2024 Corporate Aviation Leadership Summit

SkyDrive has started accepting preorders from private individuals for its SD-05 two-seat eVTOL aircraft. The Japanese company has been securing preorders from business customers since unveiling a <a href="https://www.futureflight.aero/news-article/2022-09-26/new-funding-skydrive-unveils-two-seat-short-hop-evtol-aircraft">new design</a> for the vehicle in September 2022, with Vietnam’s Pacific Group being the first to commit with an agreement to take up to 100 units.
On April 13, Kotaro Chiba, co-founder and managing partner of the venture capital group Drone Fund, signed an agreement with SkyDrive to preorder the aircraft. He was the first investor in the company back in November 2018 and has supported more than 60 start-ups.
SkyDrive did not disclose the terms of the new personal-use preorder agreements, including whether or not they are backed by a down payment. The company has also not revealed the purchase price for the SD-05 vehicle, which it aims&nbsp;to start delivering in 2025.
<h3 class="subheading">Series C Funding Round&nbsp;Increases Capital Pot</h3>
Earlier this week, SkyDrive reported that it has raised further capital&nbsp;via its Series C funding round with undisclosed investments from Japan's MUFG Bank and a target fund including electronic components group Murata Manufacturing. The company said that the total raised through the Series C campaign now exceeds 10 billion yen ($75.1&nbsp;million), representing an increase of just over $3 million since the company's funding announcement in September 2022, when the total raised stood at 9.6 billion yen. The company says that since it launched in 2018, &nbsp;it has raised more than 15 billion yen ($112.6&nbsp;million).&nbsp;
Chiba, who&nbsp;owns a HondaJet, holds a pilot’s license. SkyDrive says, however, that personal-use customers for the SD-05 will not be required to be licensed pilots.
“In 2018, I was captivated by SkyDrive’s vision of the future and its innovative aircraft, fueling my dream of flying cars,” Chiba commented. “Upon seeing the company’s first prototype, I was convinced that my dream was finally within reach, and I enthusiastically made the decision to invest in SkyDrive. Since then, SkyDrive has conducted successful crewed test flights and applied for type certification, further solidifying my confidence in the team’s ability to make the dream a reality.”
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 <div class="field field--name-field-media-image field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <img loading="lazy" src="/sites/default/files/futureflight/import/%E8%AA%BF%E5%8D%B0%E5%BC%8F%E3%81%AE%E6%A7%98%E5%AD%90%20.jpg" width="1200" height="800" alt="Venture capitalist Kotaro Chiba (left) and SkyDrive founder and CEO Tomohiro Fukuzawa." title="Venture capitalist Kotaro Chiba (left) and SkyDrive founder and CEO Tomohiro Fukuzawa signed the first personal use pre-order for the SD-05 eVTOL aircraft. (Image: SkyDrive)">

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<div class="block block-layout-builder block-field-blockmediaimagefield-caption">
 
 
 
 <div class="field field--name-field-caption field--type-string-long field--label-hidden field__item">Venture capitalist Kotaro Chiba (left) and SkyDrive founder and CEO Tomohiro Fukuzawa signed the first personal use pre-order for the SD-05 eVTOL aircraft. (Image: SkyDrive)</div>
 
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<figcaption>Venture capitalist Kotaro Chiba (left) and SkyDrive founder and CEO Tomohiro Fukuzawa signed the first personal use preorder for the SD-05 eVTOL aircraft. (Image: SkyDrive)</figcaption>
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According to SkyDrive founder and CEO Tomohiro Fukuzawa, the company has fielded numerous inquiries from both private and commercial customers, including <a href="https://www.futureflight.aero/news-article/2022-11-29/pacific-group-preorders-skydrive-sd-05-evtol-aircraft-vietnam-operations">Pacific Group</a>, which holds 10 confirmed preorders and options for another 90 aircraft. SkyDrive said that “after careful consideration” it opened the order book to private individuals. Last year, the company announced plans to establish a base in <a href="https://www.futureflight.aero/news-article/2023-01-26/japans-skydrive-focuses-south-carolina-us-evtol-services">South Carolina </a>to gain access to the U.S. market.
“As we aim to create a future where everyone has access to eVTOLs as [part of] their daily transportation, we understand that it is important that we have an option for individuals to own their aircraft,” Fukuzawa commented. “We will develop fully automated aircraft in the future and further promote the realization of a society where everyone utilizes the sky for daily transportation.”

