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Elire Group Plans Floating Mobility Hubs for AAM

Ben Goldstein January 13, 2023Elire Group’s planned multimodal floating mobility hubs are comprised of interchangeable hexagonally shaped modules that can be used for a variety of purposes like energy storage or passenger terminals.

Credit: Elire Group

Much of the focus on building out infrastructure for electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) vehicles has been aimed at congested cities and rooftop vertiports, but London-based startup Elire Group believes that maritime ports, harbors and other bodies of water could offer an even better alternative to dense urban environments.

As part of that vision, the company has released its plan for “blue” and “green” multimodal smart hubs on water and land, respectively, that could be easily constructed, deconstructed and transported in standard-sized shipping containers, allowing for a myriad of mobility options ranging from eVTOLs to maritime vessels, helicopters and drones.

“As opposed to trying to do this all on top of buildings, flying over water is much safer when you’re moving people or cargo or when you’re refueling,” Elire Group Managing Director Luke Jenkinson tells Aviation Week. “We don’t think it’s realistic to have many thousands of these eVTOLs flying around over cities. What we’re suggesting is that there needs to be real infrastructure for advanced air mobility [AAM] which should be floating, where you have greater access to cities using ports and harbors, and a safe pathway of traveling that’s over water.”