Market Overview

The business launch of advanced aerial mobilities, that are transportation or traveling vehicles with electric-powered, self-driving (autonomous) enabled, and vertical take-off and landing available, are scheduled in around 2025 in a global basis. During the next two-year period, development of aerial mobility vehicles in full scale, and consideration and preparation for the installation of vertiports and other peripheral facilities and equipment are to be underway.

In Japan, the following four companies have been selected as the operators geared towards Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai, Japan that is to be held in April 2025: ANA Holdings with Joby Aviation (U.S.), Japan Airlines (vehicle body manufacturer: Volocopter), Marubeni Corporation (vehicle body manufacturer: Vertical Aerospace), and SkyDrive. After FY2023, they are expected to prepare for introduction of advanced aerial mobilities and construct the relevant facilities. When the EXPO ended, the implementation in Kansai area as well as Kanto area including Tokyo is assumed.

Noteworthy Topics

Establishment of Existing Airplane Technologies and Their Applications to Advanced Aerial Mobilities

Advanced aerial mobilities are developed as the electric-driven vehicles, unlike general aircrafts.
Meanwhile, the development of electrifying existing aircrafts including passenger planes are in progress, envisaging the attainment by 2030. Domestic manufacturers dealing in aircraft motors have already developed those products for electrification of large jet airplanes, which is bringing together many companies related to airplanes to consider cooperations and collaborations. While the products are currently developed as those designed for airplanes, they have potential of being applied to advanced aerial mobilities for the future.

Future Outlook

In the wake of the EXPO 2025 that is regarded as the key milestone, the social implementation of advanced aerial mobilities at specific areas and the aircraft-improvement-based development are assumed to be underway. Therefore, the domestic advanced aerial mobility parts market size in 2030 is projected to reach 53,803 million yen by sales price basis. Nevertheless, there are many challenges to solve in the development phase, as vehicle manufacturers are facing difficulty in fund raising, in addition to shortage in parts performance for vehicle body, soaring costs for materials and parts, and delay in safety device development, casting a shadow over the development of mobility parts.

To revive from such statuses, further subsidies as well as the support by the government, launch of a nation-wide project participated by multiple universities and private companies, deployment of technologies geared to existing aircrafts, and sharing of information and technologies among entrant companies are indispensable, which, in turn, is expected to accelerate the development speed. During the five years from the business launch, i.e., 2025 to 2030, the development focusing on the safety of vehicle body is necessary, expected to bring about the highest growth rate. As existing aircrafts can fully be electrified from around 2030, the development speed and technologies for advanced aerial mobility parts may leap forward.

For these reasons, the new mobility market is likely to grow, and it is easy to envision the future when advanced aerial mobilities are becoming a part of everyday lives as a new transportation method, after overcoming some challenges of legislation, infrastructure development, and social acceptives.

Research Outline