Hyundai: flying Ubers since 2028

Supernal is the name of the new branch of the Hyundai group that will focus on the airspace. The new CEO, Jaiwon Shin, says he wants to add a new dimension to mobility by launching autonomous, electric planes on the market. For example, with 4 to 5 people you should get to your destination about three times as fast.

Uber Flies

Hyundai announced a partnership with Uber last year to do this, which would provide connections to customers and vehicles on the ground and support in the event of problems. The car manufacturer itself would be involved in the development of the fully electric aircraft. Hyundai already showed a prototype, the S-A1, at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas in 2020. The S-A1 should eventually fly completely autonomously with a range of about 96 kilometers. The then proposed design could cruise between 300 and 600 meters high at speeds of up to 290 km/h.

The Hyundai group is not alone in these ambitions, by the way. The German Velocopter, for example, is supported by Geely and Mercedes-Benz, and Joby Aviation is working with Toyota on its interpretation of a flying taxi. Even our northern neighbors are developing their own copy, the PAL-V, and are already quite advanced in that regard. Supernal would like to plan its first flights around 2028.