Photo: Eve Air Mobility
The entire world is gearing up for electric air taxi operations. Eve Air Mobility is perhaps the most prominent eVTOL (electric vertical take-off and landing) manufacturer in Latin America. The spinoff of a reputable aircraft developer based in Brazil (Embraer), Eve, is currently hard at work, testing the components of its future air taxi.
Compared to other developers in the emerging AAM (advanced air mobility) sector, Eve has been very discrete when it comes to the specifications and development stages of its flagship product. It seems that we'll finally get to see a full-scale prototype by the end of this year. The Brazilian company announced that it would soon start to assemble it following successful propeller tests.
Eve has already reached a milestone with the completion of extensive tests on its propeller rig. The feedback data will be used mainly for reducing the sound footprint and enhancing aerodynamic performance.
For the next testing phase, Eve uses a custom-made, mobile testbed specifically created for testing the vertical lift rotors. The rotors are placed on this truck-mounted platform and tested during the transition flight phase. For eVTOLs, this is a crucial phase when they switch from vertical flight to cruising like fixed-wing aircraft.
Tests such as this one, together with wind tunnel testing, are essential for refining the digitally-based development process. The Brazilian company hopes to kick off its first flight test campaign with the full-scale prototype next year. If things go well, it should be ready to launch commercial services by 2026.
In the meantime, Eve is also working on selecting the best industry partners for equipment supply. Last year, it launched a collaboration with the reputable Thales. The aviation technology specialist will help develop the future air taxi's flight control system, electrical system, plus navigation and communication features.
At the end of 2022, the Brazilian manufacturer had already secured orders for nearly 3,000 units of its future eVTOL from customers worldwide. It also revealed a full-scale cabin mockup of its air vehicle for the first time at the Farnborough International Airshow in the UK.
At the same time, Eve is focusing on the overall AAM ecosystem. As a new type of aircraft, eVTOLs also require significant changes related to infrastructure and air traffic management.
The Brazilian company is one of the few eVTOL manufacturers that have also developed a dedicated urban air traffic management tool. This Urban ATM system is basically a software tool that will help electric air taxis integrate smoothly into general air traffic.
Once again, Eve benefitted from the expertise of its parent company, Embraer. It developed this platform together with Atech, which is Embraer's branch for air traffic control technology and system integration. Being backed by a significant player in the aviation industry is one of Eve's major advantages compared to other eVTOL startups.
Eve has already reached a milestone with the completion of extensive tests on its propeller rig. The feedback data will be used mainly for reducing the sound footprint and enhancing aerodynamic performance.
For the next testing phase, Eve uses a custom-made, mobile testbed specifically created for testing the vertical lift rotors. The rotors are placed on this truck-mounted platform and tested during the transition flight phase. For eVTOLs, this is a crucial phase when they switch from vertical flight to cruising like fixed-wing aircraft.
Tests such as this one, together with wind tunnel testing, are essential for refining the digitally-based development process. The Brazilian company hopes to kick off its first flight test campaign with the full-scale prototype next year. If things go well, it should be ready to launch commercial services by 2026.
In the meantime, Eve is also working on selecting the best industry partners for equipment supply. Last year, it launched a collaboration with the reputable Thales. The aviation technology specialist will help develop the future air taxi's flight control system, electrical system, plus navigation and communication features.
At the end of 2022, the Brazilian manufacturer had already secured orders for nearly 3,000 units of its future eVTOL from customers worldwide. It also revealed a full-scale cabin mockup of its air vehicle for the first time at the Farnborough International Airshow in the UK.
At the same time, Eve is focusing on the overall AAM ecosystem. As a new type of aircraft, eVTOLs also require significant changes related to infrastructure and air traffic management.
The Brazilian company is one of the few eVTOL manufacturers that have also developed a dedicated urban air traffic management tool. This Urban ATM system is basically a software tool that will help electric air taxis integrate smoothly into general air traffic.
Once again, Eve benefitted from the expertise of its parent company, Embraer. It developed this platform together with Atech, which is Embraer's branch for air traffic control technology and system integration. Being backed by a significant player in the aviation industry is one of Eve's major advantages compared to other eVTOL startups.
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