eVTOL News on the Fly 

Japan’s SkyDrive Successfully Completes First Manned eVTOL Flight

Japan’s SkyDrive Corporation, a partner with auto manufacturer Toyota, successfully completed the first manned flight of its Cartivator eVTOL.

The Cartivator flew around a prescribed test bed for about four minutes as the pilot maneuvered at a height of up to two meters (about 6.5 feet).

CEO Tomohiro Fukuzawa said the company aims to debut the final product by 2023.

SkyDrive has received US$37MM in funding from companies such as Toyota, Panasonic, and video-game developer Bandai Namco.

Credit: Urban-Air Port

Hyundai Accelerates Its eVTOL UAM Initiative

South Korea’s Hyundai Air Mobility (a division of Hyundai Motor Group) announced a partnership with Urban-Air Port Ltd. to explore the development of multifunctional, scalable infrastructure to create an urban air mobility UAM transportation system to transport people and cargo.

Hyundai has pledged US$1.5Bn to build a flying car and create the ecosystem necessary for UAM operations.

“As part of Hyundai Motor Group, our Air Mobility division is intent on supporting the development of human-centered cities through innovation,” announced Dr. Jaiwon Shin, head of Hyundai Air Mobility.

A division of small (Six Miles Across London Limited), Urban-Air Port’s design plans call for a modular, flat-pack design that has a 60 percent smaller footprint than current heliport and vertiport designs. This would enable them to be quickly and less expensively installed in limited-space urban sites than many other buildings under consideration.

Dubbed “Air-One,” Hyundai Air Mobility and Urban-Air Port have inked deals with two UK cities, including Coventry in West Midlands, site of the upcoming 2021 Commonwealth Games.

Incheon International Airport Corporation (IIAC), Hyundai Engineering & Construction Co., and KT Corp are also part of the initiative aimed at beginning test flights as soon as possible.

Credit: SAMAD Aerospace Ltd.

eVTOL Innovation Village in the Works

Bedfordshire, UK-based SAMAD Aerospace Ltd. has unveiled its plans for the world’s first eVTOL Aviation Innovation Village.

A video prepared by SAMAD Aerospace outlines plans for a 1,000 hectare (about 2,700 acres) facility that will connect professionals working in eVTOL research and technology.

The village is designed to accommodate 30,000 families living in 5,500 flats (apartments) and facilities will include an airport, industrial assembly plan, innovation hub, shopping malls, hospital, schools, food courts, cinema, library, museum, sports center, and green spaces.

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