Electric air transport will take off with air taxis and cargo transport | Wilnesh News

SINGAPORE – Among the defense jets, airliners and high-tech aviation equipment on display at the Singapore Air Show are electric air transport vehicles, heralded as the future of urban transportation.

Electric Vertical Takeoff and Landing Vehicles (eVTOL) can take off and land vertically and can be used as air taxis, cargo transport, medical and emergency response transport, and personal vehicles.

CNBC interviewed three well-known people who support eVTOL at the air show-Supernal, a subsidiary of Hyundai Motor Group; boeing companySupported Wisk and embraerWith Eve Air Mobility, the company seeks to commercialize its vehicles by the end of this decade.

They highlighted air taxi services for short urban journeys as one of the first potential uses for electric VTOL aircraft.

“So it’s going to be another way to travel, rather than just going from the airport to the city center and then you’re stuck in the car for two hours…well, they’re going to have a fully electric alternative,” Johann Bordais Eve Air Mobility CEO told CNBC.

Eve is currently testing an air taxi prototype and aims to have its concept in service by 2026.

“We can use similar infrastructure that helicopter operators currently have,” Supernal CEO Jaiwon Shin told CNBC, noting that while operations may start in urban areas, they will also gradually expand to routes serving satellite cities.

“We are open to all possible use cases because there is no existing market there,” Shin said.

Supernal’s S-A2 eVTOL prototype was launched earlier this year and is designed to carry four passengers and a pilot. It is planned to be launched on the market in 2028.

boeing companyThe acquired Wisk is currently developing its autonomous aircraft with capabilities similar to Supernal.

Lilium, a German eVTOL developer backed by Tencent, announced the launch of a customer service organization Provide battery management, maintenance and flight support services for the electric vertical take-off and landing industry.

“We want to build and advance the transport network in Brisbane and surrounding cities ahead of the Olympics. So that’s really exciting,” McGowan said. Brisbane to host 2032 Olympics.

MacGowan said Wisk is also working with Japan Airlines Develop business in Japan and other countries in Asia – a region considered by the industry to be a high-potential market.

Supernal’s Shin said the company will also consider expanding into South Korea with the backing of auto giant Hyundai Motor Group.

South Korea’s largest airline Korean Air signs agreement with Supernal In October, the construction and development of infrastructure required for urban air commuting and the commercialization of Supernal’s eVTOL vehicles in South Korea.

Shin noted that Incheon International Airport, South Korea’s main international airport, has also expressed interest in Supernal’s products.

“There are many supportive regulators in the region, including Japan, South Korea, India, Australia and New Zealand,” said Alan Lim, director of Alton Aviation Consultancy, who also warned Asia also faces challenges, he said, including developing an ecosystem to support widespread electric VTOL operations.

Supernal’s Shin said he expects the eVTOL market to become more like the automotive industry than “the commercial aviation industry where Boeing and Airbus pretty much dominate the global market.”

Alton Aviation’s Lim noted that given the variety of eVTOL designs and use cases, unlike in the commercial aviation space, no single form factor will dominate the market.

“As a result, we think the industry will be more similar to the automotive industry, where there will be many large and small eVTOL manufacturers coexisting, some of which may find niche areas and use cases for their vehicles.”

—CNBC’s Monica Pitrelli and Lin Lin contributed to this story.