTexas, the massive Hillwood development that has contributed to more than $100 billion in cumulative economic impact to the region since its inception.

In June, the Fort Worth City Council passed a resolution honoring the late North Texas business icon and philanthropist Ross Perot Sr. by renaming Alliance Airport as Perot Field Fort Worth Alliance Airport. Perot died in 2019 at the age of 89.

World’s first industrial airport designed for cargo and corporate air traffic

Perot Field Fort Worth Alliance Airport is the world’s first industrial airport designed for cargo and corporate aviation traffic.

The airport features an array of flight services including air cargo, corporate and government aviation, and is the cornerstone of one of the nation’s most successful private-public partnerships, the 27,000-acre AllianceTexas development.

A key component of The MIZ

It’s also a key component of the AllianceTexas Mobility Innovation Zone, which is boosting innovative mobility solutions throughout the supply chain and has attracted leading companies focused on the autonomous and automated movement of goods.

According to the airport’s operations data for 2021, AFW experienced a 43% year-over-year volume increase in cargo transported.

The airport reported 789,429,648 pounds of cargo enplaning and deplaning at AFW in 2021, compared to 550,762,202 pounds in 2020.

The airport’s growth is attributable to a variety of factors, the airport said, including increased efficiencies and lower operating costs, a dramatic shift in consumer behavior, and an increase in e-commerce shipping activity.

FedEx’s AllianceTexas-based Southwest Regional Sort Hub is ranked third in the nation in terms of square footage of sortation and handling facilities, the airport said in a statement. AFW also is the home to one of Amazon Air’s regional air hubs enabling wider selection and faster delivery to customers across Texas and the region.

DFW Airport ranks No. 11 on the FAA list

Dallas Fort Worth International Airport ranks No. 11 on the list with 3.9 billion pounds of cargo enplaning and deplaning in 2021, according to the FAA.

To learn more about the FAA rankings, go here.

Clevon, an Estonian company manufacturing autonomous delivery vehicles, has opened its North American headquarters in Fort Worth. Community leaders welcomed the Estonian president Alan Karis and Clevon’s new leadership to the city. Watch Recap

When Hillwood Chairman Ross Perot Jr. told a crowd at Alliance Airport “Fort Worth is like Estonia,” his comparison wasn’t immediately obvious. What does the former Soviet republic one-fifteenth the size of Texas have in common with Cowtown? Both places are looking forward.

The seemingly unlikely bedfellows cemented their relationship Thursday with the announcement that Fort Worth will be home to the North American headquarters of Clevon, an Estonian startup that manufactures self-driving delivery vehicles. The event attracted Estonian dignitaries including President Alar Karis. Its product Clevon 1 provides last-mile delivery services, meaning it carries items on the final leg of the delivery journey to customers’ homes. The vehicle is already being tested in Europe.

The company is the latest addition to the AllianceTexas Mobility Innovation Zone, a burgeoning hub for autonomous truck technology. Eventually, the company plans to manufacture its products in Fort Worth. With Estonia’s far-reaching technological advances and Fort Worth’s rapid growth and ravenous market, the match makes sense.

SELF-DRIVING VEHICLE HUB

In just a few years, residents of Fort Worth’s dense urbanized communities could start receiving their groceries and takeout orders from a colorful little truck, known as Clevon 1. At five feet tall, eight feet long and nearly four feet wide, Clevon 1 looks like a cartoonish miniature freight truck. It runs on electricity and can travel up to 31 mph. Some versions of the prototype feature a flatbed. Others carry what looks like an Amazon locker where customers can enter a code to retrieve their delivery.

The company is getting state and federal approval to operate its vehicles on public roads. It’s also in talks with potential partners. “We selected to place our headquarters here in Texas, because of the great business environment, as we have managed to create great partnerships that are essential to scale and commercialize autonomous vehicle technologies,” said Clevon CEO Sander Sebastian Agur.

Clevon isn’t the only company that’s identified Fort Worth as an ideal location for innovation and growth. The Alliance Mobility Zone is also home to driverless truck company TuSimple, which is backed by UPS.

FORT WORTH AND ESTONIA

When Ross Perot Jr. flew to Estonia this summer, he expected his visit to be like prior travels to other eastern European countries.

