Hyundai’s (OTC US:HYMTF) air taxi company, Supernal, has signed a formal agreement with Miami, Florida, intended to pave the way for air taxi operations as soon as 2028.
The memorandum of understanding (MOU) creates a framework for industry and community stakeholders to collaborate on policies that would foster an air taxi service.
Artist’s renderings of Supernal’s concept electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) air taxi show what appears to be a tilt-rotor propulsion design. The company intends to develop a test article and earn all necessary regulatory approvals and certifications in time for it to enter service within six years.
Supernal’s concept eVTOL would seat four to five passengers with a mission to fly short, intra-city hops, taking off and landing from specialized vertiports.
Jumping into the advanced air mobility (AAM) game in 2021, Supernal is one of dozens of eVTOL developers looking to build zero-emissions, low-noise air taxis for short hops over traffic-clogged cities.
Like many of its competitors, Supernal plans to manufacture air taxis as well as operate an app-based rideshare service—a vertical business model that experts say requires huge amounts of capital.
The company has said it wants to create a “seamless, end-to-end passenger experience” with “access to traditionally underserved and remote locations.”
Supernal’s eVTOL competitor Joby Aviation (NYSE: JOBY) has said it also intends to establish operations in Miami, once its air taxi is developed. Another eVTOL rival currently developing an air taxi, Archer Aviation (NYSE: ACHR), has committed to launching there in 2024.
