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Day: 1 July 2020

Jeremy Williman’s Dragonfly capstone

by: Simon Pavitt
01/07/2020

Simon Pavitt, pioneer in helping remarkable individuals with their ‘Capstones’, talks to Jeremy Williman (commonly known as Jez), the British Entrepreneur and former chief executive of Tensator, the world’s largest crowd control company. The retractable barrier system ‘Tensabarrier’ will be familiar to anyone queuing in venues from airports to clubs to cinemas. Jez scaled the company into a global business before embarking on ‘Dragonfly’, his new Capstone project – a hyperscooter bringing luxury to the future of micro-mobility.
 
So, Jez what is your vision for the future of residents in Monaco?
People want to get about town as frictionless as possible. Taxis are ok but there’s often traffic. People want to avoid public transport due to Covid-19. Walking is a joy except for Monaco being so hilly and most of the time you need to be somewhere faster than at walking pace, not arriving drenched in sweat. E-scooters are flexible but we wanted something luxury, more powerful and yet safer. We have built a new vehicle which is the world’s first luxury hyperscooter. So, for me, the future is using a Dragonfly – the urban-mobility equivalent of the supercar. The vision is a Monegasque darting around the Principality on a Dragonfly.

Let’s go back to what we call the cornerstone phase of a career: growing up and some of the defining moments in getting you to where you are today. Can you tell us more about your early years?
I grew up with severe dyslexia. I really did think I was the stupid kid in the class. I just couldn’t understand why certain tasks were a challenge to me and not anyone else. But I was a hard-working kid and the minute I finished school I got an apprenticeship at a local engineering firm in the Midlands. I studied for an HNC in Mechanical and Production Engineering and would sneak back in the office to finish off projects late at night after classes. I started to receive recognition and was given more and more responsibility. I enjoyed the engineering aspects of business. One day a management consultant just said to me, “You do know you have severe dyslexia?” I was like “huh- makes sense”. It gave me confidence to follow my own path, trust my instincts, take risks and accept that everyone is different. It helped me understand my strengths and weaknesses.
Next is what we call your keystone phase. We consider this the time you make your mark, the ‘middle age’ where you make a dent in the world, create and achieve success. When would you say that happened?
Things took off for me when I saw an opportunity to make a product that was sat there not being the core focus of the company and take it to the next level. I took a risk, pitched my idea to the board, convinced the then-Midland Bank to give me a loan and I bought Tensator from Autoliv.
I grew the business to the largest crowd control company in the world. It was all about being an expert in two things: the psychology of queuing and the ability to scale manufacturing and distribution. In 2008 I felt I had reached the top of my game with Tensator, we were selling in 152 countries and had over 2,000 distributors all over the world. Not surprisingly, given I was the expert in barriers, I felt hemmed in (excuse the pun!) so I sold the business.
Now onto our focus, the capstone phase. We like to look at what someone does after they’ve made their money and fulfilled many ambitions already in life. What did you do next?
I conceived the Dragonfly when I was sat in my apartment in Monaco. The day before I had been riding my bike in the hills with my local fitness cohorts Jenson Button and Thor Hushovd. I had completely destroyed my knees. It was the 2017 F1 Grand Prix weekend and I was wondering how I was going to get around. I drove a lot of scooters but none of them were practical or felt safe. I found that build qualities were poor and they were a bit of an eye sore. My passion for designing a game-changing new vehicle started. It became an obsession. I put my own money in, refused to cut corners and sourced ‘automotive grade’ manufacturing, advanced materials, cutting-edge engineering and technology. I had a few key criteria: 1) I wanted something I’d be happy to let my wife ride in terms of safety; 2) I wanted something that was aesthetically beautiful, something people would be proud to have on display and not want to hide; 3) An exhilarating ride that brought joy each time it was used. I think we’ve got there.

