Flying Taxi

 

Hyundai – Flying taxi

At the Consumer Electronics Show, Hyundai demonstrated its sky-high ambitions in the literal sense of the word as it unveiled a flying taxi.

Designed by his company Supernal on the basis of just that, the electric aircraft will be able to soar up to 500 meters and with a predicted speed of up to 200 kilometers per hour travel between 40 and 64 kilometers.

The Koreans emphasized that they were guided by the idea of ​​combining the automotive world we live in with the future mobility that, according to them, will become a reality already in 2028. The air taxi is designed for use in cities, so care has been taken to be quite quiet and able to take off and land vertically.

And it’s certainly throwing resources at the project to get there — although Hyundai has never disclosed its exact investment. Supernal has grown to a 600-person team and is also using technical and business capabilities of Hyundai Motor Group and aviation suppliers around the world as it works toward a commercial launch, according to Jaiwon Shin, Hyundai Motor Group president and CEO of Supernal.

There is still quite a bit of work to be done before that can happen, Supernal CTO Ben Diachun noted on the sidelines of the event.

The S-A2 will have to go through a lengthy Type 1 certification process with the Federal Aviation Administration before it can fly commercially. The company will begin testing this year in California its so-called technology demonstrator vehicles, Diachun said. Supernal will also submit this year its application to the FAA. In 2025, Supernal will submit to the FAA its proposal for means of compliance, he added.

The nuts and bolts

The aircraft shown Tuesday is a V-tail with a distributed electric propulsion architecture and eight all-tilting rotors. The S-A2 is loaded with the kind of redundant components like the powertrain, flight controls and avionics — all of the safety critical systems required for commercial aviation.

The aircraft is designed to cruise 120 miles-per-hour at a 1,500-foot altitude. This is meant to be for suburban into inner city travel, with trips falling between 25 and 40 miles, initially.

Diachun said onstage that the aircraft would operate at about 65 decibels as it takes off and lands and 45 decibels while cruising, about the same as a dishwasher, he claimed.

The company’s designers and engineers also made the interior modular, including the ability to replace the battery as technology improves.