[CES2020] Unveiled Personal Flying Vehicle... Hyundai Motor Opens Skyway with Uber

PAV Commercialization Targeted for 2028
UAM's First Strategic Partnership
Jung Eui-sun "Overcoming Mobility Limits"

Hyundai Motor-Uber Sign Cooperation Agreement in UAM Sector (Photo by Hyundai Motor)

[Las Vegas (USA) = Asia Economy Reporter Kim Ji-hee] Hyundai Motor Company and Uber have joined hands in the urban air mobility (UAM) business sector based on personal aerial vehicles (PAVs), aiming for commercialization in 2028.

At 'CES 2020' held in Las Vegas, USA, they also unveiled a full-scale PAV concept. With this, Hyundai became the first global automobile company to establish a strategic partnership with Uber in the UAM field.

On the 7th (local time), Chung Eui-sun, Executive Vice Chairman of Hyundai Motor Group, and Dara Khosrowshahi, CEO of Uber, signed a 'Cooperation Agreement for UAM Business Promotion' at Hyundai's exhibition hall at CES 2020. The signing ceremony gained additional significance as it was held in front of the full-scale Hyundai PAV concept 'S-A1' jointly developed by both companies.

Executive Vice Chairman Chung said, "Based on cooperation with Uber, we will actively promote the development of new technologies and businesses that enable free human mobility," adding, "We will continuously innovate to redefine the limits of people's movement and become a company that offers more valuable time through that."

Hyundai Motor PAV Concept S-A1 / Photo by Jihee Kim

CEO Khosrowshahi said, "Hyundai's large-scale manufacturing capabilities will bring significant progress to Uber Elevate," and added, "If Hyundai's automotive industry experience leads to the air taxi business, Uber's platform aimed at the sky will accelerate further, enabling affordable and seamless transportation services in cities worldwide."

The S-A1 unveiled by Hyundai was completed through Uber's air taxi development process. Uber has opened its air taxi development process, established through joint research with NASA and others, to the public to help guide the development direction of global PAV manufacturers.

Hyundai plans to collaborate with Uber Elevate, Uber's air taxi business promotion organization. Through this partnership, Hyundai will develop PAVs, and Uber aims to provide urban air mobility services to customers by utilizing its aerial ride-sharing network. Both companies also agreed to cooperate in developing concepts for PAV takeoff and landing sites.

The PAV S-A1 introduced by Hyundai has a wingspan of 15 meters and a length of 10.7 meters. It can accommodate a total of five people including the pilot and is equipped with electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) capabilities that allow flight without a runway. It features eight propellers and can fly up to approximately 100 km. Its maximum flight speed is 290 km/h. Once the automatic flight technology stabilizes on its trajectory, it is planned to be developed to enable autonomous flight thereafter.

CES2020 Hyundai Motor Exhibition Hall View (Photo by Hyundai Motor)

Starting with this concept, Hyundai plans to expand cooperation with Uber to develop world-class PAVs and integrate them with UAM services to broaden the business base. At a media event held the previous day, Hyundai unveiled a human-centered future mobility vision based on close connectivity between UAM, purpose-built vehicles (PBV), and mobility transfer hubs. At the event, Executive Vice Chairman Chung said, "(The commercialization timeline for UAM) is expected to be around 2028," adding, "Since regulatory issues must be addressed together, we will continue discussions with the government and plan to commercialize not only overseas but also domestically."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.