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Skytran

Transportation · Irvine, United States · Founded 2009

Skytran is a developer of an elevated, on-demand Personal Rapid Transit (PRT) system designed to address urban traffic congestion. The company's core technology is a network of computer-controlled, two-person pods that utilize a proprietary passive magnetic levitation (maglev) system to travel along elevated guideways. This approach allows for point-to-point travel, bypassing intermediate stations and surface traffic, with vehicles summoned via a mobile app. The system is engineered to be lightweight and modular, enabling faster and more cost-effective installation compared to traditional mass transit like light rail or subways. The concept for skyTran was first proposed in 1990 by aerospace engineer and inventor Douglas Malewicki, who secured the initial patent in 1992. The company, Unimodal Inc., was later formed to develop the technology. A significant milestone occurred in 2009 when skyTran became a NASA Space Act company, gaining access to the agency's expertise and testing facilities at the Ames Research Center. The company was formally incorporated in 2009 and co-founded by Robert Baertsch and John Lee Wamble. Throughout its history, skyTran has engaged in numerous partnerships and funding rounds, including a notable collaboration with Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) to build a technology demonstration system. The business model focused on several applications, including selling systems directly to governments or regional authorities and a build-own-operate model where skyTran would finance the system and collect revenue from fares. The company attracted significant investment from entities such as Eric Schmidt's Innovation Endeavors and Indian conglomerate Reliance Industries. Reliance steadily increased its stake, becoming the majority shareholder in February 2021 with an investment that valued its total holding at over 54%. Despite securing funding and establishing multiple memoranda of understanding for projects in locations like Israel and the United Arab Emirates, the company faced challenges. In September 2023, skyTran reportedly ceased operations and filed for bankruptcy after failing to secure additional funding from its majority stakeholder, even as a full-scale prototype was nearing completion. Keywords: Personal Rapid Transit, magnetic levitation, maglev, urban mobility, elevated transit, podcar, on-demand transport, Unimodal, Reliance Industries, NASA Space Act