Managing Editor

Charles Alcock

SkyDrive Signs First Private-use Preorder for SD-05 eVTOL Aircraft

Japanese eVTOL aircraft developer SkyDrive this week said it will enter the U.S. market through joint work with multiple partners in South Carolina to develop uses for its vehicles. The company, which announced&nbsp;the plans during the Vertical Flight Society’s eVTOL Symposium in Mesa, Arizona, will set up a team in Beaufort County to work with local and state officials.
Development efforts for early applications with SkyDrive's two-seat SD-05 aircraft will hinge on air taxi operations serving multiple local communities. The management teams from Columbia Metropolitan Airport and Greenville Downtown Airport are involved in the project. 
Columbia has around 26 daily commercial airline flights, while Greenville is a general aviation facility. Also in the area is the upscale community of Hilton Head Island.
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<div class="block block-layout-builder block-field-blockmediaimagefield-caption">
 
 
 
 <div class="field field--name-field-caption field--type-string-long field--label-hidden field__item">SkyDrive wants to establish eVTOL air taxi services connecting communities with local airports in South Carolina. (Image: SkyDrive)</div>
 
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<figcaption>SkyDrive wants to establish eVTOL air taxi services connecting communities with local airports in South Carolina. (Image: SkyDrive)</figcaption>
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SkyDrive says it aims to achieve FAA type certification for the SD-05 model that it <a href="https://www.futureflight.aero/news-article/2022-09-26/new-funding-skydrive-unveils-two-seat-short-hop-evtol-aircraft">unveiled in September 2022</a>. First, it is working to get approval from Japan’s air safety regulator in time to start air taxi services during the World Expo 2025 event in Osaka. It is also seeking early sales commitments in Asian markets, including <a href="https://www.futureflight.aero/news-article/2022-11-29/pacific-group-preorders-skydrive-sd-05-evtol-aircraft-vietnam-operations">Vietnam</a>.
According to the Japanese start-up, which last year raised 9.6 billion yen ($66.7&nbsp;million) in a Series C funding round, the all-electric vehicle is intended for flights of up to just 10 kilometers&nbsp;(six&nbsp;miles). The projected range is far less than that of most other in-development eVTOL aircraft, which are generally expected to be able to fly sectors of between around 35 and 160 kilometers (22 to 100 miles). 
The design features 12 motor-propeller units installed in the corners of the upper airframe. SkyDrive’s program partners include cabin interior specialist Jamco, composite materials group Carbon Fiber Reinforcement Plastics, and battery manufacturer Electric Power Systems.
Initially, SkyDrive plans to manufacture the SD-05 in <a href="https://www.futureflight.aero/news-article/2022-05-03/japanese-regulator-approves-type-certification-basis-skydrives-personal">Japan</a>, but it indicated that it would consider opening a U.S. production line if local sales increase. The company plans to engage with prospective operators in the South Carolina area but has not yet established a timeline for when services might begin.
“The decision to make South Carolina our home base and our window into the U.S. market was an easy one considering that it is a significant player in both the commercial and military aviation industries, and it is home to more than 400 aerospace and aviation companies, including Boeing and Lockheed Martin,” commented SkyDrive founder and CEO Tomohiro Fukuzawa. 
Beaufort County is on the border with Georgia, where business jet maker Gulfstream Aerospace is a major employer. Other local aviation companies include composites manufacturer <a href="https://www.futureflight.aero/news-article/2022-07-18/skydrive-picks-toray-supply-composites-personal-evtol">Toray</a>, which is a supplier to SkyDrive.

