Eve Air Mobility, Embraer’s subsidiary company for the production of electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft, will conduct the first simulation of operations in an urban air mobility (UAM) environment in the United States. The activity will take place in Chicago and will be the first of its kind in North America.
The company’s main objective is to study air activities, ground services, passenger journeys and the needs of operators of electric vertical take-off and landing aircraft, in order to advance the construction of faster and more accessible connections in the downtown areas of the city in Illinois.
Ground tests are scheduled to begin on 12 September. The first passenger flights will take place two days later. Over the next three weeks, the company’s team will operate morning and evening flights on weekdays.
Eve expects that, following the completion of the work, insights will be gained into the infrastructure and ecosystem necessary to enable the launch and sustain the expected long-term growth of this type of mobility in and around Chicago. Results can also be used to study potential applications in other urban centres.
The simulation
The ground tests will be carried out at Vertiport Chicago, an existing heliport that will allow analysis of the services and infrastructure necessary to meet the requirements of this incipient urban transport solution. Such terminals can also provide take-off and landing points for eVTOL aircraft with little or no modification to their original structure.
The first route will connect Vertiport Chicago with the Schaumburg Municipal Helistop heliport. The second will link Vertiport Chicago to Tinley Park Helistop, on the outskirts of the city.
“We are wrapping up preparations to execute these simulations seamlessly and look forward to helping prepare Chicago for a local zero-emission urban air mobility solution that is quiet, efficient and sustainable”, said André Stein, co-CEO of the company.
For this simulation, Eve formed a consortium of partners, including Blade, Republic Airways, Halo Aviation, Vertiport Chicago, Village of Tinley Park, Village of Schaumburg, ACCIONA, SkyWest and Speedbird Aero.
“Our proposal brings together all stakeholders and counts on different views and feedback to structure and deliver the best solutions”, said Luiz Mauad, the company’s Vice President of Services and Fleet Operations.
See also: Halo Aviation is the launch customer for Eve’s urban air traffic management solution
