Refined Version Of Hyundai-Backed eVTOL Makes Debut At CES Show

Hyundai Motor Group-backed Supernal chose the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas to introduce its four-passenger S-A2 air taxi yesterday (Jan. 9). A prototype of the electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) vehicle is expected to fly by year-end. Service entry is pegged at 2028.

The V-tail S-A2 uses eight tilting motors mounted forward and aft of the wing on four pylons. All eight rotors are used for vertical lift with the front motors turning upward and the rear, equipped with higher-aspect-ratio blades, turning downward. All the power units rotate to a horizontal position for cruise flight, expected to yield cruise speeds of 125 mph at 1,500 feet. Current battery capacity is said to enable practical flight segments of up to 40 miles, typical of many regular helicopter missions, according to Supernal. The noise footprint is expected to be 65 dB on takeoff and landing and 45 dB in cruise.

The predecessor to the S-A2, the S-A1, had four fixed rotors for vertical flight and four propellers for cruise flight. It was introduced at the 2020 edition of the CES show. Supernal Chief Technology Officer Ben Diachan said the new propulsion configuration is more efficient. “It makes for greater redundancy,” he said, “and increases the safety by having this nice symmetry.”

Supernal tapped designers from Hyundai’s automotive group to help design color schemes, materials, interior lighting and other aesthetics. The company also plans to leverage Hyundai’s mass manufacturing critical mass to make the S-A2 more cost-effective than rival eVTOLs.