We at UAMAS truly believe that Switzerland is a perfect place to develop the new electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) vehicles technology. According to us, many indicators shows that eVTOL can be developed safely and in a perfect environment. Although Switzerland is small by its size, it is leading in many fields such as pharmaceuticals, electronics, new technologies and more.
Many indexes position Switzerland as a very innovative country. To name just a few, Bloomberg and the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) place Switzerland in the top five most innovative countries in the world. The last five years, WIPO classified Switzerland first in their index, while Bloomberg, depending on the year, classes Switzerland fourth or fifth.
Switzerland can also count on reliable universities which are well-recognized abroad and they appear in the best schools of the world. Among them, we can name the Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) and the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich (ETH). Both schools are recognized as ones of the best schools of the world and it enables Switzerland to count on a reliable and high-quality workforce.
The taxation for international companies has also changed and it is very interesting to see how Switzerland position itself in Research & Development. This new law is called “The Tax Reform and AHV Financing (TRAF)” and will become effective on January 1st 2020. Switzerland has the ambition to become a hub for R&D and innovation and it is translated by many measures the country is taking to enable companies to evolve in a conducive environment for innovation. To quote a few, here are two of the main measures taken by Switzerland to foster innovation:
- Use of a patent box. Indeed, the benefits coming from patents will be taxed at a reduced rate at cantonal level. The reduced rate can be maximum 90 %.
- It is possible to deduce 1.5 times your R&D expenditures, which means 150 %.
Finally, Switzerland might be a small country by its size and eVTOL companies are mostly focused on megacities such as Los Angeles, Melbourne and so on. However, the environment in Switzerland is very interesting and can answer many mobility issues due to indirect routes, caused by topographical challenges of lakes and the alps. This environment would clearly push the limits of eVTOL vehicle’s capabilities.
Photo by Chris Holgersson on Unsplash