If Hyundai gets their wish, you could be riding an electric air taxi to your destination as early as 2028.
Hyundai’s Supernal eVTOL (electric Vertical Take-Off and Landing) air taxi represents a pretty significant step in the evolution of urban transportation.
As cities grow denser and traffic congestion worsens, the need for innovative transportation solutions becomes more pressing, and the company hopes that this step between cars and full air travel could fit the bill.
Supernal is the flying division of Hyundai, and its second generation S-A2 concept was unveiled at this year’s CES. With eight rotors and a sleek design, it definitely looks appropriately modern. Imagine being able to hopscotch the interstate traffic jams and cruise to your destination.
And while the S-A2 looks like an evolved helicopter, its all-electric powertrain promises a much quieter experience, operating at 45-65 dB, about the equivalent of a vacuum cleaner. Able to carry a pilot and four passengers, the S-A2 plans to fly at 1,500 feet elevation, at a cruising speed of 120 miles per hour.
An estimated 25-40 mile range is admittedly short, but the craft is meant for quick battery swapping, and has a modular design, allowing for the ability to slot in better battery technology when it becomes available. We imagine by the time true air service starts, technology could be quite a bit farther along than it is now.
Learn more from Supernal here, and stay tuned as their journey to true air taxi services begin in the next few years.
“The battery powered aircraft features space for four passengers, their luggage and a pilot within its V-tail fuselage. Eight rotors provide thrust for the craft. In the vertical take-off mode, the forward four point up while the rear four angle down. Once in the air, the craft can transform, rotating all eight rotors to a horizontal orientation for more efficient fixed-wing flight.”
