Beam Global Announces Patent Issuance for UAV ARC™ Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Autonomous Renewable Charger
SAN DIEGO, CA, December 3, 2020—Beam Global, (Nasdaq: BEEM, BEEMW), the leading provider of innovative sustainable technology for electric vehicle (EV) charging, outdoor media and energy security, announced that the US Patent and Trademarks Office has issued US Patent No: 10,843,819, covering the UAV ARC™ Drone Recharging Network, Beam’s renewably energized, networked drone recharging solution, which provides en route charging for unmanned aerial vehicles.
UAV ARC™ terminals, which are now patented and currently in development, will provide a rapidly deployed drone recharging network. Each UAV ARC™ unit can be delivered and commissioned without permitting, construction or electrical work. A UAV ARC™ network is intended to provide a range-extending source of battery recharging for drones that would otherwise be limited by range or payload restrictions. The ability to recharge on a network of UAV ARC™ products deployed on rooftops in built up areas, undeveloped regions or at sea (marinized version) should dramatically increase the potential range and utility of UAVs. Each UAV ARC™ unit generates and stores all its power from renewable sources so drones will receive clean renewable electricity with no cost-per-unit of energy. The units are completely independent from the power grid, allowing them to provide charging during grid outages and in remote locations.
The UAV ARC™ network is capable of gathering data on the drones’ state-of-health while they are recharging. Beam Global intends to make the data and recharging available to a variety of drone operators under various business models which could include subscriptions, pay per use or ownership.
Beam anticipates adoption from both commercial and military customers as drones play an increasing role in package delivery and situational awareness. Business Insider Intelligence predicts global drone shipments to reach 2.4 million units in 2023 increasing at a 66% compound annual growth rate. Drone growth will occur across package delivery, agriculture, construction and mining, insurance, media and telecommunications and a variety of military applications.
Amazon plans to use drones to deliver customers’ orders within 30 minutes through its Prime Air delivery program. Google-parent Alphabet’s Wing is a drone delivery service in partnership with FedEx and Walgreens through which it delivers select FedEx packages and over-the-counter medicines from Walgreens. Recently, the Department of Defense awarded contracts totaling $13.4 million to five companies to sustain the capabilities of the domestic small unmanned aerial system (sUAS) industrial base. This was part of a wider spend on the part of the US Government, which saw $84 million pumped into the drone, space tech and shipbuilding industries.
“This latest patented product will enable us to approach what we believe will be a significant market in the future. A barrier to the growth in adoption of drones is their limited range capabilities,” said Beam Global CEO Desmond Wheatley. “I believe that UAV ARC™ will provide a charging solution which greatly extends their range and capabilities. And it will provide a data gathering and recurring revenue model that is consistent with Beam’s mission to provide clean mobility for all through profitable business models at the intersection of clean energy and transportation.”
“Patents must address two requirements before we will invest in pursuing them,” continued Mr. Wheatley. “They must cover a product we believe has market demand that we can monetize, and they must create a significant barrier to entry for the competition. To date, all but our new and recent patents for the UAV ARC and EV Standard, which are both in development, cover products that we have sold and for which the demand is increasing. I intend to maintain this discipline around IP creation and protection, and I believe that the UAV ARC™ will be another great example of that discipline at work.”
About Beam Global
Beam Global is a CleanTech leader that produces innovative, sustainable technology for electric vehicle (EV) charging, outdoor media, and energy security, without the construction, disruption, risks and costs of grid-tied solutions. Products include the patented EV ARC™ and Solar Tree® lines with BeamTrak™ patented solar tracking, and ARC Technology™ energy storage, along with EV charging, outdoor media and disaster preparedness packages.
The company develops, patents, designs, engineers and manufactures unique and advanced renewably energized products that save customers time and money, help the environment, empower communities and keep people moving. Based in San Diego, the company produces Made in America products. Beam Global is listed on Nasdaq under the symbols BEEM and BEEMW (formerly Envision Solar, EVSI, EVSIW). For more information visit https://BeamForAll.com/, LinkedIn, YouTube and Twitter.
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