It seems barriers are the connecting theme. First it was about improving the experience of queuing through smart barriers, now it’s about removing barriers in order for people to have frictionless mobility…
That’s a nice way to put it. In the end though it’s about solving the problem of getting to a destination and enjoying (even whilst queuing) the experience. You would see my products being used in every airport in the world. I want the same buzz by seeing Dragonflies in Monaco. If my keystone was to be a specialist in the business of queue control, now it’s the fact I might be bringing a bit more freedom to people’s day to day. Plus, I hope I am doing it with style. Monaco needs a super cool product to match its racing car status and heritage.
What is driving your passion?
This has been about a passion for design and performance engineering. I have immersed myself in creating full tilt technology to provide a three-dimensional way to steer, carbon fibre composites and KERS (kinetic energy recovery systems). I’ve taken design cues from the likes of F1 and one of my hobbies: kite surfing. It influenced the experience of riding a Dragonfly. I feel immensely proud of where it’s got to already. It’s not about the money.
That said… no one likes to lose money. I didn’t set out to be a leader in micro-mobility but hopefully that’s what we will become. The e-scooter market was expected to reach $30bn by 2030. That estimate was before Covid-19…  it has now been revised and is expected to be $42bn.
Why do people undertake capstones?
It’s a unique moment when you have sold your company. It took me some time to adapt to not being the decision-maker at Tensator. I’m 52 so I still have plenty of energy and ideas. It initially left a bit of a void. Then once you’ve taken stock, the shackles are off and you can think more freely. This project is all about exploring and adventure as much for me as what the product will enable people to be able to do with it. Being in Monaco definitely helped provide inspiration for the project.
Can you give us a few final thoughts around the Dragonfly?
I keep thinking about the floods of people that come into the Principality during the iconic events that are hosted. It could really help solve the problem during the busy weekends. I also envision every yacht having their own Dragonflies. So when they dock in Port Hercule or Fontvieille harbour, they take a Dragonfly to get about town. I think of friends sitting in their apartments happily looking at their Dragonfly proudly out on show. Imagine the Hôtel de Paris, the Hermitage Hotel and the Metropole Hotel all having Dragonflies available for guests to use.
Whilst 70% of the world’s journeys are less than 5km, in Monaco close to 100% are less than 5km! I hope this proves to be the way forward.
 
More details about the Dragonfly can be found here: https://www.d-fly.com/
 
Simon Pavitt is Founder of Wingman: www.wingmanthinks.com Experts in Capstone Projects.

Venturi reveals world's first high speed e-motorcycle

by: Cassandra Tanti
01/07/2020

Voxan Motors, a part of Monaco’s acclaimed Venturi Group, has finally unveiled its high-performance electric motorcycle that it will use for its latest world speed record.
In July 2021, the Voxan Wattman will attempt to set a new world speed record on the Salar de Uyuni salt flat in Bolivia. Riding this exceptional machine will be six-time motorcycle racing world champion Max Biaggi.
Venturi had originally planned to make the world-record attempt this July, however the lockdown in Monaco prevented the team from fine-tuning the vehicle. The Wattman’s design heavily under wraps, making today’s announcement even more exciting.
Voxan Motors partnered with global telecommunications innovators ROKiT Group for the project. No strangers to speed and the power of electric mobility, the ROKiT Group are also title partners of Venturi’s Formula E Team, ROKiT Venturi Racing.
“When Venturi President Gildo Pastor showed us the Voxan Wattman and talked me through the world speed record attempt, we were very impressed by his vision, ambition and the commitment of his team in creating the technology involved,” said ROKiT Group Founder, Jonathan Kendrick. “To have our ROKiT red livery on such a unique piece of electric engineering reflects our ethos as a group of companies and is a real honour. Gildo is a true pioneer and we are delighted to partner with him and Voxan Motors on what we hope will be a highly successful and ground-breaking record attempt.”

The Wattman is an entirely new concept for Voxan Motors and, uniquely, is not based on any existing vehicle. When teams began working on the project in 2018, they started with a blank page. From there, everything quickly snowballed. “We were keen to move fast,” explained Louis- Marie Blondel, who oversaw the project’s development and personally test-rode the motorcycle. “We focused on two main points: drag (aerodynamics) and stability at high-speed. We were aiming to have the smallest possible projected area, but with a long wheelbase and a large rake, so the rider would be positioned as low as possible.”
They then set a target speed of a minimum of 330 kilometres per hour and tested the aerodynamics of the motorcycle in a wind tunnel.
“We were able to do aerodynamic calculations up to more than 240 km/h, which provided us with a wealth of information,” said Franck Baldet, the project’s technical director. “On a very low-grip track, the slightest deviation can have very significant implications for stability. That’s why the design and aerodynamic profile of the motorcycle are so important.”
The motorcycle’s unique design allows the rider to sit further back, lowering the machine’s centre of gravity. It does not have a front break but rather a rear-wheel brake and an engine-breaking system, which improves aerodynamics and safety. Nor does it have a parachute, like other high-speed vehicles used for record breaking.
Other innovations include a dry ice cooling system and a customized battery designed completely in house by Venturi North America, the Group’s subsidiary based in Columbus, Ohio.

