Embraer announced the formation of Eve Urban Air Mobility Solutions, Inc. (Eve) on October 15th. Eve is an independent company dedicated to accelerating the Urban Air Mobility (UAM) ecosystem, according to Embraer’s press release.

The announcement characterizes Eve as more than just a eVTOL manufacturer – the company is developing a full portfolio of solutions to enable the UAM market. One component of that development is the progression and certification of the company’s electric vertical takeoff and landing vehicle (eVTOL), in addition to the associated services/support network, and the creation of urban air traffic management solutions.

André Stein, former head of strategy for EmbraerX, has been appointed CEO of Eve. The company was incubated for four years within EmbraerX. “We value the vast potential of the UAM market, as it represents a new business segment in which we foresee significant opportunities for Embraer. Innovation and diversification are key pillars of Embraer’s new strategic plan, which will increase revenue and improve profitability over the next few years,” said Francisco Gomes Neto, President and CEO of Embraer. “That is why I am eager to announce Eve, the first company to graduate from EmbraerX.

EmbraerX has been part of the Uber Elevate Network since its inception in 2017, as part of the company’s initiative to accelerate the UAM revolution, “Eve’s launch is an important next step in commercializing Embraer’s eVTOL designs while building on Embraer’s ability to design, certify, and deliver safe, globally-accepted aircraft. We look forward to our continued partnership to make aerial ridesharing a reality,” said Eric Allison, Head of Uber Elevate.

Eve’s eVTOL design is “human-centered” and represents an actual, certifiable product development – the first flight of the engineering simulator occurred in June of 2020. and the company is harnessing the expertise of both Embraer and Atech, a subsidiary of the Embraer Group, in providing globally-recognized air traffic management software to create the solutions that will help safely scale the UAM industry going forward.

More information on the company may be found at www.eveairmobility.com.

Why it’s important: Embraer’s formal spinoff of Eve creates a deliberate segmentation of the larger commercial aircraft manufacturer from the aerial mobility offerings of the future. The full stack approach to mobility infrastructure development is a unique approach toward bringing an eVTOL to market, one that requires a greater resource pool and technical, business, and infrastructure know-how. Fortunately, Embraer’s vast experience will aid in deploying this longer term goal of an aerial mobility ecosystem, but partnerships between Eve and companies such as Atech and the Uber Elevate Network will further aid the progression toward initial certification and on-demand commercial deployment of aerial mobility services.

Read the full press release here.

EmbraerX, the advanced technologies division of the Brazilian aerospace company, has recently conducted the first flight of its new eVTOL aircraft design in a simulator. The eVTOL has also undergone wind tunnel testing and flights of a downscaled model, but a release date for the design has not been announced yet.

According to Andre Stein, EmbraerX head of strategy and urban air mobility, the simulators recreated accurate flight control parameters and control laws based off of real world conditions in order to prepare for eventual type certification flight testing. EmbraerX engineers have also already been testing the design’s fifth generation fly-by-wire controls, and the aircraft will initially support piloted operations but will be able to later upgrade to autonomous flight. Stein is confident that with Embraer’s vast experience in the aerospace industry, they will quickly be able to certify a reliable and efficient aircraft design.

“One of the things we have talked about is how to leverage our know-how to develop new aircraft, and [we saw this] when we did the first flight in the E2 because we broke records in expanding the flight envelope,” he said. “A lot of [eVTOL] startups rush to fly something just to have something to show investors.”

Concept model of the EmbraerX eVTOL. Photograph: Embraer

The simulator, located at the company’s headquarters in Sao Jose dos Campos, will be qualified to test the man-machine interfaces of the eVTOL design, using both experienced and inexperienced pilots. Luiz Valentini, engineering manager, said that EmbraerX works on the assumption that the aerial mobility industry will need to rely on pilots with a large variety in background and experience, meaning that the design of a very user-friendly control interface will be crucial for the new aircraft. The simulator will also allow for the preparation for an eventual shift to fully autonomous operations, giving information on detect and avoid systems, and other capabilities necessary for autonomous flight. “We are trying to create a vehicle that we can show will have the flexibility to operate in different airspaces around the world and it gives us the confidence to be able to facilitate autonomous flight capabilities before we fly the aircraft,” says Valentini.

