The Future of Advanced Air Mobility

South Korea's Hyundai unveiled its S-A1 eVTOL program on January 7, 2020, at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. At the same time, rideshare group Uber announced that the car manufacturer is now a partner in its plans to launch an air-taxi network called Uber Air.

Hyundai's engineering team aims to have a full-scale prototype ready to start test flights in 2023, with the company targeting type certification in 2028. The four-seat aircraft will initially be piloted, but might subsequently fly autonomously, at which point passenger capacity could increase to six. The all-electric S-A1 is expected to be able to fly up to around 60 miles (100 km) at speeds of up to 180 mph (290 km/h) while cruising at between 1,000 and 2,000 feet. A key design goal, as per Uber's specifications, is for the aircraft to be able to be fully recharged within five to seven minutes.

Hyundai somewhat confusingly refers to the S-A1 as a "personal air vehicle" even though it is evidently intended for air taxi operations carrying four passengers. The company's strategy calls for the aircraft to be part of a wider mobility "ecosystem" that would also include new S-Link Purpose Built Vehicles to carry passengers to and from flights that would operate from so-called S-Hub and S-Hub Skyport facilities.

In April, Hyundai announced the appointment of Scott Drennan as executive vice president of the division, having recruited him from helicopter maker Bell, where he was involved in the Nexus eVTOL program. However, this month Drennan announced via his LinkedIn profile that he had left the company to launch his own engineering company called Drennan Innovation. Chief operating officer Pamela Cohn now heads the new division.

In July Hyundai announced its partnership with Urban-Air Port to explore “multifunctional and scalable” infrastructure to support the use of UAMs. The Korean automotive company further revealed its plans to invest $1.5B in the urban air mobility sector over the next five years.

In September, Hyundai also announced a partnership with Incheon International Airport Corp, located in Korean capital Seoul, to work together on test flights.

In October 2020, Hyundai broke ground on a new Innovation Center in Singapore in a further sign of its long-term commitment to developing mobility technology. The group's Urban Air Mobility Division appears to be largely based in the U.S. where a management team still appears to be at a formative stage. The Korean carmaker still intends for its first eVTOL aircraft to enter service in 2028, as Hyundai COO and Hyundai North America CEO José Muñoz reaffirmed, "this project is progressing as planned."

In November 2021, Hyundai renamed its urban air mobility division Supernal, confirming plans to bring the first of a family of eVTOL vehicles to market in 2028.

On March 1, 2022, Supernal became the next in a series of eVTOL programs to confirm future operatations in Miami. Through a memorandum of understanding with city officials, Supernal is now able to work on plans to introduce air taxi operations and other advanced air mobility (AAM) services in the city.

In July 2022, Supernal announced a partnership with Electric Power Systems to accelerate the development of battery technologies in order to make eVTOL air taxi services more affordable.

Timeline

Projected

first delivery

Entry into services of Supernal SA-1 eVTOL
Projected

type certification applied

Supernal to apply for FAA type certification for the SA-1 eVTOL

Outlook

Our objective assessment of this program’s probable success.

FutureFlight assesses the probability of success for a new aircraft program by considering the following criteria:

  • Total investment funds available in proportion to the anticipated cost of getting an aircraft certified and in service
  • A company’s in-house capability (in terms of numbers of engineers, technical staff, and customer support teams)
  • The past experience of the company and its senior leadership in developing aircraft
  • The caliber and past experience of key program partners
  • Whether key aircraft systems have been selected and are available for use
  • Whether the preliminary design review has been completed
  • Whether the design for the full-scale prototype has been completed
  • Whether the type certification process has been formally initiated with an appropriate regulator
  • Whether the company has achieved a first flight with a full-scale prototype
  • The number of hours logged in a flight test program
  • Whether type certification has been achieved
  • The number of orders and commitment received for the aircraft
  • Whether the company has adequate facilities to begin series production of the aircraft
Our Methodology

Hyundai has committed $1 .5 billion to the S-A1 program, as part of a much larger $52 billion bet on electric vehicles and "disruptive mobility technology." The company has no direct experience of aerospace technology but is in the process of significantly ramping up its engineering capability. According to Uber, the automobile manufacturer's long experience in lean manufacturing will allow it to build the planned eVTOL aircraft at a significantly lower cost than most rivals. 

However, as of January 2020, it had yet to define the design for the S-A1's propulsion system and it clearly has a lot of work to do to complete the design and build a full-scale prototype by 2023.

In October 2020, in a further sign of its long-term commitment to developing new mobility technology, Hyundai broke ground on a new Innovation Center in Singapore. Its Urban Air Mobility Division appears to be largely based in the U.S., where the new management team is still taking shape. Pamela Cohn recently assumed the position of chief operating officer, having joined the company in January as the lead for global strategy and operations. In April, Hyundai appointed Scott Drennan as executive vice president, having recruited him from helicopter maker Bell, where he was involved in the Nexus eVTOL program. However, in October Drennan announced via his LinkedIn profile that he had left the company to launch his own engineering company called Drennan Innovation. Cohn reports to Jaiwon Shin, who heads the new division.

Hyundai clearly has the financial strength to pursue its ambitions in air mobility. Its ambitious plans in air mobility will be an interesting test case for how an automotive group can leverage its engineering prowess in the field of aviation. That said, with rival eVTOL developers now being far more transparent about their plans and progress in meeting started timelines, it is hard to objectively assess whether Hyundai is keeping pace. 

The rebranding of Hyundai's urban air mobility division as Supernal provides some affirmation about the group's commitment to the sector. However, the November 2021 announcement provided few new details about progress with its plans. The timeline for the start of flight testing for the SA-1 eVTOL appears to have slipped from 2023 to 2024. During the course of 2022, the company appears to have been busy lining up partnerships to support its efforts to progress this well-funded program.

Investors

Total Amount Invested: $1.5b

Key Personnel

Jaiwon Shin
Jaiwon Shin

Vice President (VP)

Pamela Cohn
Pamela Cohn

Chief operating officer

Jangho Park

Opener CEO Ben Diachun
Ben Diachun

Chief Technology Officer (CTO)