Japan's SkyDrive Focuses on South Carolina for U.S. eVTOL Services

Vietnamese renewable-energy company Pacific Group has preordered 10 <a href="https://www.futureflight.aero/aircraft-program/skydrive">SD-05</a> eVTOL aircraft from Japan’s SkyDrive, the companies announced on Monday. Under a newly signed memorandum of understanding, Pacific Group conditionally agreed to purchase the aircraft, with an option to order up to 90 more.&nbsp;
SkyDrive, which is based in Japan, has been developing personal eVTOL aircraft, or “flying cars,” and cargo drones since 2018. The SD-05, which SkyDrive <a href="https://www.futureflight.aero/news-article/2022-09-26/new-funding-skydrive-unveils-two-seat-short-hop-evtol-aircraft">revealed in September</a>, is a fully electric, two-seat eVTOL aircraft designed to make flights of up to 10 kilometers (six miles), traveling at a maximum altitude of 500 meters (1,600 feet) and a cruise speed of 100 km/h (62 mph).&nbsp;
The SD-05 will be SkyDrive’s first eVTOL vehicle to be evaluated for <a href="https://www.futureflight.aero/news-article/2021-11-01/japanese-type-certification-skydrive-personal-evtol-gets-underway">type certification</a>, but it won’t be the company’s production model. SkyDrive has said its production aircraft will be the as-yet-unnamed SD-XX, which will be similar to the SD-05. The company’s earlier prototype, a single-seat eVTOL aircraft&nbsp;called the SD-03, made its first test flight in August 2020, and SkyDrive plans to begin flight testing with the SD-05 in 2024. SkyDrive plans to have the new aircraft ready to start air taxi services during the World Expo 2025, which the Japanese city of Osaka will host.
Pacific Group has also agreed to collaborate with SkyDrive in researching sustainable and accessible mobility solutions for the Vietnamese market. In addition to exploring use cases for the SD-05, the companies will evaluate other aspects of Vietnam's urban air mobility ecosystem, such as vertiports and other infrastructure requirements.&nbsp;
“The urban streets in Vietnam, crowded with motorcycles and [automobiles], are vibrant and exciting. However, considering the current social problem of traffic safety and greenhouse gas emissions, I think this is one of the most important social issues that need to be addressed,” said SkyDrive CEO Tomohiro Fukuzawa.&nbsp;
“The number of motorcycles and [automobiles] is only increasing, and it takes time to develop roads and parking lots,” Fukuzawa added. “We would be happy to contribute to solving Vietnam’s social issues by providing eVTOLs, a means of transportation using the sky, as one of the country’s new transportation infrastructures.”
Introducing eVTOL aircraft&nbsp;in Vietnam could help the country reach its goal of achieving net-zero carbon emissions by 2050, said Le Ngoc Anh Minh, the executive president and founder of Pacific Group. He added that 2023 will mark the 50-year anniversary of diplomatic relations between Vietnam and Japan, “and we really hope to create several activities with SkyDrive to promote this eVTOL not only for our business but also for contributing to the two nations’&nbsp;scientific and friendship collaboration.”

