From CNET: The Hyundai Group, manufacturers of many of our favorite electric cars, has set its sights on becoming a leader in electric aircraft. At CES 2024, Hyundai's advanced air mobility wing Supernal pulled back the curtain on its new, second-generation S-A2, an electric vertical takeoff and landing, or eVTOL, air taxi. The Korean company announced that it'll take to the air as early as 2028.
Hyundai has been working on the eVTOL for a few years now. You may remember at CES 2020 it first debuted the Hyundai Urban Air Mobility SA-1 in partnership with Uber Air. At the time, first flights were estimated to begin around 2023. Today, Uber Air is no more, Hyundai Urban Air Mobility is now Supernal and its second-generation S-A2 has shifted the hyphen in its name and its expected launch window.
The battery powered aircraft features space for four passengers, their luggage and a pilot within its V-tail fuselage. Eight rotors provide thrust for the craft. In the vertical take-off mode, the forward four point up while the rear four angle down. Once in the air, the craft can transform, rotating all eight rotors to a horizontal orientation for more efficient fixed-wing flight.
The VTOL design means that it can take off from a helipad, making it ideal for operation in cities where it can launch from and land on rooftops. And because it's fully electric, the craft should be quieter than traditional helicopters, both inside and out. I'm told the S-A2 only gets up to 65 dB inside -- about as loud as a vacuum cleaner -- during takeoff and drops to 45 dB when cruising, so passengers shouldn't have to wear headsets to protect their hearing and talk to each other.
View: Full Article