Details on the new aircraft are limited. EmbraerX’s eVTOL will be a four-person all electric aircraft, with eight, fixed propellers attached to two parallel wings for vertical lift, while a pair of ducted fans are attached to the rear of the aircraft for cruise flight.

While a date for the aircraft has not been released yet, EmbraerX has also begun work on the required infrastructure for the design, intending to incorporate studies dedicated to the development of urban air traffic management into a consultation document by the first quarter of 2021, and begin implementation of a fully functional urban air traffic infrastructure system. Stein stresses that Embraer remains focused on supporting the wider “eco-system” for urban air mobility (UAM), including air traffic management and ground infrastructure. “Our goal is to make it [UAM] more accessible and scalable, taking account of both hybrid-electric and electric aircraft,” said David Rottblatt, leader of EmbraerX’s urban air traffic management project.

Photograph: Embraer

Why it’s important: With the right infrastructure in place, EmbraerX sees potential for an aerial mobility market, especially as eVTOL aircraft change the scope of air transportation in and around cities. With extensive experience spanning decades in designing and certifying aircraft, EmbraerX possesses the ability to create a working, reliable eVTOL design, and create the necessary ecosystem for such a design to fly in.
Source // AIN Online

The CEZERİ Flying Car, developed by Baykar as the ‘transportation concept of the future’, is designed to reduce traffic congestion in urban transportation, minimize the time spent in traffic, and reduce air pollution caused by transportation. Further, the CEZERI’s characteristic design is optimized to reduce traffic accidents, provide a faster cargo transportation service, and respond quickly to the urgent needs of health institutions (blood, organ transport, etc.).

Photo Credit // defenceturk

Unveiled at Teknofest in 2019, the original CEZERI prototype is one seater quadcopter with a target flight ceiling of 2000 meters and a maximum speed of 100 kph. The craft’s name is inspired by Ismail al-Jazari, a renowned Muslim engineer who lived between 1136 and 1206. The company already produces drones for both armed and non-armed forces as well as control systems, simulators, and avionics systems.

Since 2019’s Teknofest, Baykar Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Systems  has executed various flight test sorties with its prototype. Just following CEZERI’s first successful hover test in September of 2020, Baykar Chief Technology Officer Selcuk Bayraktar claimed that “we will make more advanced prototypes in the upcoming process, and perform flights with a human [on board].”

The Cezeri flying car was on display at Teknofest in Turkey, from Sept. 17-22, 2019

The latest iteration of the CEZERI is designed to be flown with minimum technical and aviation knowledge and high-level security. As safety has also been highly prioritized in its design, the flight deck is equipped with a joystick, altitude control lever, touch command screen, two physical buttons (Emergency In, Stop) and two switches (Engine Battery Switch, Avionic System Switch). The aircraft is powered by rechargeable batteries with 8 electric motors and propellers and flies under 100% electric power, all while featuring a three-times redundant intelligent flight system. As battery technology improves, Baykar strives to achieve a maximum range of 70 km.

Why it’s important: According to Baykar, within the scope of urban air transportation, the prototype is aimed to give life to the reliable passenger and cargo transportation ecosystem that covers city centers and suburbs. In addition, studies are underway to be used for logistic support in the health sector and military fields. Progress continues to be made on the development of the CEZERI air taxi, yet it appears that regulatory and certification discussions have not been initiated. If Baykar proceeds with manufacturing a certifiable vehicle in Turkey, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation will likely be tasked with establishing new guidelines for safe operational protocols as are currently under development by larger regulators including the FAA and EASA.

Pipistrel, the original equipment manufacturer (OEM) of multiple commercially-available electric aircraft, has now launched a maintenance school exclusively for electric aircraft.