Science & Technology Editor

Hanneke Weitering

Pacific Group Preorders SkyDrive SD-05 eVTOL Aircraft for Vietnam Operations

SkyDrive has unveiled the design for its SD-05 eVTOL aircraft, with images presented on September 26 showing significant changes from the <a href="https://www.futureflight.aero/news-article/2022-01-06/skydrives-personal-evtol-vehicle-makes-international-debut">SD-03 </a>model, which&nbsp;made its first flight in August 2020. The Japanese start-up, which has also just raised 9.6 billion yen ($66.7&nbsp;million) in a Series C funding round, said that the two-seat, all-electric vehicle is intended for short flights of up to just 10 km (six&nbsp;miles).
The company told FutureFlight it expects to conduct flight testing in 2024 with the aim of getting approval to start air taxi services during the World Expo 2025 to be hosted by the Japanese city of Osaka. It would not say when it will build the first full-scale prototype, but it has already agreed on a <a href="https://www.futureflight.aero/news-article/2021-11-01/japanese-type-certification-skydrive-personal-evtol-gets-underway">type certification</a> process with Japan’s Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport, and Tourism.
The projected 10-km range is far less than that of most other in-development eVTOL aircraft, which are generally expected to be able to fly sectors of between around 35 and 160 kilometers (22 to 100 miles). With a pilot and a single passenger on board, SkyDrive says, the <a href="https://www.futureflight.aero/aircraft-program/skydrive">SD-05 </a>will provide “a shortcut” where local geography or constrained existing public transportation is inconvenient for travelers.
“This vehicle is not just a simple means of traveling from point A to B,” said the company’s design director, Takumi Yamaoto. “Based on the design concept of ‘giving wings to daily travel,’ it is also a safer and more enjoyable travel partner.”
The Osaka Bay area is viewed as a suitable early-adopter market for the “last-mile” flight solution because of the constraints of road transportation. SkyDrive claimed it could take 40 minutes to drive one kilometer, while the SD-05 would make the same trip in barely five&nbsp;minutes. The company sees the vehicle as having applications for tourism and emergency medical flights.
The design presented on September 26 shows 12 motor-propeller units installed in the corners of the upper airframe. SkyDrive’s program partners include cabin interior specialist Jamco, composite materials group Carbon Fiber Reinforcement Plastics, and battery manufacturer Electric Power Systems.
The Toyota City-based company’s C Series funding round was backed by 13 companies, taking the total raised by SkyDrive so far to 14.7 billion yen. It was underwritten by groups including the <a href="https://www.futureflight.aero/news-article/2022-03-22/car-maker-suzuki-backs-skydrives-plans-bring-flying-car-market">Suzuki Motor Corp</a>., the Kansai Electric Power Company, Kintetsu Group Holdings, and Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Bank.&nbsp;

With New Funding, SkyDrive Unveils Two-Seat, Short-hop eVTOL Aircraft

The Japanese personal eVTOL maker SkyDrive has selected Toray Carbon Magic to develop advanced carbon fiber-reinforced plastics for the structure of its SD-05 flying car.&nbsp;
<a href="https://www.futureflight.aero/aircraft-program/skydrive">SkyDrive’s SD-05</a> is a fully electric, two-seat flying car for which the start-up&nbsp;is seeking type certification. The Japan Civil Aviation Bureau (JCAB) <a href="https://www.futureflight.aero/news-article/2022-05-03/japanese-regulator-approves-type-certification-basis-skydrives-personal">approved the type certification basis</a> for the SD-05 in May, and SkyDrive plans to have the SD-05 enter service in Japan’s Osaka Bay area by 2025.
According to SkyDrive, Toray’s advanced composite materials will help the eVTOL manufacturer make its flying car lighter, stronger, and more energy efficient. Toray has extensive experience providing carbon fiber-reinforced plastics for the automotive and aerospace industries. The companies have already begun conformity assessments to determine whether the new material will meet SkyDrive’s required specifications for the SD-05.
“Toray Carbon Magic’s advanced carbon fiber reinforced plastic is an essential element of our two-seater aircraft SD-05," SkyDrive CEO Tomohiro Fukuzawa said in the July 18 announcement. "Starting with this material compatibility testing, we will continue to work closely together to promote the development of a light and strong ‘flying car’ airframe structure, with the aim of realizing an air mobility society.”
Founded in 2018, SkyDrive achieved the <a href="https://www.futureflight.aero/news-article/2020-08-28/skydrive-takes-funding-past-50-million-and-flies-sd-03-car-public">first test flights</a> of its SD-03, single-seat flying car prototype in August 2020. That same month, the startup announced that it had raised ¥3.9 billion ($31 million) in a Series B funding round to support its development of flying cars and cargo drones. To date, the company has raised more than $50 million. In March 2022, the Japanese car maker <a href="https://www.futureflight.aero/news-article/2022-03-22/car-maker-suzuki-backs-skydrives-plans-bring-flying-car-market">Suzuki Motor Corporation</a> joined the company’s efforts to develop the two-seat SD-05.&nbsp;
While the SD-05 is SkyDrive's first vehicle that will be evaluated for type certification, the company has said that its production model will be a new version of the aircraft known as SD-XX. Like the SD-05, the SD-XX will be a fully electric, two-seat personal eVTOL with eight propellers. SkyDrive says the SD-XX will have a maximum cruise speed of 100 km/h (62 mph) and a flight time of 20 to 30 minutes and will fly at a maximum altitude of 500 meters (1,640 feet).&nbsp;

