Embraer subsidiary adds to orderbook.
Jens Flottau
Credit: Embraer
Embraer’s Eve Air Mobility subsididiary signed further letters of intent at the Singapore Airshow for up to 90 electric vertical-takeoff-and-landing aircraft with two major Australian helicopter operators. It also agreed to prepare a concept for operations in Tokyo with several Japanese partners, including the Japan Civil Aviation Bureau.
Among the two agreements is a deal for 50 of the aircraft with HeliSpirit, a large helicopter operator in Western Australia. It offers a mix of tourism, charter and regular public transport services in that state, the Northern Territory and South Australia. Microflite Helicopter Services, based in Melbourne, signed a letter of intent for up to 40 aircraft.
Eve is developing an initially four-seat electric vertical-takeoff-and-landing (eVTOL) aircraft that is planned to be certified in 2025 and should enter service in 2026. The aircraft’s range of up to 100 km (62 mi.) is supposed to enable it to operate in large metropolitan areas, with helicopter replacement seen as a big part of its market potential. Eve claims the vehicle’s operating costs will be one-sixth that of a typical helicopter on a similar mission.
Eve Co-CEO Andre Stein sees a potential for more than 200 eVTOLs operating in Singapore from more than 30 vertiports, with around 3,000 flights per day. The market includes shuttles from Changi Airport to the city center. Trips across the island that typically take 1 hr. by car could be done in little more than 10 min. using the aircraft.
Eve recently completed a trial in Rio de Janeiro that was to replicate operations of typical missions in a major metropolitan area. Around 200 flights were performed using a conventional helicopter, but on a new route that would be used by eVTOLs and flown at the speeds to be expected. The flights went from the Barra de Tijuca area to Galeao International Airport, simulating typical shuttles to an international hub—but directly to the tarmac, rather than to the front of the airport, to cut back on travel times. Sao Paolo is seen as one of the biggest markets for eVTOLs, given the large role helicopters already play in the commuter market.
But Stein says Tokyo, too, “is well positioned as one of the early adopters” of the model. He estimates that over a 1,000 eVTOLs could operate there, thus the study for the Japan Civil Aviation Bureau. The work includes future vertiport operator Skyports, Kanematsu Corp. and Japan Airlines. Kanematsu is a large group based in Tokyo that already has an aerospace division handling aircraft, helicopters and components on behalf of Japanese government agencies. The company says it wants to expand its aerospace offerings.
Eve has letters of intent for over 1,700 eVTOLs.