The first indicator of Estonia’s advancement was the quality of its airport runways, he said. And that was just the beginning. “It’s one of the great technology countries of the world,” Perot said. In 2002, the country launched a national ID system, where all Estonians receive a physical card that allows them to pay taxes, vote and access health care records. Almost all Estonian governmental services — like voting and taxes — are available online.

“We need to go to Estonia and copy what they’re doing in Fort Worth,” said Perot. The first step to emulating the country’s digital successes is to see them firsthand, Karis told the Star-Telegram. “We need to bring people from different countries to Estonia,” Karis said. “Come to Estonia and you’ll understand what’s going on.”

ESTONIA’S NEIGHBOR

On the presenter platform at Alliance Airport, three flags stood behind the podium: the American flag, the Estonian flag and the Texas flag. A fourth flag could be seen on the lapels of many in the Estonian delegation: yellow and blue for Ukraine. For people living in a country that borders Russia, the specter of war hangs over everything — even events halfway across the world celebrating technological advances. Estonia has admitted more than 50,000 Ukrainian refugees, mostly women and children, and is providing schooling to Ukrainian children, Karis said.

When asked about the geopolitical moment, Karis simply said, “He’s mad,” in reference to Russian President Vladimir Putin. In his address, Perot congratulated Estonia on its 30 years of freedom from the Soviet Union and connected the country’s independence to its entrepreneurial spirit. “When you deal with people that lived under Russia and under communism, when they have their freedom, they are determined not to go back,” said Perot. Despite the nearness of the conflict, Karis is confident in his country’s security. Thanks to the umbrella afforded by NATO and the country’s own military forces, Karis said, Estonia’s independence — and freedom to innovate — remains intact.

FORT WORTH, TEXAS – SEPTEMBER 22, 2022 – Clevon (NASDAQ: CLEV), the autonomous delivery vehicle innovator, today announced the global expansion of the Company’s operations to North America with the opening of its Center of Excellence and U.S. headquarters in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex at the AllianceTexas Mobility Innovation Zone (MIZ).

As part of the celebration today, Clevon will also host President of the Republic of Estonia Alar Karis, Brandom Gengelbach, President and CEO of the Fort Worth Chamber of Commerce and Ross Perot, Jr., Chairman for The Perot Group and Hillwood at the Company’s opening commemoration.

Clevon is expanding into the North American market as the pressure from businesses to offer on-demand, same day or next day delivery of goods and services continues to skyrocket. To meet this demand, Clevon has brought its autonomous delivery vehicles to North America.  Clevon’s unmanned vehicles will drive on public roads and enable the transportation of goods to be more energy-efficient, cost-effective and scalable.  

The global autonomous last-mile delivery market is expected to grow almost five times to $57B in the next six years*.  This growth presents a significant challenge for global e-commerce businesses and traditional brick and mortar retailers.  These businesses will need to differentiate and innovate their last mile delivery solutions to compete in a marketplace where on-demand delivery options dominate.   

“Without any doubt the start-up and digital sector has been among the fastest growing areas of the Estonian economy and I believe that it is now time to bring the innovation that was born in the digital sector to the rest of the economy and the rest of the world. Clevon is a good example of this,” said The President of Estonia Alar Karis. “By combining the technology with business and entrepreneurship Clevon has managed to create something that will transform the whole mobility sector and hopefully will help to build a better world.”

“By expanding into North America, Clevon is furthering its mission to develop vehicles that save energy, are environmentally friendly and contribute towards a climate-neutral economy.  We do this by supporting smart and sustainable communities through positively impacting our clients’ carbon emission reduction targets,” said Sander Sebastian Agur, CEO of Clevon. “We are thrilled to call the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex our new home in the U.S. and very much appreciate the warm welcome and support of the local business communities and government leaders. We look forward to helping the local economy grow and thrive through job creation, technology innovation and leadership.”  

“We are pioneering the future of mobility right here in Fort Worth, especially with the AllianceTexas Mobility Innovation Zone serving as a hub for exciting innovation. I am thrilled to welcome Clevon to our city and our business community, and I look forward to seeing how their expansion to Fort Worth supports their continued growth in the autonomous delivery vehicle market,” said Mattie Parker, Mayor of Fort Worth, Texas.   

“From everyone at Hillwood, we are honored to have Clevon select the AllianceTexas Mobility Innovation Zone as the destination for their expansion into North America,” said Ross Perot, Jr., chairman of Hillwood and the Perot Group. “By connecting to the established infrastructure and ecosystem at the MIZ, Clevon’s forward-thinking technology will enable them to provide alternative last-mile solutions in the supply chain here in North Texas.”

