Supernal LLC – Hyundai Motor Group’s Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) company – unveiled S-A2, its electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) vehicle product concept at CES 2024. S-A2 builds on the vision concept S-A1, which it debuted at CES 2020. Supernal will achieve commercial aviation safety levels and enable affordable manufacturing of its vehicles as it prepares to enter the market in 2028.
S-A2 is a V-tail aircraft designed to cruise 120 miles-per-hour at a 1,500-foot altitude to meet typical city operation needs of 25- to 40-mile trips, initially. It features a distributed electric propulsion architecture and has eight all-tilting rotors. At entry into service, Supernal’s vehicle will operate as quietly as a dishwasher: 65 dB in vertical take-off and landing phases and 45 dB while cruising horizontally.
The vehicle is designed with a priority on safety and a focus on sustainability and passenger comfort. Engineered to achieve the global commercial aviation standard of safety, it has a robust airframe structure including redundant components in critical systems such as powertrain, flight controls and avionics.
The all-tilting rotor configuration will power the vehicle through both the vertical-lift and horizontal-cruise phases of flight with efficiency. To maintain superior quality while also being cost-effective, the vehicle will be manufactured leveraging Hyundai’s mass production capability.
As Supernal continues to optimize its vehicle for certification, mass production and expanded use cases, the Company is also focused on interior modularity and battery upgradability. This includes the ability to replace the battery module as technology advances.
