Hyundai's air mobility division, Supernal, will lead the research and development of the first-ever flying electric taxis for commercial use by opening a facility in the United States.
Supernal Chief Executive Office Shin Jaiwon said in a statement that a prototype of the electric vertical take-off and landing craft will be showcased at CES in Las Vegas in January. The product is known as the eVTOL taxi and is said to be capable of flying at 120 miles an hour while having a capacity for one pilot and four passengers.
Supernal Plans to Build Flying Electric Taxis
The company plans a test flight in December 2024 with ambitions to begin commercial service in 2028. During an interview, Shin said that considering all the battery technology and, infrastructure, and regulations that would come along, the endeavor is going to take some time.
He noted that batteries are the biggest technical challenge for electric air mobility as they account for up to 40% of an eVTOL craft's total weight. Shin said that from the operation side, there are not many air traffic management systems that would govern these vehicles, as per Bloomberg.
Shin added that up until this point, even in the foreseeable future, there are no man-made objects that fly routinely below 500 meters. The next step would be for Supernal to submit an application to the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) in the coming months to get the eVTOL certified.
However, given how the industry is, companies and regulators must collaborate to figure out the best paths to take moving forward. Shin noted that there is nothing out there in relation to the latest efforts because it is so brand new and the FAA does not have an established certification method.
The world's third-biggest automaker by sales already has a factory that produces cars in Alabama, while its affiliate, Kia Corp., has a plant located in Georgia. Shin did not reveal investment figures for the planned Supernal facility or its size, potential location, or other details.
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Setting up Headquarters in US
Supernal recently opened its engineering headquarters in the Irvine Spectrum District with a 105,000-square-foot, four-story office. This comes alongside a nearby 80,000-square-foot test-and-evaluation site, according to Irvine Standard.
Shin said that it is a strategic location that enables them to expand their team of experts in aerospace, automotive, and deep-tech. He added that success relies on leveraging exceptional tech talent, making Irvine the prime location for the engineering headquarters.
The air mobility division now employs more than 200 people in Irvine, including its powertrain team, airframe team, and system-and-safety team. It also has plans to hire another 100 personnel this year and eventually expand to 500 workers.
The lead research manager of the latest endeavor is Ramona Stefanescu, who explained that the service would allow commuters to skip traffic and not spend nearly an hour just for travel. She said that they want people to have more time to spend with their families or what they want to do, said ABC7 News.
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