CLEVON 1 is Clevon’s flagship autonomous multi-platform delivery vehicle. Designed to navigate urban environments with ease, businesses can choose from different CLEVON 1 models including the Universal Platform, CargoBox (retail), Lockers (logistics), Truckbed (transport), and Mobile Cameras (security).   CLEVON 1 has been tested on public roads in Europe for two years and is proven to be safe and reliable, is environmentally focused with zero CO2 emissions, and reduces last mile delivery cost by 30%.  Clevon collaborates with several key tech partners and suppliers that provide innovative solutions for its autonomous delivery technology including Nvidia, Toshiba, LG, TI, Willwood, Hydrastar, and Onsemi.   

ABOUT CLEVON

In 2022, Clevon listed on the Nasdaq’s North Baltic Exchange (CLEV) after spinning off from Cleveron, the innovation leader in robotic click and collect solutions. Clevon introduced the next-generation autonomous delivery vehicle, the CLEVON 1 as the first robot courier in Europe to offer autonomous delivery services on public roads, starting with DPD (part of LaPoste) and most recently working with customers including DHL Express Estonia in Tallinn and IKI stores in Vilnius, Lithuania delivering groceries, among others. On-demand delivery industries like grocery retailers, food and beverage businesses and logistics providers partner with Clevon for safe, reliable and customizable delivery solutions that are environmentally focused – all backed by a proven track record of 15 years experience in robotics and automation technologies. 

ABOUT THE ALLIANCETEXAS MOBILITY INNOVATION ZONE

The AllianceTexas Mobility Innovation Zone (MIZ) is a unique landscape built on collaboration and opportunity. That combination works to connect people, places and ideas that push innovation in surface and air mobility forward. By leveraging its one-of-a-kind infrastructure, the MIZ offers mobility visionaries full access to an unparalleled ecosystem, resources, and partnerships essential to comprehensively scale, and commercialize the latest technologies. AllianceTexas itself is an unparalleled 27,000-acre regional success story and has transformed the North Texas economy by connecting it to global industry. Hillwood’s AllianceTexas development is anchored by the world’s first industrial airport, Perot Field Fort Worth Alliance Airport, and hosts one of the nation’s premier intermodal hubs. AllianceTexas is also home to more than 533 companies which have built more than 53 million square feet and created over 62,000 jobs. For more information, please visit www.alliancetexasmiz.com and www.alliancetexas.com.

*According to Fortune Business Insights https://www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/autonomous-last-mile-delivery-market-105598 

The concept of a hub is nothing new in transportation and logistics. Hubs connect people, routes and infrastructure to facilitate movement. As the world moves toward an age of autonomous mobility, a new type of hub is needed — one that connects the talent, ideas and thought leadership that will fuel this dynamic new era.

The AllianceTexas Mobility Innovation Zone (MIZ) leverages the unique infrastructure of a 27,000-acre mixed-use, master-planned development to provide an unparalleled ecosystem where businesses and entrepreneurs commercialize the latest logistics and mobility technologies throughout the supply chain impacting both surface and air environments.

Currently, Texas leads the nation in tech employment growth, and the Dallas/Fort Worth area is home to the fifth-largest tech talent pool in the US. This robust talent pool, along with access to partnerships and the visionary team at the MIZ, creates an ideal environment for the testing, scaling and commercialization of new technologies.

This landscape for mobility innovation also enables the exploration and advancement of the four key areas that will ultimately drive and shape the industry:

Electrification and Automation

Emission-free fuels and automation are critical challenges to accelerate the next wave of transportation innovation. Sufficient, sustainable charging capacity will be necessary to support a dramatic rise in future fuels such as hydrogen and electric. Additionally, automation in specific portions of the supply chain will enable people to focus on the more complex, human-centric areas of logistics. Automation will also provide flexibility as to the workforce location and the ability to scale in peak seasons.

Fostering Next-Generation Talent

Rapid growth of nascent industries will require more than luring established professionals; it will require the proactive development of the next generation of talent. This involves more than generating interest among young minds at the student level; supporting and training educators is also required, as well as creating the events, facilities and organizations that will help teachers and students stay up to date on emerging trends and technologies.

