2024 Corporate Aviation Leadership Summit

Air traffic management specialist Skyroads is backing Hyundai’s efforts to develop an airspace operating environment for advanced air mobility (AAM) services. The German start-up this week announced that it is joining the Airspace Management Consortium set up by Supernal, which is the new name for the Korean automaker’s eVTOL aircraft division.
The consortium was established in June and, according to Supernal, is intended as a resource for AAM companies and policymakers to&nbsp;“shape common operating and design standards that support industry development.” According to Supernal, it will collaborate with consortium members to simulate traffic management for autonomous aircraft, as it steps up development of its SA-1 eVTOL aircraft, for which it aims to start the FAA type certification process in 2024.
Skyroads, which until recently was called D3 Technologies, is developing a prototype for an integrated urban air traffic management system at Tannheim, near Munich. This consists of an air-to-ground communications&nbsp;system that communicates via a cellular network with both the aircraft’s flight control computer and a ground system. The ground system plans routes, supported by what the company calls a "map utility"&nbsp;function that acts as a user interface for entering flight data. In 2022, it intends to expand the scope for testing this combination of hardware and software, which it says is based on AAM system-wide information management and “positive deterministic” control.
“The development of Skyroads is based on a philosophy of interoperability,” said the company’s chief commercial officer Achim Kostron. “The system’s openness as well as its design assurance level of aviation [technology] is a prerequisite for the intermodal urban air mobility ecosystem that professional AAM manufacturers like Supernal are asking for.”
Skyroads, which was formed in 2019, already has a partnership established with Italian air taxi start-up Walle Mobility, which intends to operate Jaunt Journey eVTOLs, as well as with eVTOL developer Manta Aircraft, Flynow Aviation, CAPS, Deep Blue Aviation, Amazilia Aerospace, Varon Vehicles, and the Technical University of Munich’s Institute of Flight System Dynamics. It is now preparing for a Series A funding round.

Managing Editor

Charles Alcock

Skyroads Joins Supernal's Efforts To Develop Advanced Air Mobility Airspace

Two years after first announcing plans to develop an eVTOL aircraft, Hyundai Motor Group this week announced the rebranding of its urban air mobility division under the name Supernal. The South Korean automaker confirmed its intention to bring the five-seat SA-1 vehicle into commercial service from 2028, adding that it expects to start the FAA's type certification process in 2024.
In a November 9 announcement, Hyundai described its Washington, D.C.-based Supernal subsidiary as the “binding component of the group’s future mobility vision.” It said that intends to develop a family of vehicles to serve an advanced air mobility (AAM) market that it doesn’t see gaining momentum and public acceptance until the 2030s.
Supernal is one of 50 companies within the Seoul-based group working on developing Hyundai’s ambitions to become a “smart mobility solutions provider” rather than just a car maker. The group, which employs around 250,000 people worldwide, intends to support intermodal transportation options, including eVTOL air taxis, trains, and private cars, with passengers able to access these via an integrated app.
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“In adding a new dimension to mobility, we are on a mission to transform how people and society move, connect, and live,” said Jaiwon Shin, Supernal CEO and Hyundai Motor Group president. “We have bold ambitions at Supernal but being first to market is not one of them. We are working on the right product and the right integrated market, and we will leverage Hyundai Motor Group’s scaled manufacturing expertise to ensure AAM reaches the right price point and is accessible to the masses.”
As design work continues on the SA-1, the Supernal team said it is also working on plans to develop the infrastructure required for AAM operations. The company is involved in partnerships in Los Angeles, the UK, and Canada. It recently announced the expansion of its Airspace Management Consortium, which is developing a draft concept of eVTOL operations to be considered by policymakers.
Under the leadership of COO Pamela Cohn and CTO Ben Dichuan, Supernal is broadening its engineering workforce. In January 2020, when it was named as a partner in Uber’s now-abandoned Elevate urban air mobility platform, Hyundai said it would invest $1.5 billion in the new sector through 2025.
The S-A1 will be designed to cruise at up to 180 miles per hour and fly at altitudes of around 1,000 feet to 2,000 feet above the ground on trips up to 60 miles. Plans call for the PAV to be 100 percent electric, using distributed electric propulsion that power multiple rotors and propellers around the airframe. Hyundai said this approach reduces noise and increases safety by decreasing single points of failure. During peak hours, the propulsion system would require about five to seven minutes for recharging.
Hyundai anticipates the&nbsp;aircraft will be piloted initially, but over time would be used autonomously. The company intends that passengers would be carried to and from flights in new electric S-Link Purpose Built Vehicles that it is developing for ground transportation.
When its plans for the new eVTOL were first floated in November 2019, the company aimed to have a prototype flying in 2023. This timeline appears to have been pushed back by a year, but this week’s announcement from Supernal provided no further details.

