Hyundai’s Supernal and Embraer-backed Eve Air Mobility are developing electric aircraft that take off and land vertically. The idea is that such air taxis might provide a sustainable form of air transport for densely populated cities and areas with less developed public transport networks.
Experts say they could help offset carbon emissions from the traditional aviation sector, but there are plenty of technological and regulatory challenges to making air taxis commercially viable.
Falling battery prices, advancements in technology and the participation of big players like Hyundai mean that such aircraft could soon be a reality, experts say.
Hyundai’s advanced air mobility unit Supernal and Embraer-backed Eve Air Mobility hope to officially launch electric-powered air taxis within the next two to four years.
“Ground transportation is evolving and improving, but to support all the mobility demands of ... people in urban areas, ground transport will not be sufficient,” Supernal’s CEO Shin Jaiwon said in an interview. “We have to open the skies above the cities.”
Supernal’s S-A2 electric aircraft, equipped with eight rotors, is designed to carry a pilot and four passengers. The battery-powered air taxi will have a range of about 25 to 40 miles and will be able to take off and land vertically. It’s similar to a helicopter, but quieter and more sustainable
in that it can help offset carbon emissions generated from traditional air travel, Shin said.
Supernal plans to test its first full-scale technology demonstration version in California this year and is in contact with the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration and the E.U’s aviation safety agency about policies and certification issues.
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