Venture Investing

With emerging, capital-intensive technology, access to capital is critical to ensuring company viability while also creating opportunities for the strategic investment of established firms. This venture capital funding is critical to getting early-stage technologies off the ground and into the market. In the coming years, autonomy, logistics and supply chain technologies will pose a huge potential upside for investors — and the MIZ will continue to provide an exceptional environment for connecting VC firms with transformational companies and ideas.

Standards and Regulations

Volumes of regulations govern aircraft operations. As autonomous mobility evolves, a comprehensive set of standards will be needed to define how UAM and AAM aircraft will function. By fostering a dialogue between private and public entities, the MIZ is helping to establish the regulations that will set the standard in safety, technology, infrastructure and other areas.

The Future Is Collaborative

On the road ahead, there will be no shortage of breakthrough innovations and achievements. However, no single company can provide an end-to-end solution; real progress can only happen through effective collaboration.

“There are multiple players with a piece of the puzzle,” says Ian Kinne, director of logistics innovation for Hillwood. “Moving ahead will require that players in all verticals work together. The MIZ provides a forum where all the pieces can come together to create end-to-end solutions and deploy transformational technology.”

Currently at the MIZ, great strides in the first-mile to last-mile autonomous movement of goods are being made by Waabi, Gatik, Clevon and Einride, respectively. Meanwhile, firms like Conglobal and Phantom Auto are enabling remote operators to operate, assist and supervise vehicles from thousands of miles away. As the first major commercial drone delivery service in a major US market, Google Wing, located in nearby Frisco, will help solve the regulatory obstacles needed to scale to future widespread deployment.

Along with these startups, partnerships between established entities will also drive progress forward. An alliance between Hillwood and the Texas A&M Transportation Institute (TTI) will create the level of expertise needed to conduct research, manage strategic initiatives, and build a think tank to explore new opportunities. The partnering of the MIZ with Ericsson Routes will create an infrastructure visibility platform to provide connectivity data along autonomous vehicle routes and provide the reliability needed to ensure operational safety and optimum performance.

This backdrop provides a fertile environment for significant innovation, such as the public-private joint venture between Bell Textron and NASA’s Systems Integration and Operationalization (SIO) demonstrations. This initiative has demonstrated breakthroughs in “Detect and Avoid” and “Command and Control” flight capabilities, two components needed to safely scale and commercialize Advanced Air Mobility vehicles.

“North Texas has long been a hub for transportation,” said Christopher Ash, SVP of aviation business development for Hillwood. “Now, as the MIZ attracts a growing number of players, we’re quickly establishing this region as the industry’s hub for future supply chain innovation.”

For more information on the AllianceTexas MIZ and how your organization can be part of this industry-shaping environment, contact the MIZ team at [email protected] or read more about the Mobility Innovation Zone.

ITS ConGlobal is using a truck that can be controlled remotely, without a driver in the seat. It’s one of many companies in AllianceTexas and Fort Worth that is testing technology that drives vehicles without a driver in the front seat.

In a shipping container yard at the AllianceTexas Mobility Innovation Zone, a semi-truck moves around the yard. The steering wheel is turning. The wheels are moving. But there is no driver — at least not inside the truck.

Instead, an ITS ConGlobal employee is driving the truck from behind a computer, using a steering wheel that looks like a video game controller.

The company, which has a shipping container yard and offices in the north Fort Worth Alliance business district, is partnering with San Francisco-based tech company Phantom Auto to test the technology. And the company has 10 more trucks on the way, said Wendy Hannon, a spokesperson for the company. It currently has one truck.

“We just have to wait in line until we can get our next round of vehicles,” Hannon said.

Companies are flocking to North Texas, known as a major freight and logistics hub, to test and use technology that drives trucks without a driver in the seat, whether that’s with a remote driver or completely without one.

Autonomous vehicle company Gatik is starting to use its autonomous box trucks to complete deliveries to Sam’s Clubs across the Dallas-Fort Worth area. The company operates out of AllianceTexas MIZ. Another company, Aurora Innovation Inc. is collaborating with Werner to launch a 600-mile autonomous truck route from Fort Worth to El Paso. Alphabet’s Waymo recently opened a hub that will operate 20 autonomous trucks in Lancaster and plans to add a self-driving route between Fort Worth and Houston.

Among the reasons the companies are coming to the region is the state’s regulations that incentivize and support the industry.  The Texas Legislature passed Senate Bill 2205 in 2017, which allows automated vehicles to legally use the state’s highways if they are insured and equipped with video recording equipment.

