Suzuki, SkyDrive Venture Into eVTOL Production, Aiming to Revolutionize Air Travel

In a trailblazing move, Suzuki Motor Corp and SkyDrive Inc have announced a joint venture to produce electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft, often referred to as "flying cars." Starting in spring 2024, manufacturing will take place at a Suzuki Group factory in Japan, propelling the country to the forefront of this burgeoning technology.

Flying cars are aircraft designed for vertical take-off and landing using multiple rotors and are primarily meant for transporting a small number of passengers, with some models also equipped for use on land. SkyDrive revealed its plan to modify the design of its vehicle under development to accommodate three people instead of two at the Paris Airshow last year. The new design will increase the maximum flight range to roughly 15 kilometers, building on the current 10 km range.

The tie-up between SkyDrive and Suzuki was announced in March 2022, and in September, the automaker acquired an undisclosed stake in the company. Headquartered in Toyota, Japan, SkyDrive's key shareholders include Itochu, NEC, and a unit of Eneos Holdings.

Flying cars are one of the fastest-growing mobility segments, with companies such as Toyota and Japan Airlines entering the market via the development capabilities of start-ups. SkyDrive, founded by former Toyota engineers in 2018, aims to use its flying vehicles at the 2025 World Exposition in Osaka.

Through this strategic partnership, Suzuki and SkyDrive will take us one step closer to realizing the dream of flying cars and transforming the world of transportation.

Meanwhile, at the Paris Airshow, Eve, a maker of electric aircraft controlled by Brazil's Embraer, announced new deals that could make their "flying car" a reality. Letters of intent were signed for potential sales to Voar Aviation, Nordic Aviation, and Wideroe Zero. These agreements could result in 70 electric vertical take-off and landing vehicles (eVTOLs) being purchased by Voar, 30 by Nordic, and another 50 by Wideroe.

Eve, with a backlog of some 2,800 orders to fill before production, has already completed wind tunnel testing for this futuristic vehicle and looks forward to starting commercial operations in 2026.

According to their newly announced deals, Voar would operate the eVTOLs in Brazil's main metropolitan areas and popular tourist destinations such as Sao Paulo or Florianopolis. Meanwhile, Nordic will procure 15 firm orders plus 15 optional eVTOLs leased to fleet operators, and Wideroe will look to launch "flying car" operations in Scandinavia.

It's worth noting that Wideroe Zero's parent Wideroe is currently an Embraer customer for conventional jets, with three E190-E2 aircraft in its fleet. Its low-carbon unit envisions all domestic short-haul flights to be electric, aligning with Norway's goal of achieving carbon-neutral aviation by 2040. These new deals will have a monumental impact as Eve continues to lead the race for the next breakthrough in aviation technology.

Photo: Eugene Chystiakov/Unsplash