SkyDrive Picks Toray To Supply Composites for Personal eVTOL

The Japan Civil Aviation Bureau (JCAB) has approved the type certification basis for SkyDrive’s SD-05 two-seat personal eVTOL vehicle. The Japanese company confirmed the decision late last week, reporting that the type certification process will be conducted according to the agency’s Airworthiness Inspection Manual Part II (Revision 61), which generally applies to fixed-wing aircraft with a takeoff weight of up to 19,000 pounds.
The JCAB, which is part of Japan’s Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport, and Tourism (MLIT), accepted SkyDrive’s application for type certification in October 2021. The Toyota City-based start-up aims to have the all-electric model approved for first deliveries in 2025.
The next task for the SkyDrive team is to agree on a certification test plan with the JCAB. The company’s latest timeline suggests it will start manufacturing the preproduction prototype next year and have it ready to start flight testing in 2024. 
In a written statement, SkyDrive said that agreement over the type certification basis for the SD-05 was based on discussions conducted through Japan’s Public-Private Council for Air Mobility Revolution, which was established with government backing <a href="https://www.meti.go.jp/english/press/2018/0824_001.html">in August 2018</a>. The company said that the requirements for Airworthiness Inspection Manual Part II (Revision 61) are similar to equivalent rules developed for eVTOL aircraft by the FAA and EASA.
“We would like to express our heartfelt gratitude to the government of Japan and MLIT, as well as to the many organizations and companies that have supported our project,” said SkyDrive chief technology officer Nobuo Kishi. “We are determined to move ahead with the launch of a flying car business and to ultimately make air mobility a reality for society.”
In March, Japanese carmaker&nbsp;Suzuki Motor Corporation got behind SkyDrive's&nbsp;efforts to develop a two-seat personal eVTOL vehicle. Suzuki is now supporting the Toyko-based start-up on multiple aspects of research and development work, preparations for manufacturing, and business planning.
In August 2020, SkyDrive raised ¥3.9 billion ($31 million) in a Series B funding round to support its development of urban air mobility technology, including flying cars and cargo drones. The company, which was founded in 2018 and now has cargo drones with payloads in excess of 30 kg (66 pounds) working at industrial sites, has raised more than $50 million.
The SkyDrive vehicle is one of several eVTOL models expected to start commercial services during the 2025 World Exposition in the Japanese city of Osaka.
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SkyDrive

News

SkyDrive Signs First Private-use Preorder for SD-05 eVTOL Aircraft

Japan's SkyDrive Focuses on South Carolina for U.S. eVTOL Services

Pacific Group Preorders SkyDrive SD-05 eVTOL Aircraft for Vietnam Operations

With New Funding, SkyDrive Unveils Two-Seat, Short-hop eVTOL Aircraft

SkyDrive Picks Toray To Supply Composites for Personal eVTOL

Japanese Regulator Approves Type Certification Basis for SkyDrive's Personal eVTOL Vehicle

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