Most Read: Flying Taxi Company Sells 20 Vehicles for Air Medical Operations; Nissan, Mitsubishi to Develop Self-Driving Cars

Here are the most-read stories on IoT World Today this week.

Flying Taxi Company Selling 20 Vehicles for Air Medical Operations

Air taxi developer Beta Technologies in Burlington, Vermont, has received an order for 20 of its electric aerial vehicles (EAV) to be used for air medical operations.

The order came from Metro Aviation, an air medical operator that operates in 27 states and operates 170 aircraft.

Metro plans to integrate the Alia eVTOL (electric vertical takeoff and landing) vehicles into its fleet to increase access to rural and urban areas and to provide inter-hospital and scene transport, according to the company.

“We originally designed Alia with organ and tissue transport in mind, so we are excited to complement that mission with Metro and its family of health care providers across the country,” said Kyle Clark, Beta founder and CEO. “Electric aviation brings reliability at a lower cost, which makes it a strong value proposition for urgent transport like hospital transfers and emergency response.”

Find out more

Nissan, Mitsubishi to Develop Self-Driving Cars

Japanese automakers #Nissan and Mitsubishi have partnered to develop self-driving cars.

The companies, already closely aligned as part of the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi Alliance, are two of the biggest names in car manufacturing in Japan, placing fifth and eighth respectively in the 2023 sales charts.

Related:Flying Taxi Company Selling 20 Vehicles for Air Medical Operations

According to Japanese news outlet Yomiuri, the pair have agreed to a joint venture that will be launched by the end of the Japanese fiscal year (March 2025). The arrangement will see each company take a 50% stake.

The focus will be on developing vehicles with Level 4 capability, as defined by the Society of Automotive Engineers. Level 4 is considered full automation, with a car in full control of the driving in a specific area.

Discover the companies’ plans

Flying Taxi Startup Turns to KPMG for M&A Process

German electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) jet maker Lilium has appointed KPMG to start an M&A process as the flying vehicle startup faces insolvency.

Meanwhile, the Lilium business remains focused on re-emerging following restructuring and seeking new investment to support the company’s electric jet certification, according to the company.

“With the support of our appointed custodian and the restructuring experts, we at Lilium remain fully focused on re-emerging following restructuring, with fresh investment to support the all-electric Lilium Jet’s path to certification and entry into service,” said Lilium CEO Klaus Roewe.

Related:Nissan, Mitsubishi to Develop Self-Driving Cars

Lilium is facing insolvency as two of its subsidiaries were granted self-administered insolvency by the courts.

Find out what triggered the move

Walmart Adding More Robotic Automated Restaurants

Richtech Robotics is expanding its automated restaurant operations to 20 more Walmart locations in Arizona, Colorado and Texas.

The company has entered into a franchise agreement with Ghost Kitchens America to acquire exclusive rights to operate the 20 additional locations, which will be managed directly by Richtech Robotic’s subsidiary AlphaMax Management. 

Richtech plans to use robotics and AI cloud technology to optimize restaurant operations, which are expected to generate between $700,000 and $2 million in annual revenue per location. 

The company’s proprietary automation would be used to enhance operational efficiency, augment and personalize customer experiences and lower operational costs, Richtech said in a statement. 

Watch the robot serve coffee

Air Taxi Featured, Flown at Toyota Center in Japan

Flying taxi company Joby Aviation conducted exhibition flights with Toyota in Japan, in the eVTOL (electric vertical takeoff and landing) company’s first flights outside the U.S.

The flights and showcasing of the Joby electric aerial vehicle (EAV) were at the Toyota Higashi-Fuji Technical Center in Shizuoka, Japan.

Toyota has been investing in Joby since 2019, starting with Toyota Ventures, in addition to sharing knowledge of the Toyota systems for planning, manufacturing methods and tooling design. 

“While the weather is not on our side today, over the past few days our team has flown a number of exhibition flights right here in the skies above us – these are the first flights Joby has ever completed outside the United States, and they mark an incredible milestone on our journey,” said JoeBen Bevirt, founder and CEO of Joby.

See the Joby air taxi complete its first international flight