SkyDrive is a company founded in 2018 that has achieved remarkable growth. This company is committed to developing the next generation of mobility. One example is the Flying Car; with the goal of creating an era in which everyone can fly to the sky by 2050.
Sponsors of companies, such as this, are majority Japanese, such as Toyota, NEC and so on. Tomohiro Fukuzawa, the CEO of SkyDrive, has been interviewed regarding present conditions and future challenges for SkyDrive.
Esquire（Esq）：First, could you tell us about your childhood?
Fukuzawa：I can never be granted enough time to tell this story! I have always been interested in the process of creating things that are mobile, especially vehicles. In elementary school, I was fascinated with the assembly of a Mini 4WD and of operating it via radio control. Hence, I often went to Yuzawaya in Kichijoji to buy the kits. I also really enjoyed experimenting freely on my own in the summer: I was most happy when I was imagining ways to modify materials and it was thrilling to create things such as the pitagoraswitch or to devise better ways to fly folding paper kamihikoki（paper airplane） by changing the paper. My interest in computers also began growing from junior high school.
Esq：It appears that you have enjoyed creating something new since your childhood.
Fukuzawa：Yes I have. CARTIVATOR was conceived around six years ago. At that time, some inventors began collaborating on the simple idea based on the thought of formulating a new way to travel. Then, we decided on the challenge of fabricating a flying car. First, we tried to make something small and we simultaneously began to conduct public relations. However, the project was entertaining for us, and thus we could simply enjoy working on it.
Esq：I knew in advance that you belonged to CARTIVATOR when you worked at Toyota. I have heard that you had an award-winning idea at that time and that your career prospects at Toyota were excellent. Why did you decide to exit the corporate hierarchy to launch into an entrepreneurial struggle rather than continuing to work at Toyota?
Fukuzawa：I worked with CARTIVATOR and Toyota for about two years. Ultimately, I think that the influence of entrepreneurial friends around me grew. All my friends who had started a business looked like they were having so much fun （laughs）! Comparing my circumstances to those of such friends, I began to believe that it would be more pleasurable to start a business than to be a businessman. I wondered why everyone around me said, "If you do what you want to do, you must remain in the office until your sales are effectively established and you are doing good things." There aren't too many people who start a business in manufacturing, so I thought positively that "it would be nice to be around such people."
Initially, I started a manufacturing consulting firm called Fukuzawa Shoten Co. Ltd. I advised various factories on how to increase their productivity, to raise their sales, to make things, and so on. I thought it would be fun, so I took on different types of projects. In this situation, the most interesting idea that caught my imagination was "flying cars." It brought together my old dream of wanting to manufacture something that would “Wow” everybody and would make every person in the world happy: my “Project X（a series of NHK documentary shows）”. I wondered what it would be like to actually begin working on it. I discussed the idea of actualizing this concept with all my friends but the hurdles seemed insurmountable. However, I noticed that people were flying big objects like drones already and I began wondering whether I could afford to wait any longer. It occurred to me that the possibility of no one in Japan doing something like this was high. I have always loved flying in the sky: whenever take a flight, I look down all the way down, and whenever a friend describes or shares media on a helicopter ride, it feels so good. I want to pilot it myself, and I get very excited from the manufacturing point of view. I am convinced that the evolution of flying cars from Fukusawa Shoten Co. Ltd. will absolutely change the world: I've changed the company name to "SkyDrive" again.
Now the scope of our activities has expanded, and an increasing number of people know that we exist. I think the company is becoming a big venture that will transform manufacturing in Japan.
Esq：Many other companies are also receiving support from varied sources. I think there are some problems that companies cannot resolve in the quest for the development of new ways of mobility, and I hear that the government is extending its assistance to them.
Fukuzawa：Yes, last year the public and private sectors announced a roadmap for the realization of "flying cars."
Esq：CARTIVATOR was launched in 2012, and it was decided in 2013 that the Olympic Games would be held in Tokyo in 2020. You are currently aiming for a demonstration flight at the Olympics. Were you aware in 2013 that you would do this?
Fukuzawa：I have decided to set a big goal to accomplish the new project. When I launched the "flying car" project, I started from the point of conceiving creating revolutionary mobility. However, when I thought about actually manufacturing it, I wanted to fly it somewhere! Where could I fly my new idea? When I realized that the Olympics would be held in Japan just six years later, and considered the kind of performances there would be, this exciting image took hold of me and it has swelled to include the story of the torch.
Esq：The design of the "flying car" makes one feel as if it is a vehicle of the near future, and you also feel that it is “cool” like a sports car, but was there any particular design motif?
Fukuzawa：The theme is that it is trendy and that it portrays the sense of the near future. "Flying cars" tend to people think of riding on a drone or about the movie "Back to the Future." I imagine something very different; something that will inspire surprise: "How can something like this fly?” Design is paramount; it should make people feel fashionable; it should also make people feel as if it is familiar to them.
Esq：Are you worried that you will not be accepted? The appearance of "flying cars" may be troubling to people. Are there any other concerns about flying cars?
