Eve Air Mobility, the electric aircraft subsidiary of Brazilian aerospace company Embraer, said Friday it completed the first flight of its full-scale electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) prototype. The uncrewed hover test took place at Embraer’s facility in Gavião Peixoto, São Paulo state, and marked the beginning of a broader flight test campaign aimed at certifying the aircraft for urban air transport.
According to Eve, the initial test confirmed the integration of several core systems, including its fifth-generation fly-by-wire controls and fixed-pitch lifter rotors. The company said the prototype’s performance aligned with pre-flight modeling and that future tests would gradually expand the flight envelope to include wingborne operations.
“We exercised our control laws, verified the integration of the eight lifters and assessed energy management, the aircraft’s dynamic response and noise footprint,” said Luiz Valentini, Eve’s chief technology officer.
Eve plans to manufacture six conforming prototypes as part of its certification campaign. The aircraft is being developed in coordination with Brazil’s civil aviation regulator, ANAC, with validation also planned by other authorities, including the FAA and EASA. Type certification, first deliveries, and entry into service are projected for 2027, a timeline that ANAC has described as realistic. Founded in 2020 as a spinoff supported by Embraer, Eve is also backed by investors including United Airlines, BAE Systems, Thales, Acciona, Nidec, and Brazil’s state development bank BNDES.
