The 120-MPH Flying Car is designed and built using bees

Electric Vertical Takeoff and Landing: Advanced Air Mobility, Air Taxis, and eVTOL in the U.S.: A No-Go Theorem

The last time an electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) prototype was displayed was in 2020, and the South Korean automaker was talking bullishly about adding it to its upcoming air taxi network.

Hyundai isn’t the only global company to see visions of small electric aircraft buzzing over cities. The air taxis are produced by the company that owns Jeep, Chrysler, and Dodge. Boeing, Delta and United airlines are also invested in the technology.

Supernal’s final product concept of its eVTOL, the S-A2, is an all-electric, pilot-plus-four-passenger vehicle designed to supposedly offer safe, efficient, and, yes, affordable everyday passenger air travel.

The company says its aircraft will “operate as quietly as a dishwasher,” emitting 65 decibels in vertical takeoff and landing phases and 45dB while cruising horizontally. The average helicopter puts out between 96 and 105db. Next to eliminating pollution, noise reduction is the most common argument in favor of electric aircraft.

Supernal is one of a handful of companies that wants to replace noisy, polluting helicopters and regional aircraft with all-electric, multi-rotor vehicles designed for short hops between nearby airports or quick trips from an urban downtown to a local airport.

They now call themselves eVTOL, advanced air mobility, and air taxis because they have rallied around new names since they slowly plod through endless testing procedures.

The spinoff could be able to get off the ground with the help of the mass production capability of the parent company. But the company won’t have any special advantages when it comes to regulatory approval, which promises to be long and difficult.

Under FAA rules, aviation companies need to receive three types of certification before launching a commercial service in the US: type certification means the aircraft meets all of the FAA’s design and safety standards; production certification is the approval to begin manufacturing the aircraft; and air carrier certification means the company can officially conduct commercial air taxi services.

The Supernal S-A2: A Remarkable Flying Car at CES1924, Revealed by W-WIRED

The ability to upgrade to lighter cells when the technology gets better is something Supernal is putting a lot of focus on. The power-to-weight ratio is one of the main challenges with electric flight. More weight is created by batteries that need more power to compensate. Supernal and others focus on short flights and regional hops.

Supernal isn’t too intimidated by technological challenges and it can’t picture a cozy interior with fine leather upholstery. The design is clean and minimal, with lighting meant to give the impression of being in a larger space.

While this CES has been a more subdued affair in the on-road electric vehicle space—with Ford, General Motors, Toyota, and Stellantis all not exhibiting at the show—2024 seems to be a year of companies once again trying their darnedest to make flying cars happen.

At entry into service the S-A2 will operate as quietly as a dishwasher: 65 decibels in vertical takeoff and landing phases and 45 decibels in cruising.

The design of the SA-2 is striking, and with reason. Luc Donckerwolke, the president, chief design officer, and chief creative officer of Hyundai Motor Group, gave WIRED a tour of the interior. (The brand hosted WIRED at its media event at CES and paid for a portion of our reporter’s travel expense.) On the tour, Donckerwolke revealed that the placing of the glazing on the fuselage was modeled on specific biological entities: insects.