Hyundai Relaunches Urban Air Mobility Division as Supernal

Hyundai Motor Group’s Urban Air Mobility Division has become the latest company involved in the electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) space to join the General Aviation Manufacturers Association (GAMA) as an “associate member full.” The South Korean automotive group announced its intentions to enter the air mobility market at the start of 2020, but has yet to report any further progress or a timeline for service entry for its planned Personal Air Vehicles. (PAVs).
GAMA created the associate member full category in 2018 as a growing number of companies jumped into&nbsp;eVTOL, hybrid/electric, autonomous, and other emerging technology fields. Hyundai has become the ninth member currently in that category, but another two dozen companies involved in such technologies have joined the association as an associate member EPIC (Electric Propulsion and Innovation Committee) category. The "associate member full" category of membership enables a deeper commitment to and participation in the association.
At the Consumer Electronics Show in January 2020, Hyundai announced a partnership with Uber Elevate to develop air taxis and released its concept for an eVTOL, the all-electric S-A1 PAV that will cruise at 180 mph at 1,000 to 2,000 feet with a range of up to 60 miles. The S-A1 is to have distributed electric propulsion, powering multiple rotors and propellers around the airframe.
According to Hyundai, its urban air mobility partnership with Uber will be advanced in tandem with wider plans for more environmentally sustainable transportation. The company has plans to develop a network of so-called Hub "mobility connection points" where travelers would transfer between electric aircraft and "Purpose Built Vehicles" for ground transportation.
The design for the four-passenger S-A1 unveiled at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas featured four sets of rotors for vertical lift and four propellers for cruise flight. Initially, the aircraft would have a pilot onboard but Hyundai envisages autonomous operations eventually.
According to Hyundai, the batteries for the S-A1 will only take between five- and seven minutes to recharge but the company has provided no further information on the vehicle's propulsion system. At the time of the announcement, Uber indicated that it expects the Hyundai eVTOL to be ready to enter service in 2028.
In early September 2020, Hyundai started posting around 50 new vacancies in its urban air mobility division to fill various engineering positions at its facilities in California. The company is also recruiting a corporate communications manager, which may lead to greater visibility for its eVTOL program.
“It is exciting to see automotive manufacturers enter the advanced air mobility sector of the aviation industry. The innovative technologies that are coming out of this rapidly growing sector are propelling general and business aviation into the future,” said GAMA president and CEO Pete Bunce.

Hyundai Joins General Aviation Manufacturers Association

Hyundai Motor Company and Uber are working together to develop a new electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft to be used for rideshare air-taxi service. The announcement was made on the eve of this year’s Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas last month, making the South Korean automotive group the eighth prospective eVTOL aircraft manufacturer selected by Uber to support its planned Uber Air rideshare service.
At CES, Hyundai displayed a scale model of a “personal air vehicle” designated the S-A1. The all-electric aircraft is projected to offer a range of 60 miles, speeds of up to 180 mph, and a cruising altitude of between 1,000 and 2,000 feet.
Hyundai has yet to announce a timeline for certifying the new aircraft and it is unclear when it expects to fly a full-scale prototype. Uber has said it wants to start flight demonstrations this year with aircraft produced by its partners and be ready to start commercial air-taxi service in 2023.
The eVTOL, which features four sets of rotors for vertical lift and four propellers for cruise flight, will seat four passengers. It will initially have a pilot on board, but the plan is for the S-A1 eventually to be flown autonomously. According to Hyundai, the aircraft’s batteries will need between five and seven minutes to recharge.
Uber said Hyundai will be able to produce aircraft on a far greater and more cost-effective scale than its other partners. These include experienced aerospace companies such as Boeing (through its Aurora Flight Sciences subsidiary), Embraer, Bell, and Pipistrel Aircraft, as well as three startups: Karem Aircraft, Joby Aviation, and Jaunt Air Mobility.
“Hyundai is our first vehicle partner with experience of manufacturing passenger cars on a global scale,” said Uber Elevate head Eric Allison. “We believe Hyundai has the potential to build Uber Air vehicles at rates unseen in the current aerospace industry, producing high-quality, reliable aircraft at high volumes to drive down passenger costs per trip. Combining Hyundai’s manufacturing muscle with Uber’s technology platform represents a giant leap forward for launching a vibrant air-taxi network in the coming years.”
Jaiwon Shin, the recently appointed executive vice president and head of Hyundai’s urban air mobility division, said its aircraft will “transform the concept of urban transportation.” However, Hyundai has not outlined how many engineers it has working on the new program and what experience they have in developing aircraft.
At CES, Hyundai also unveiled its Purpose Built Vehicle (PBV), which it bills as an “eco-friendly” ground-based mobility solution, and the Hub, which it said will be used for transfers between the PBV and the new Hyundai eVTOL. The company did not announce a development timeline or specifications for either the PBV or Hub.

Production Manager

Martha Jercinovich

Hyundai and Uber Announce eVTOL Air-taxi Partnership

Hyundai Motor Group plans to have a "flying car" ready to start commercial air taxi services in 2029. The South Korean automaker's strategic move into aviation is part of a wider $52 billion investment in electric vehicle and disruptive mobility technology.&nbsp;
Giving the keynote address at the Mobility Innovators Forum in San Francisco on November 9, executive vice chairman Chung Euisun announced&nbsp;the South Korean company's intentions and said that it will have an aircraft flying by 2023. He&nbsp;indicated that it is looking to partner with existing aviation companies, including new start-ups in the urban air mobility (UAM) sector.
As yet, Hyundai has not provided any projected performance details or specifications for the aircraft. In October, it announced the appointment of Dr. Jaiwon Shu as executive vice president of the group's new UAM division.&nbsp;&nbsp;He was previously head of NASA's Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate.&nbsp;
Earlier in 2019&nbsp;Hyundai set up the Human-Centered City Advisory Group to bring together engineers, urban planners, and psychologists to prepare plans for future city infrastructure. It was expected to publish a blueprint before the end of 2019. The company also has been conducting its own 2050 Future City Project, which focuses on future transportation needs and concepts.
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