Hyundai's Supernal plans to build flying taxi plant in US

Hyundai Motor Group plans to build a flying electric taxi plant in the US as the South Korean automotive group aims to bring flying cars to the market by 2028, Bloomberg News reported on Tuesday.

It was the first time the carmaker has unveiled a facility construction plan for its electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft. However, it did not provide details about its location and investment size.

Last month, Hyundai Motor Group, including Kia Corp., showcased the concept model of the eVTOL craft at Seoul ADEX 2023. It is under development by its urban air mobility (UAM) unit Supernal LLC.

In January next year, Supernal will unveil its prototype at CES 2024 in Las Vegas, Shin Jai-won, president of Hyundai Motor Group and chief executive of Supernal, said during an interview with Bloomberg.

It aims to test-fly the eVTOL taxi in December 2024.

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Its commercial launch will take about four years after the test flight, in consideration of the progress in battery technology development and infrastructure, amid the lack of regulations to govern flying cars, Shin was quoted as saying.

The battery mounted on an eVTOL craft flying at an altitude of 500 meters or below accounts for up to 40% of the weight of the aircraft. So developing lightweight batteries capable of stable flight for long periods is the key to its commercialization.

Supernal’s eVTOL taxi will be capable of flying at 190 kilometers an hour and accommodate one pilot and four passengers.

It will submit an application to the US Federal Aviation Administration in the coming months to get the eVTOL certified, according to the report.

In the US, Hyundai has a factory in Alabama, while its sister company Kia Corp. operates a plant in Georgia.

Write to Sungsu Bae at baebae@hankyung.com
 

Yeonhee Kim edited this article.