Eve has signed an agreement to supply a vertiport automation solution for urban air mobility in collaboration with Volatus Infrastructure. (Photo: Eve)
Eve Air Mobility and Volatus Infrastructure have signed a Letter of Intent to supply a vertiport automation solution in support of traffic management for electric vertical take-off and landing, or eVTOL, aircraft. Volatus has designed infrastructure for eVTOLs, including a charging station, and its vertiports will incorporate Eve’s urban air traffic management software solution to make eVTOL operations more efficient. The software will be agnostic to enable integration of all users of the airspace.
Grant Fisk, co-founder of Volatus Infrastructure, remarked in the announcement by Eve that the solution will also increase safety and reliability. “It’s vitally important to get these systems up and running so that when the FAA approves the first eVTOL vehicle, we are ready to serve them,” he commented.
Andre Stein, Eve’s co-CEO, explained that the new software solution for urban air traffic management “will be specifically designed to support and maximize the capacity and efficiency of vertiports versus modifying existing software that was designed for other purposes.”
Eve, which is backed by Embraer, has developed a concept for an eVTOL aircraft tailored to the urban environment. Eve’s team has partnered with both Blade Air Mobility and FlyBlade India to conduct helicopter flights in order to further develop its understanding of urban air mobility. Eve conducted a simulation in downtown Chicago using Blade’s helicopters in September, during which it transported passengers around the city to understand the ecosystem requirements for eVTOLs.
The eVTOL designed by Eve features a conventional wing and tail. A full-sized mock-up of the vehicle’s cabin was first unveiled earlier this year. Eve is also collaborating with Halo Aviation, which will be its launch customer for the urban air mobility traffic management software solution.
“We have a strong team in FlyBIS working together with Eve’s outstanding workforce and second-to-none resources to develop and implement this project in the most financially efficient and sustainable way,” said FlyBIS Co-Founder and CEO Gustavo Zanettini (Photo: Eve)
The eVTOL developer revealed the signing of another Letter of Intent last week. FlyBIS Aviation Limited, a startup based in Brazil, will collaborate with Eve to develop eVTOL operations in South America. FlyBIS also plans to purchase up to 40 aircraft from Eve.
According to Eve’s Stein, the southern region of Brazil “has several high-traffic tourist areas that will benefit from eVTOL operations, reinforcing our commitment to fostering the urban air mobility market in different regions around the world.”