Many states across the country have some form of regulation on self-driving vehicles, but how restrictive or loose the laws are vary, according to reporting.

Ian Kinne, director of logistics innovation at Hillwood, said Alliance started with autonomous vehicles about five years ago at Frisco Station with Drive.Ai. But they quickly realized that the self-driving industry would be fueled not so much by vehicles holding people, but vehicles moving freight. That might be because people are still hesitant to get into self-driving cars, Kinne said.

“We don’t really care how my water bottle got here; the water bottle’s here,” Kinne said. “But maybe we’re not ready to get to the autonomous vehicle ourselves.”

According to a survey by the American Automotive Association in January 2021, 24% of drivers would trust a car that would drive itself. But 86% said they would be afraid or unsure about riding in a self-driving vehicle, according to previous Fort Worth Report reporting.

Vehicle makers reported nearly 400 vehicle crashes from July 2021 through May 15 with partially automated driver assistance systems, 273 of which involved Teslas, according to reports.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration updated rules to report crashes with advanced driver assistance systems to the agency. The agency also says vehicles made with these systems have to meet the same levels of protection that passenger-operated vehicles do.

John Samuelsen, international president of the Transport Workers Union, which represents 155,000 members across transit, rail, and airline sectors said unproven and unregulated technology can be prone to stopping unexpectedly, crashes and malfunctions that could injure people.

“We believe that whether they are carrying passengers or cargo, any commercial vehicle must be overseen by a human operator no matter the level of automation,” Samuelsen said in a statement. “This is the same approach taken in aviation and on railroads – both of which are much more automated than what we’re talking about for trucks and buses. When autonomous systems fail, trained, qualified workers have to be able to take over or there will be tragedies.”

The technology is still being tested with drivers behind the wheel, and Kinne estimates that the freight vehicles could go fully autonomous as early as 2025.

Why is a real estate company like Hillwood’s Alliance hosting hubs for self-driving vehicles? Kinne said it comes down to thinking about the future.

“You look back at the Perot legacy, and it’s very much an innovation-first focused business,” Kinne said. “And so I think we’re looking at things that might disrupt our business over time. We certainly believe this is one of the impacts of that.”

With the trucking industry going through a serious labor shortage, companies like ITS ConGlobal believe bringing automation into the mix and putting drivers behind a computer could open up the labor pool.

Hannon said it’s more difficult to recruit new employees to drive freight. Remote driving in an office might open up the pool to people who might be unable to work outside, too, she said.

“If you’re in the production environment, that’s not a possibility because you’re having to get in and out of equipment on your own and sometimes that might not be possible if you have a disability,” Hannon said.

Brett Rogers, vice president of advanced solutions at ITS ConGlobal, said automation also creates the ability to manage trucks across different locations with remote drivers.

“If you switch the assets, and no longer require a person to sit in that vehicle, but now I can control an asset in Chicago and then control an asset that’s down in Texas all from one location, I can optimize how and when I use and operate those assets,” Rogers said.

Rogers said the industry for fully autonomous semi-trucks going on highways is consolidated, and there’s a growing demand for technology for the freight yards and logistics. The solution also reduces risk, he said.

“So you can think about all of the ‘what if’ scenarios that you might experience from an autonomous car driving down the highway,” Rogers said. “You can constrain some of those unknowns a little bit more in these industrial-type sectors.”

Tom Bamonte, senior program manager for transportation technology and innovation at the North Central Texas Council of Governments, said the council’s policy board approved $5 million in funding for an automated vehicle truck port near Interstate 35 West, which would feature a customized parking lot designed to support the autonomous vehicle industry.

The council is also working on a $4.5 million project to help the vehicles get through intersections without having to stop. Another proposal in the works would support 911 call centers in improving emergency response to crashes.

People like Bamonte believe trucking companies are moving very carefully before going fully autonomous, without drivers behind the wheel. 

“All of their deployments currently are with safety drivers, as well as remote supervision,” Bamonte said. “So there’s a high level of caution in terms of rolling out automated vehicles.”

People who are keeping an eye on the industry like Kinne believe trucks will be on the road without drivers in a matter of years, but it could take many more years for the industry to become widespread.

