U.S. Oklahoma-Arkansas region to develop advanced mobility national hub

Governors Kevin Stitt and Asa Hutchinson have announced plans to develop the Oklahoma-Arkansas region as a national hub for advanced mobility (AM) with the support of partners Tulsa Innovation Labs (Okla., U.S.) and Runway Group (Bentonville, Ark., U.S.). The collaborative effort to support the growth of the advanced mobility industry, including drones, electric and autonomous vehicles, battery manufacturing, and transportation and logistics solutions, will reportedly create a new research and testing space, support local advanced mobility startups, attract new companies and convene industry corporations to test and scale new technologies (see “Report suggests up to $14.7 billion in eVTOL market growth by 2041”).

In Feb. 2022, Governor Hutchinson launched the Arkansas Council on Future Mobility, laying the groundwork for this new bi-state advanced mobility initiative. The council is chaired by aviator, investor and entrepreneur, Cyrus Sigari, considered one of the world’s foremost experts on the future of mobility.

The announcement of this new cross-border initiative follows the recent UP.Summit — dubbed the “Davos of mobility” — that was held June 6-8, 2022 in Bentonville, Ark. The annual gathering convenes the world’s top investors, executives, startups and founders to discuss everything from battery-electric and autonomous aircraft, drones, electric and autonomous ground vehicles, and groundbreaking space technologies. The UP.Summit is co-hosted by mobility-focused venture capital firm UP.Partners, Tom and Steuart Walton, and Ross Perot Jr.

“Oklahoma has a legacy of leadership in aerospace, and I am thrilled with the innovation we are seeing in research and development in autonomous systems and advanced air mobility,” Stitt says. “This partnership gives us the momentum we need for this region to lead the nation into the future of mobility.”

Joining together at the Helmerich Research Center at Oklahoma State University, Governors Stitt and Hutchinson signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to initiate the partnership. Highlights of this joint effort include:

• Partnering with Tulsa Innovation Labs to establish a “Launch Pad” at the Helmerich Research Center at Oklahoma State University-Tulsa to fuel research and commercialization to drive innovation to market and establish home-grown advanced mobility technologies, a complement to the recent “smart mobility” planning grant given to the University of Arkansas.
• Building collaborative programming across the region’s urban-rural geographic assets such as FISTA Innovation Park in Lawton, Thaden Fieldhouse in Arkansas and a 110 Nautical-Mile Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) corridor for testing and research currently under development in the Tulsa Region for unmanned aerial vehicles.
• Convening industry leaders such as Walmart, QuikTrip and J.B. Hunt to pilot emerging technologies.
• Tapping institutions such Tulsa Community College, NWA Community College and Holberton School Tulsa to create accessible workforce development opportunities and a diverse advanced mobility talent pool across the region.
• Coordinating efforts across existing advanced mobility-focused economic development efforts, including Oklahoma Aerospace, Autonomous Systems and Defense Council and the Arkansas Council on Future Mobility.

The effort will also leverage the region’s rich ecosystem of academic and research partners, such as Oklahoma State University-Tulsa Helmerich Research Center, University of Oklahoma’s National Weather Center and Advanced Radar Center, University of Arkansas, Southern Arkansas University Tech, University of Tulsa and military installations Fort Sill and Tinker Air Force Base to build on their experience in the development of sensors, propulsion technology, hydrogen and battery technologies.

Already underway is a joint collaboration being led by Tulsa Innovation Labs, Northwest Arkansas Council and Runway Group with support from the George Kaiser Family Foundation and the Walton Family Foundation to establish the “412 Corridor” as an advanced mobility hub, further connecting the two geographies.

In Dec. 2021, the Tulsa Region was named a finalist in the Economic Development Agency’s “Build Back Better Regional Challenge” to develop an Advanced Mobility Cluster.