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| Axios What's Next |
| By Joann Muller, Jennifer A. Kingson and Alex Fitzpatrick · Aug 18, 2022 |
| "Flying taxis" won't enter commercial service anytime soon — so the companies building them are turning to the Pentagon for financial help in the meanwhile, Joann reports today. - Join Axios' Ina Fried and Russell Contreras today at 12:30pm ET for a virtual event examining the impact technology can have on reducing recidivism. Guests include The Last Mile co-founder Chris Redlitz and Justice Through Code founder and director Aedan Macdonald. Register here.
Today's Smart Brevity count: 990 words ... 4 minutes. |
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| 1 big thing: "Flying taxis" go military |
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| Photo courtesy Joby Aviation |
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| Next-generation aircraft companies are increasingly turning to the U.S. Defense Department to accelerate their path to commercial flight. Why it matters: It can be difficult to earn regulatory approval — not to mention public acceptance — of newfangled flying machines like drones, flying taxis, or supersonic jets. And investors usually aren't very patient. - Military contracts can fill near-term revenue gaps and get test vehicles into the sky more quickly, helping to speed commercial development.
Driving the news: The latest example is Joby Aviation, which said last week that it is nearly doubling its existing contract with the U.S. Air Force's Agility Prime program. - The program, created by the Air Force's innovation arm, works with private companies building innovative aircraft.
- The effort is meant to accelerate the development of electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft (eVTOLs) for military and commercial use.
- Under the expanded contract, now worth up to $75 million, the U.S. Marine Corps will also test Joby's eVTOLs in noncombat roles such as resupply, transport, and emergency medical response.
Between the lines: Joby executive chairman Paul Sciarra said the company's ultimate goal is still to launch a commercial air taxi service — but military business can help it get there by providing access to testing facilities, offering early operational experience, and offsetting some research and development costs. - "We always thought it made sense to have a few shots on goal," he tells Axios.
- "This is about getting new technology to the Pentagon at a lower cost, and faster," he said. "But it also ties into a long history that the military is often a good first customer."
Other next-gen aviation companies have also turned to Defense Department contracts while working toward commercial deployment. - Beta, another eVTOL company, earlier this year performed the first crewed eVTOL demonstration flights for Agility Prime.
- Boom Supersonic and Northrop Grumman are working on a supersonic special-mission aircraft that could be used by the government for rapid surveillance and reconnaissance, command and control, emergency medical evacuation, and troop transport.
- Skydio, a manufacturer of autonomous drones, struck a $100 million deal in February to supply drones to the U.S. Army.
The big picture: The Defense Department has long invested in experimental aviation and transportation tech that it believes could give the U.S. a geopolitical edge over its rivals. - The military is especially interested in eVTOLs because they're expected to be cheaper and easier to maintain than traditional helicopters — and quieter, too, which would help in stealth operations.
The bottom line: When you're inventing a new type of electric aircraft, diversification makes a lot of sense. Share this story. |
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| 2. New York to D.C., by seaplane |
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| A Tailwind Air seaplane on New York's East River. Photo: Wang Fan/China News Service via Getty Images |
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| Seaplane operator Tailwind Air will soon be flying from New York City's East River to an airport near Washington, D.C., Alex Fitzpatrick reports. Why it matters: At about 90 minutes, the route is a speedy — if pricey — alternative to traditional air or train service. Driving the news: Tailwind's New York — Washington, D.C. service begins Sept. 13 aboard eight-seater Cessna Grand Caravan seaplanes. - Tickets will start at $395 — a significant premium compared to Amtrak service.
Yes, but: While Tailwind's New York operations are conveniently located at the eastern end of Manhattan's 23rd Street, its D.C. area base is Maryland's College Park Airport — about a 30-minute drive to Capitol Hill. - Tailwind's planes will take off from and land on New York's East River, but use College Park's traditional runways.
The backstory: New York has a rich history of seaplane travel — LaGuardia's Marine Air Terminal was once home to Pan Am's fleet of "flying boats." Alex's thought bubble: I very much want to try this at least once, but the cost and climate implications mean I'll probably be sticking with Amtrak — which has the added bonus of getting you right to both cities' centers. |
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| 3. The Airbnb party's over |
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| Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios |
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| Airbnb is rolling out anti-party tech meant to crack down on guests throwing big bashes without hosts' permission, Alex reports. Why it matters: The effort could get more people to list their homes on the platform by quelling would-be hosts' concerns about guest behavior. Details: Airbnb's automated tech, which is rolling out in the U.S. and Canada, analyzes prospective guests' booking requests for signs they might be trying to throw a secret rager. - Such factors include users' review history, how long they've been on Airbnb, the length of their planned trip, how far a given listing is from their home, and more, per a company announcement.
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| A message from Axios |
| NEW: Subscribe to Axios Communicators |
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| Get the latest topics and trends impacting the way leaders, organizations and employers communicate. Why it matters: Axios Communicators will help inform your strategy and offer insight into the rapidly evolving world of sharing and receiving information. Subscribe for free |
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| 4. 'Quiet quitting' has workers checking out |
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| Illustration: Brendan Lynch/Axios |
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| "Quiet quitting" — doing just enough work to avoid getting fired — is all the rage among people disillusioned with their jobs, the Wall Street Journal reports. Why it matters: It's yet another sign that workers — especially younger ones — are reassessing their relationship with their jobs. - It's also troubling for employers who want productive and engaged workers.
The takeaway: "Across generations, U.S. employee engagement is falling, according to survey data from Gallup," the Journal reports. "But Gen Z and younger millennials ... reported the lowest engagement of all during the first quarter at 31%." - Social media is having an impact, with people commiserating about their dead-end jobs and terrible managers — and encouraging one another to not-quite-quit.
Yes, but: People have been coasting at work since work was invented. Alex's thought bubble: If the youths are developing healthier attitudes about work — good riddance, hustle culture — good on them. |
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| 5. One fun thing: The $3,000 electric car |
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| A 1980 Comuta-Car Electric Runabout. Photo courtesy Henry Ford Museum (Note: Not the exact vehicle; just sold at auction) |
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| An electric car for just $3,019? One lucky Bring-a-Trailer bidder just got exactly that deal. The catch: The ride in question is a 1980 Comuta-Car, an early two-seat EV attempt from Florida manufacturer Commuter Vehicles. - It had 40 miles of range and generated a whopping five horsepower from a lead-acid battery, per the Henry Ford Museum.
- It originally sold for $5,000 — about $18,000 in today's dollars — and was made in response to the gas crises of the 1970s.
"This car has been a blast to own since the day I saved it from a closing warehouse," wrote the seller. |
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| A message from Axios |
| NEW: Subscribe to Axios Communicators |
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| Get the latest topics and trends impacting the way leaders, organizations and employers communicate. Why it matters: Axios Communicators will help inform your strategy and offer insight into the rapidly evolving world of sharing and receiving information. Subscribe for free |
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| A hearty thanks to today's What's Next copy editor, Patricia Guadalupe. Was this email forwarded to you? Get your daily dose of What's Next magic by signing up here for our free newsletter. |
 | | Are you a fan of this email format? It's called Smart Brevity®. Over 300 orgs use it — in a tool called Axios HQ — to drive productivity with clearer workplace communications. | | |
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