Pipistrel conducts its first electric aircraft maintenance training session.

Pipistrel has been creating electric aircraft for several years already. In fact, they are a market leader for electric aircraft, having already broken world records for distance and performance. In addition to producing all-electric trainer and recreational aircraft, the company has certified its aviation electric motor, worked on developing electric aviation charging infrastructure, partnered with Uber Elevate for its air taxi project, and even begun taking orders for its Nuuva V300 cargo eVTOL.

Now, Pipistrel has further extended its reach into the electric aviation industry by founding the world’s first school for electric aircraft maintenance. The course is five days long, and designed for traditional aircraft mechanics who wish to expand their expertise. Pipistrel’s goal with this program is to train technicians who can then bring their knowledge to other parts of the world where electric aircraft like the Pipistrel Velis Electro and electric VTOL aircraft may soon become more common.

Students in Pipistrel’s new program learn to work on an electric motor.

Pipistrel said in a press release, “Organizing a seminar of this kind is a great achievement and honor for Pipistrel. The road to this point was very long and required cooperation of many individuals and institutions.” The company has already conducted two courses with a third slated for February.

Why it’s important: As electric aircraft become more prevalent, and the age of urban eVTOL aircraft begins to emerge, experts in maintaining and repairing electric air vehicles and their components will become increasingly valuable and sought after. By launching this school now, Pipistrel will put itself ahead of the game for providing electric aircraft maintenance expertise and training.

Source // AVWeb

Volocopter announced on January 15th that the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has accepted their application for concurrent Type Certificate validation which they submitted earlier in December. This sets the basis for Volocopter to bring their electric air taxi services to the American market.

Volocopter is the first and only electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) company in the world with Design Organization Approval (DOA), which gives them license to develop and build certified aircraft from the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA). The company is currently in the process of receiving EASA Type Certification for their multi passenger VoloCity aircraft, and is now concurrently seeking FAA approval to enter the U.S. market with its EASA type certificate in order to accelerate its worldwide expansion.

Volocopter stated in a press release that they’re focused on promoting seamless, 100% electric mobility within congested cities, and have engaged in partnerships with Singapore, Paris, and Dubai as global pioneer cities for the aerial mobility industry.

Volocopter’s Initial 2X Prototype (depicted) was replaced with the next design iteration, the VoloCity, the company’s prime aircraft for future air taxi use. Image // Volocopter

“By focusing on a collaborative approach to success, we are bringing excellence, expertise, and experience to the table together with our partners, and with that, we are leading the way to bring urban air mobility to life in cities around the globe,” said Florian Reuter, CEO of Volocopter. He added that certification was a primary consideration for Volocopter while creating their aircraft, and that design considerations took into account requirements of certification. Ideally, this will allow a quicker timeline to certification once flight testing and data collection efforts become required.

The VoloCity, Volocopter’s electric air taxi, is designed to meet the highest aircraft safety standards and features the lowest noise development in the industry. Volocopter developed the VoloCity specifically to meet growing demand for better intra-city mobility in large cities like Los Angeles, New York City, San Francisco, and Washington D.C. among others. Volocopter added that these types of aircraft would promote job creation in deployment cities and that the ultimate target is on-demand air taxi services that are of comparable costs to a traditional taxi.

The Volocopter VoloCity, which will be Volocopter’s featured aircraft for air taxi use.

Volocopter is currently working with EASA on certification for commercial launch planned in the next 2-3 years. When Volocopter receives type certification approval from EASA, immediately followed by the FAA validation in this timeframe, they will be positioned to enter the electric air taxi market and pave the way for the UAM industry to expand services globally.

Another component of this certification announcement from the FAA is the availability of concurrent type certificate validation. Concurrent type certification validation allows Volocopter to show compliance to their regulatory governing board, EASA, whereby the FAA would then claim concurrent credit for these activities. What’s not known is how the FAA will either honor or create additional requirements to the Special Conditions for eVTOL certification that EASA has created, given VoloCity will be an aircraft of novel configuration without an similar comparator that has previously been certified.