“I think the question is, in 2025, will it be widespread? No,” Kinne said. “Will there be certain lanes where this is becoming adopted, like Oklahoma City? Like El Paso? Yes. But I think the reality of it is … you can’t manufacture enough trucks just to fill those lanes right now. So there will be a gap and then an overall integration of the supply chain over time.”

I-N-N-O-V-A-T-I-O-N – What’s That Spell? Fort Worth

Fort Worth has always been a can-do, hold-my-beer-watch-this kind of city. Bold, risk-averse cattle drovers, cattle raisers, and, later, wildcatters populated the city in the 20th century and with them established a culture and ecosystem of entrepreneurship and innovation. “I envision I’ll see an airplane take off from this airport and go off into space, and that airplane will be built at this airport,” H. Ross Perot said as he turned the keys over to that 400 acres that would become Alliance Airport, soon to be renamed Ross Perot Field Fort Worth Alliance Airport. Fort Worth companies, with the help of collaborative incubators, today are making breakthroughs in science and medicine. Autonomous vehicles are getting their wheels at Alliance’s Mobility Innovation Zone, a testing ground for next-gen surface and air capabilities. They’ll be delivering things all over Texas from vessels perfected in Fort Worth.

Read more at: https://fwtx.com/culture/why-fort-worth-is-the-best-dang-city-in-texas/

For the first time, autonomous 26-foot box trucks are replacing Class 8 tractor-trailers along dedicated routes in Texas.

Gatik, which has been running self-driving pilot programs with Walmart and other companies,  announced Tuesday that its technology will be used on linehaul routes previously served by KBX Logistics’ 53-foot trailers. KBX is a partner of Gatik’s in the program, which is taking place in the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex. The program will begin in July.

“For the first time, Gatik will be disrupting short-haul Class 8 routes,” Gautam Narang, Gatik co-founder and CEO, told Modern Shipper.

The Gatik trucks — standard straight trucks with a rollup door on an Isuzu FTR platform — will haul product from Georgia-Pacific facilities in the area and bring those items to 34 local Sam’s Club stores. The operation is running seven days a week.

“They want high-frequency deliveries so they can [fill] just-in-time deliveries at stores,” Narang said.

Faster inventory replenishment

The Gatik autonomous trucks (with safety drivers) travel approximately 100 miles round trip and make three trips per day to area stores. The idea, Narang said, is that the 26-foot trucks are able to replenish inventory quicker rather than a store waiting for the next trailer to arrive, which could be days out. Without a need to fill a full truckload, the box trucks can handle more immediate inventory needs and create a more regular cadence of deliveries to the Sam’s Club locations.

“Our solution is perfectly suited to this class of short-haul market,” Narang said. “We can make the economics work because when the driver comes out, there are [efficiencies] across the board. It basically makes their store replenishment more efficient.”

Hayes Shimp, vice president of sales for Georgia-Pacific, said, “We are looking forward to testing this transformational technology to deliver Georgia-Pacific brands like Quilted Northern bath tissue and Dixie products to Sam’s Clubs. Once proven, we believe autonomous deliveries will enable us to remove cost and complexity from the supply chain so that we can better serve Sam’s Club and their members.” 

Narang said the partnership is a multiyear agreement that is starting small as KBX explores how automation can make its logistics operations more efficient.

Redefining the Class 8 short-haul market

“KBX is focused on providing services that increase capacity and reduce costs in a safe, efficient way for the customers we serve,” said Paul Snider, president of KBX. “Our partnership with Gatik will enable us to redefine the traditional Class 8 short-haul market and deliver Georgia-Pacific goods with even greater speed and efficiency. We’re excited to see these operations form the foundation of KBX’s autonomous vehicle program as we prepare for wider-scale adoption of autonomous trucks to meet customer demand.”

Narang said, “Long term, the plan is not to deliver just to Sam’s Club locations, but to multiple [businesses].” He added that since joining the AllianceTexas Mobility Innovation Zone (MIZ), Gatik has started pilots with several companies in the area. Those other companies are not being named at this time.

MIZ is a purpose-built industrial development in north Texas that has been designed as a hub of supply chain innovation.

Gatik expands into Kansas

Gatik recently announced an expansion of operations into Kansas. It is already operational in Arkansas, Louisiana, Texas and Ontario, Canada. It began commercial operations in 2019, transporting goods with autonomous vehicles with a safety driver in the driver’s seat. However, in November 2021, it announced that the safety driver had shifted to the passenger seat in its box trucks operating autonomously in Arkansas.

