Eve reveals first images of its under-construction flying car

Eve Air Mobility, a startup spun off Embraer’s innovation arm Embraer-X years ago, unveiled a teaser video of its first full-scale electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) vehicle “non-conforming prototype.” As we previously reported, Eve began building its flying car in the city of Taubaté, in the state of São Paulo, and plans to perform its first flight tests later this year in the city of Gavião Peixoto, 330 kilometers from the capital of São Paulo.

The company explains that Eve’s eVTOL aircraft utilizes eight dedicated propellers for vertical flight and fixed wings to fly on cruise, with no change in the position of these components during flight. Its latest concept includes an electric pusher powered by dual electric motors that provide propulsion redundancy with the goal of ensuring the highest levels of performance and safety. 

“We are making great progress on the assembly of our first eVTOL prototype, and we are on schedule to complete production and begin flying,” said Johann Bordais, CEO of Eve Air Mobility, in a press statement. The company expects to have everything it needs (data on ground and flight tests, as well as wind tunnel data) to get the first green light from regulators by the end of 2024. 

With Embraer’s decades of success producing new aircraft and working with Brazil’s civil aviation regulator Anac, Eve believes it could be the first to get such certification. The idea is to engage with Anac first, while also signing a bilateral agreement with the U.S. Federal Aviation Agency and obtaining a follow-on certification from regulators in the European Union.

So far, Eve has letters of intent for nearly 3,000 eVTOLs, and the aircraft is expected to enter into service in 2026.

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