Why it’s important: The FAA’s agreement to allow for concurrent type certificate validation reduces a huge amount of certification workload for Volocopter and will pave the way towards an FAA certified aircraft in the coming years. The industry should now expect many European eVTOL makers to follow a similar path, though EASA concurrent type certification of FAA natively certified aircraft has not yet come to fruition.

Jaunt Air Mobility and Walle announced that they have formed a partnership to provide advanced aerial mobility transit services in Italy. Furthermore, Walle plans to implement and operate this service by 2026, focusing on routes within 50 km. 

“Walle is a perfect strategic partner; our mission at Jaunt is to produce the safest and most efficient eVTOL on the market and work with operators around the world,” says Martin Peryea, CEO of Jaunt Air Mobility. “We feel confident in our ability to commercialize our aircraft by 2026. The unique configuration of combining a fixed-wing airplane and single slow-rotor technology gives us revolutionary performance and the highest level of safety amongst all the eVTOL contenders.”

Currently, Walle is working with the regulatory authorities and mapping out its first key routes for their aerial mobility service, including a route from Milan Airport to the city center of Milan, as well as one connecting the Port of Naples to Capri’s Island. Walle will also intends on providing their services for the Milano Cortina XXV Winter Olympics in 2026. 

Photograph: Jaunt Air Mobility

“Our goal is to change the future of mobility,” says Domenico Gagliardi, founder and CEO of Walle. “Italy, as in much of Europe, is challenged by the time it takes to travel from outside a city to an urban center, often costing two or more hours one way, and the problem is only growing. ‘Going Vertical’, – to the sky is the obvious answer. We believe the Jaunt Journey by Jaunt Air Mobility offers a solution that meets with our core values of providing a safe, comfortable, and ultra-quiet ride for passengers.”

“We see business travelers and tourists utilizing our services. Our focus is entirely on the customer experience and, we believe safety will be a key in the adoption of this form of transit. Because Jaunt offers patented safety features and the ability to meet commercial, regulatory requirements, success is just around the corner,” stated Marco Pugliese, COO at Walle.

Why it’s important: Walle Mobility is the first Italian startup focused on the aerial mobility market. By partnering with Jaunt Air Mobility, both companies gain a competitive advantage in their respective markets. 

Source // Jaunt Air Mobility and Walle Mobility Press Release

GM has announced its entry into the aerial mobility space at this year’s CES conference highlighting the latest in consumer technology. The prototype was unveiled at GM’s Exhibit Zero.

Source: General Motors

GM stated the vehicle will be Cadillac-branded and will feature a four-rotor design offering speeds up to 56mph and powered by a 90-kWh battery. While no significant project timelines nor technical details were unveiled at this week’s conference, GM joins the likes of Fiat-Chrysler which also announced a partnership this week to develop an eVTOL vehicle.

As EV platforms evolve and become commonplace in society, GM sees eVTOL as the next logical step in revolutionizing transportation. Over the next several years, GM will be investing heavily into its Ultium EV hardware program. Early applications will focus on revolutionizing the automotive industry and providing EV’s for a wide variety of customers’ needs.

The preliminary prototype appears to be 1-passenger configuration, although the company hinted at future models which can hold an additional passenger. Both models would likely be autonomous, not requiring any pilot inputs by passengers. Not much else is known about the prototype or when it can be expected to take flight.

Why it matters: GM joins the ranks of automakers piling into aerial mobility either through direct investments/programs or financial backing of existing eVTOL makers. Advancements in electric vehicle technologies such as unit costs and energy density are disrupting the automotive industry and it will be only a matter of time before these technologies enable commercial aerial mobility services. The continual buy-in for an aerial mobility focused world by bluechip companies will certainly reduce the barriers to making UAM a reality.

Source: CNET.com