SUPERNAL: REVOLUTIONIZING TRAVEL WITH AAM SOLUTIONS
Supernal is the advanced air mobility arm of Hyundai Motor Group, building eVTOL aircraft and the supporting vertiport infrastructure to create a commercially viable urban air taxi network. Targeting service launch in 2028, Supernal's SA-1 concept vehicle is designed to carry four passengers plus a pilot at up to 180 mph (290 km/h) over routes of up to 60 miles (97 km), covering distances that take 45 minutes by road in under 15 minutes by air.
The SA-1 eVTOL: How Does It Work?
The SA-1 concept uses a distributed electric propulsion layout with four tiltrotor propellers for combined forward and vertical lift, and four sets of co-axial stacked propellers dedicated to vertical flight only. This configuration provides multiple redundant lift paths, reducing any single point of failure and meeting the stringent safety standards of commercial aviation, a benchmark Supernal has set as its minimum threshold.
When fully autonomous technology matures, the SA-1 is designed to operate without a pilot, further reducing operational costs and potentially lowering ticket prices to levels comparable with ground-based ride-hailing. Recharge time between flights is projected at 5 to 7 minutes. Further information is on the official Supernal website.
Route Economics and Vertiport Integration
Supernal has modelled specific urban routes to demonstrate the time savings possible with AAM: 24 minutes for the 24.1-mile Anaheim to downtown Los Angeles route, versus 45 minutes or more by road, and 14 minutes between Heathrow Airport and central London, a journey that typically takes at least 45 minutes by rail or road.
To make these services seamless, Supernal is developing vertiports, dedicated passenger hubs where eVTOL aircraft land, recharge, and board passengers. Supernal's strategy integrates these vertiports with existing transit networks, linking them to ground-level autonomous vehicles that complete the final-mile journey to the passenger's destination. Hyundai's newsroom coverage of Supernal's CES 2024 debut provides additional context on the full mobility ecosystem vision.
The Hyundai Motor Group Ecosystem Behind Supernal
Supernal benefits from the full manufacturing and R&D capabilities of HMG, the Hyundai Motor Group corporate network. The HMG Engine brings together vehicle production, aftermarket logistics, infrastructure development, autonomous vehicle research, hydrogen fuel cell technology, and advanced robotics, all contributing to Supernal's aircraft programme. This breadth of in-house resources gives Supernal significant advantages over standalone eVTOL startups when it comes to manufacturing scale, supply chain depth, and regulatory credibility.
Photo: Supernal
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