In Arkansas, those vehicles are hauling loads from a Walmart dark store in Bentonville to a local Walmart Neighborhood Market about 3.5 miles away. This program with KBX is a broader and more expansive route but still one that can be predefined and repeated.

While the Gatik vehicles in other programs typically stop at stores, the autonomous trucks in this effort must navigate to dock doors. Narang said that is not an issue but that the technology is designed to handle scenarios in which another truck may be at the scheduled dock door or when it may need assistance in getting aligned properly to the dock.

“That is one area where the human operator can assist the truck,” he said. “We always have a human in the loop to assist.”

If the truck arrives and can’t complete its trip, there are predetermined locations for it to navigate to before requesting assistance.

Despite challenges, Urban Air Mobility (UAM) and Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) are propelling a new era of aviation.

All signs indicate that air mobility vehicles are set for rapid and radical growth in the coming decades. Morgan Stanley currently estimates the industry to top $1 trillion by 2040, and more than 150 companies currently have UAM and AAM aircraft projects in development. Established companies like Airbus and Bell are making giant strides with UAM aircraft, while a host of eVTOL original equipment manufacturers (OEM) like Joby, BETA and Archer are attempting to push speed, range, and capacity to take AAM innovation to new levels.

While most of the industry focuses on the challenge of aircraft design, there are a host of other obstacles outside the lab setting that must be addressed —particularly on four very important fronts.

Air Mobility Demands Integration

In addition to the technology challenges presented by the vehicles themselves, the industry faces a variety of real-world challenges around integrating their operation and flight paths into traditional airspace environments and the National Airspace System (NAS).

Ecosystems such as the AllianceTexas Mobility Innovation Zone (MIZ) provide the perfect environment for testing technologies and solutions that allow both UAM and AAM aircraft the opportunity to co-exist with traditional air traffic. The MIZ provides the ideal manufacturing and proving grounds to not only test but scale new technology. This is extremely important, as potential airport-to-airport and city center-to-airport routes will most likely be the first to gain widespread traction, particularly for UAM aircraft.

Infrastructure and Permissions

As with any form of flight, UAM and AAM aircraft will bring a host of infrastructure, regulatory and compliance challenges.

Vertiports — purpose-built facilities designed specifically for AAM operators — will create a need for infrastructure and capabilities that traditional landing facilities can’t meet. For example, vertiports pose a logistical and infrastructure challenge stemming from the need for electrification and recharging capabilities. Integrated charging systems will provide the power needed to safely, quickly, and efficiently charge the aircraft and ground-based electric vehicles that will transport passengers and goods. Additionally, future vertiports will need to accommodate a much higher volume of traffic, making location, noise contours, and approach and departure paths an essential part of the design equation.

While incorporating vertiports into existing airports seems like a logical fit, it also presents a new range of challenges, including equipment and aircraft storage, emergency response capabilities, aircraft maintenance, and the risks associated with high-capacity electrical equipment.

Across the industry, the first and most significant hurdle will be regulatory certification and compliance. Industry standardization affects the R&D, production, and market-readiness of new technologies; therefore it has a significant, collective effect on innovation, productivity, and market structure. At this point, the UAM and AAM industry has not defined the standards that will influence the vertiport of the future or the type of activity and scalability needed to support it.  New questions emerge as quickly as the technology itself: What capabilities and equipment must a future vertiport have? What type of security and support is needed? What will the requirements be for integrating and defining airspace needs for eVTOL and UAM operations? What will be the industry standard for acceptable charging times? At what point do vertiports reach saturation?  What, if anything, will differentiate passenger versus cargo-only vertiports, and what type of air and ground infrastructure should be required for each?

In this case, regulatory agencies are not the obstacle; their partnership is key to understanding and forecasting infrastructure needs as the industry continues to evolve.

Real Estate and Workforce Challenges

As UAM and AAM vehicles enter a period of rapid growth, real estate and workforce availability will be crucial to ensuring managed, organized adoption.

“The availability of talent is a key focus for us,” says Christopher Ash, Senior Vice President of Aviation Business Development at Hillwood. “An employee shortage in any industry is serious, but especially in an area as complex as the supply chain. AllianceTexas and the MIZ are positioned to recruit first-class talent who have an understanding of aerospace engineering, aviation technology such as future avionics and airspace design, 5G connectivity, and the other core skills that surround cutting edge aircraft technologies. Without that, you simply can’t move forward and grow successfully.”