Fukuzawa：Technically, the status quo is that we have not yet made progress. Demonstrations may be difficult because batteries, safety, and cars running long distances are rare. As far as safety is concerned, cars have existed and operated for 100 years, and are safe in theory. However, they have not been proven to be 100 reliable. Also, as we are developing small mobility devices, there are many opportunities as well as challenges for us to handle on a daily basis. Problems such as noise will also surface. Also, there is not a lot of aircraft development in Japan, so there are also very few aviation experts or those who have experienced other aviation-related occupations such as aviation parts manufacturers. The lack of experience and expertise is one of the reasons why this work presents such towering hurdles. It is also why potential success in this field would be so very, very, interesting!
For instance, we could begin importing so-called foreign cars into Japan. Then, Japanese craftsmen who are curious may disassemble and study the foreign car, and soon, we could start manufacturing the vehicles ourselves with joy! In other words, Japan may be late entering the contest, but it would be able to make up for lost time as the expertise grows. From this point of view, I believe that there is 100% potential for the physical completion of the "flying car" and for Japan to lead the world in this area. Personally, I feel that we are three to four years behind the leading global companies in developing this mobility. However, I also think that we are within the range of error. The notion of “run and fly” will be physically possible by 2050. I believe that we must take on challenges to drive Japanese manufacturing and to lead the world in the near future.
Esq：Did you face any walls or did you suffer any defeats before you ran into the many problems?
Fukuzawa：I'm not feeling troubled at the moment, nor have I experienced the frustrations of lamenting any great failure. The big defeats may begin now… （wry smile）. SkyDrive has been in business for six months now and could actually hit a wall. For example, parts are expensive, we have to gather funds, and we have little experience, so we have to manufacture our own parts gradually. Also, good global partnerships must be made since there is a deficiency in experienced human resources in this field in Japan. Perhaps people from overseas will join our team in the future, so I would like to create an international culture. There are many such issues. By 2050, all cars will fly; but will we （Japan） make them? Are companies in other countries making them? This is the problem, and for us it is the ultimate issue.
Esq：I think Japan poses numerous difficulties in comparison to other countries with respect to laws and regulations. Will these problems also be resolved with the cooperation of the government?
Fukuzawa：If you ask for "flying cars" to be allowed to take to the skies without assuring security, of course, that would not be possible. It is easy to appreciate that people cannot fly cars if laws and regulations are not properly established. The possibility of disastrous consequences of falls or accidents increases as we stretch the limits. “Establish safety and drive” is the key premise for me. The obstacles we face in Japan are quite high compared to more experienced regions such as the US and Europe. For example, the environment is relatively easy to handle while conducting test flights in other countries, but such environments are not very well prepared in Japan. The issue will involve the evolution of these aspects through the cooperation of the government and of future local administrations. Laws and regulations are always based on past accidents. They correspond to the possible outcomes and tend to grow with time and experience. Thus, the mere surmounting of a current situation is not enough. Putting safety first is an eternal task.
Esq：Do you want to be involved in the control system as well?
Fukuzawa：I think my involvement is essential rather than a matter of whether or not I want to get involved. After all, it will affect where we can fly. I don't know if we will take leadership, but it is impossible to physically follow the beaten path for the time being, and I think our leadership is subtle even if it is actually like a science fiction movie. After all, I think that it is good to first create a virtual road. In fact, we have already made such image videos.
Esq：This is an image of the future drawn by SkyDrive. By the way, Mr. Fukuzawa, is there a place where you would like to go by the "flying car"?
Fukuzawa：I like watching the places I know from the sky. So I am very excited when I get on a plane and fly over Tokyo or Aichi where I work or live. It is thrilling to be able to point to specific places from a different perspective, For example, as you descend toward the Tokyo airport when returning from a foreign country at night, the Yamanote Line appears as a ring of light. There are three spots in the ring that have big spots: Tokyo, Shinjuku, and Shibuya. I like that because they are easy to recognize from the sky. I am impressed by the fact that the space I usually occupy becomes a view. Usually, you can look around from where you are walking toward the sky or from the sky to a place on land where you have a connection, and enjoy it for an hour or two. There is a feeling of happiness that is different when we see a place we do not know and that we only view as a landscape. There is a sense of recognition: of belonging there. Excuse me; it is not an example like Hawaii （laughs）.
Also, I think we enjoy moving freely in three dimensions. One can say "Let's go here" or "let's go there," and so on. Since this cannot be done on a commercial flight, the flying car will make people feel like "I want to sky drive". In fact, if a person is able to ride a flying car it will be an experience that will go beyond any past encounters. We are working hard every day to accomplish this eventuality by being motivated by the thought that we will always be the ones providing this most inspiring feeling.
【PROFILE】 Tomohiro Fukuzawa
Graduated from the University of Tokyo Faculty of Engineering and was appointed at Toyota Motor Corporation in the global procurement of auto parts. He simultaneously conducted improvement activities using the Toyota Production System at many sites. He engaged with Carivator in 2014 and co-represented Toyota until he exited the company in 2017. He established a management consulting company and assisted more than 20 companies in improving their manufacturing processes. He instituted SkyDrive Co., Ltd. in 2018 and became its representative director.
Translation / Nana Takeda