In 2014, four years after buying Voxan, Venturi also became the first team to commit to the new all-electric Formula E Championship. In addition to manufacturing its own electric engines, Venturi also supplied a powertrain to the HWA RaceLab team. It was from this electric engine that Voxan Motors’ engineers worked to develop the Voxan Wattman.
“We have poured all of the Venturi Group’s accumulated experience into this motorcycle world speed record project,” explained Franck Baldet. “It has proved valuable, particularly for the process of optimising the Wattman’s electronics, which we have had to develop completely, whether in terms of energy management or power management. Like Venturi vehicles, and also our first Formula E powertrains, the Voxan Wattman is entirely Made in Monaco.”
 
Related stories:

Venturi postpones world record attempt

 

2020 hottest year so far on record

by: Stephanie Horsman
01/07/2020

The first half of 2020 has been the hottest on record for France, with a national average temperature of 12.5ºC according to Météo France.

These temperatures slightly surpass the former hottest years, 2007, which saw the average temps hit 12.4ºC on average and 2014, which was 12.1ºC.

MétéoFrance took the comparative averages from 1981 to 2010 and concluded that this year’s temperatures are up by 1.8º, a large jump in terms of weather. January, February and April were the months that most deviated from the norm, with February being particularly mild. The temperature was 3.6ºC above the averages.

The French Riviera did not experience the greatest anomalies in temperature, though. Those were found in central France and Corsica. Orly and Brive were 2.4ºC warmer than normal and Lyon, Tours and Chartres were 2.3ºC warmer. Corsica saw the biggest rise, with temperatures 2.9ºC higher than usual.

June was a fairly unremarkable month, with temperatures well in the normal range, said Météo France.

 
 

 

Inflation up in Eurozone

by: Stephanie Horsman
01/07/2020

Inflation unexpectedly rose in June in the Eurozone, prompting fear among experts that consumer price growth will be stunted for several years after the economic calamity brought on by the Covid epidemic.

Annual inflation in June rose 0.3% in Eurozone countries after a four-year low of 0.1% was recorded the previous month, backing up the European Central Bank’s (ECB) belief that a negative reading may be avoided.  

Eurostat, the EU’s statistical data company, saw a drop in inflation to 1.1% from 1.2% when excluding energy and food prices, which at the moment are particularly unpredictable. Excluding tobacco and alcohol as well saw the drop go from 0.9% to 0.8%.

The European Central Bank has undershot the expected 2% rise in inflation for the last seven years and predicts they will do so through 2022 as the recession brought on by the pandemic gives rise to higher unemployment, depressed wage growth and lower overall consumption.

It was hoped that the huge government sponsored wage subsidies, which limited the effect on households who lost income during the lockdown, plus favourable monetary policies would make the economic impact less damaging. ECB projections suggest this will not be the case. They think that inflation could stay at or near nil for the duration of 2020 and will only see a pick up in the second quarter of 2021.

 
 

Further restrictions set to be lifted

by: Stephanie Horsman
01/07/2020

Public health conditions in Monaco are now favourable enough to see further lessening of restrictions on restaurants and live music events, says the Joint Monitoring Committee.

The 12th gathering of the Committee between the Princely Government and the National Council, held on Monday, touched on the current state of the health crisis in the Principality and saw overall improvement everywhere.

Although there have been a few positive Covid-19 cases in recent days, the health situation remains satisfactory. It was noted that all of the latest cases were contracted outside the Principality and the circulation of the virus remains under control in Monaco. At present, there are no more inpatients in connection with Covid-19 at the Princess Grace Hospital.

It was proposed that the elderly people in the EHPAD rest home be allowed out, again, a proposal which will be examined by the government.

In light of the results of a series of spot checks done in restaurants, bars and hotels around the Principality, it is being recommended that there be more easement of the deconfinement measures in restaurants, as well as a resumption of live music shows and events. The terms have not been set as of yet but are expected in the coming weeks.

The economic impact of the crisis was also discussed and the government laid out its plan to the National Council with regard to extending unemployment benefits and the idea of implementing a system to help struggling companies pay their social security contributions under the aegis of the Commission for Accompanying Economic Recovery (CARE).

The next Joint Monitoring Committee meeting is set for 15th July.