Real estate challenges will shape how quickly the technology expands.  These issues involve the availability of future sites and the capacity of the local electrical grid, airspace capacity and congestion, landside and airside access, and proximity to anticipated urban demand.

Innovative ecosystems like the MIZ offer aviation companies the right tools, partnerships, and infrastructure needed to safely test, scale, and sustain growth. The unique environment gives OEMs the opportunity to partner with other logistics companies based at the MIZ to navigate the evolving airspace environment and work together to develop and implement industry standards.  

Manufacturing

The manufacturing challenges that stand between UAM and AAM vehicles and widespread deployment go far beyond aircraft assembly. In 2020, EASA issued a report recommending that vehicles comply with the reliability standards used by commercial aviation — which means that the threshold for probability of failure is one in a billion hours of flight. Achieving this requires extensive testing in environments that duplicate real-world scenarios.

To support the anticipated widespread adoption, manufacturers need to produce aeronautic-quality machines, but at automotive-quantity capacity. This means having a facility with easy access to parts, suppliers, and strategic partners.

Built-to-purpose landscapes like the MIZ help address these problems. Its access to more than 27,000 acres enable the MIZ to synthesize a variety of urban, residential and industrial environments, and its constant stream of cargo and business flights at Perot Field Fort Worth Alliance Airport allow for a close examination of the types of solutions that will be needed to further integrate future vertiports with general aviation airports. It also provides charging, electrical generation and other basic services that manufacturers need to transform how people and goods move.

Summary

UAM and AAM vehicles need manufacturing facilities and cross-industry collaboration to take shape. But the evolution toward widespread usage requires much, much more. Existing facilities like Perot Field Fort Worth Alliance Airport, the MIZ, and others are leading the way in meeting these challenges head on by providing the infrastructure, space, and testing environments that the industry needs to rise above the obstacles that lie ahead.

Trinity Metro is purchasing eight new electric buses to connect Fort Worth to the rapidly expanding Alliance development on the city’s northern edge, offering a new way to connect employees to workplaces. 

The $13 million purchase of new buses is part of Trinity Metro’s first sustainability plan and will offer riders a “higher quality” transportation option within the next 24 months.

Paul Ballard, interim president and CEO of Trinity Metro, said the agency has always worked to be “ahead of the curve on alternative fuels” and this future purchase will build on that. The first electric buses were purchased three years ago and are now used for The DASH Route that runs between downtown and the Cultural District. 

“We’re calling it guaranteed transit because of the timeliness… It focuses on meeting schedules and getting people to and from work so that they’re at work on time,” Ballard said. 

Tito Rodriguez, vice-chair of the Trinity Metro board of directors, said this new initiative will help connect people to the many businesses and employers up in Alliance, including FedEx, UPS, Amazon and several warehouses. 

AllianceTexas is home to over 550 companies and has generated over 63,000 direct jobs. 

“It gives those individuals an opportunity for new employment opportunities and education,” Rodriguez said. “It’s going to  be state of the art.”

The route will go from the Dunkins Transfer Center in east Fort Worth, up to the North Park-n-Ride lot in Alliance — with a stop at Central Station in downtown. These new electric buses will drive in the express lanes to ensure timely arrival.

If the buses don’t have a timely arrival the North Central Texas Council of Governments will reimburse the fares. The Council of Governments will also set up a separate fund to cover those costs. 

Ballard said Michael Morris, director of transportation for the council, came up with the reimbursement portion of the project. 

“His feeling was, why not let bus passengers use the express lane and get the benefit of what he calls guaranteed transit,” Ballard said. 

The addition of new electric buses is estimated to cost $13 million, including the charging stations and required maintenance equipment. Funding will use federal dollars from the Council of Governments and the Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality Improvement program. This program provides funds for transportation projects that reduce traffic congestion and improve air quality, particularly in areas that do not attain national air quality standards.

Trinity Metro already has a route between the Park and Ride in Alliance and downtown known as Route 63X. Once the new electric buses are in and operating, Route 63X will be replaced. 

This new electric-bus route will also run seven days a week instead of five days. 

“It’s a really cool approach to perhaps equalizing the playing field for people who use transit and people who drive their cars. I’m pretty excited about it, I think it’s gonna be very successful,” Ballard said.