Planning to Build a Platform for UAM
Hyundai Motor Co. is planning to create a platform dedicated to urban air mobility (UAM) and introduce passenger and cargo air vehicles in 2028, the company’s official in charge of UAM development said on Oct. 20.
Lee Joong-hyun, head of Hyundai Motor's UAM development team, disclosed the plan during a presentation at Seoul ADEX 2021, which opened on Oct. 19 at Seoul Airport.
Hyundai Motor plans to develop a UAM-only platform like "E-GMP," a dedicated electric vehicle platform, and use it to produce various air vehicles. It plans to produce multipurpose air vehicles, such as passenger, cargo and medical vehicles, as a key axis of its vision for a future city.
Hyundai Motor's UAM vehicles will have eight rotors and carry four to five passengers. Their maximum flight distance is about 100km. They can fly as fast as 290km/h at an altitude of about 600 meters. They will feature an improved high-speed charging system, which charges the air vehicles for re-flight during the five minutes required for passengers to get on and off.
Lee said safety and noise would be an important factor in popularizing UAM vehicles. He added his company would finish technical preparations before the liability legislation and insurance system are put in place. "The goal is to apply fully autonomous driving technology to first-generation UAM aircraft, but pilot intervention will be necessary before approval by the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) or the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA)."
Hyundai Motor's noise target for UAM vehicles is 60-70 decibels (dB). It believes that public accessibility to UAM vehicles will increase only when its noise is lowered to the level of noises in large cities.
The UAM market is expected to grow from US$320 billion in 2030 to US$1.5 trillion in 2040, said a report by Morgan Stanley, a U.S. investment bank.