#57 Valerie Manning, Overair: Reality Check On Commercializing eVTOLs
The Vertical SpaceJanuary 03, 2024
57
01:12:2349.74 MB

#57 Valerie Manning, Overair: Reality Check On Commercializing eVTOLs

Welcome to our conversation with Dr. Valerie Manning, Chief Commercial Officer of Overair. This is a discussion around the value of advanced air mobility, of eVTOLs and Overair's unique value to meet these requirements. We've had this discussion many times, on the value of the advanced air mobility and eVTOLs, but it changes over time and of course, based on the experience, education and the workplace of the person responding. And so as such, this is a conversation with Valerie that's really worth listening to. We discussed the state of advanced air mobility market today compared to several years ago, the most notable milestones, what's not getting enough attention and the road to commercialization. We then discuss what has changed about the viability and the use case of eVTOLs in the last several years, both positive and otherwise. We spend a bit of time discussing whether or not there's a real first mover advantage in advanced air mobility, comparing Boeing's potential advantage in the early days of aviation and perhaps where Overair may have a slow mover advantage as their vehicle will learn from the experiences and the learning curve of the initial launch vehicles and early stage eVTOL markets. We then discussed Valerie's work as Chief Commercial Officer, what the role entails a bit about their go to market strategy, and a more detailed discussion around the trade-off between selling aircraft and operating transportation networks. 

05:36 Personal Experiences and Diverging Viewpoints
08:18 eVTOL Market: Broader Industry Context, SPACs, Sobering Realities
12:08 Lessons from the SpaceX Culture on Straddling Technology and Safety
13:55 Discussing Risks and Challenges in Bringing eVTOLs to Market
17:19 The Impact of First Mover Advantage in the eVTOL Market
23:21 Choosing the Right Applications for The First Generation of eVTOLs
30:05 The Future of the eVTOL Supply Chain
37:00 A Long Term Advantage for First Movers?  
41:17 The Role of OEMs and Operators in the eVTOL Industry
44:05 The Complexity of Being Both an OEM and Operator
52:54 The Role of Data
55:19 Multiyear plan as Chief Commercial Officer
01:00:51 Choosing the Right Go-To-Market Strategy
01:03:44 The Importance of Planning for Noise
01:06:37 The Future of Autonomy in eVTOL Operations
01:09:54 Advice to Entrepreneurs

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