Air mobility Infrastructure developer Urban-Air Port is to develop 65 eVTOL / drone hubs in partnership with Hyundai around the world, with the first in Coventry, UK.
The air ports will be suitable for use by autonomous airborne drones and electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) passenger vehicles. Urban-Air Port plans to build 200 sites around the world in the next five years.
Ricky Sandhu, founder and executive chairman of Urban-Air Port said, “The sector is soaring and we know that a future with electric flying vehicles and drones in cities is going to be a reality soon. But it can’t happen if we don’t have the infrastructure on the ground and in the air to make it happen.
“Urban-Air Port will change the way we travel forever – unlocking clean urban air transport for everyone, improving connectivity in congested cities, cutting pollution and boosting productivity.”
Urban-Air Port received £1.2 million (US$1.65 million) towards the cost of building the Coventry urban-air port from the UK Government in January this year.
Urban-Air Port’s modular hubs are designed for use in urban environments and remote locations, with an off-grid design that facilitates maintenance and charging on-site, for ground as well as air vehicles.
The company is working with world leading hydrogen fuel cell company AFC Energy to provide zero emission off-grid power for future sites. The first system will be deployed at Urban-Air Port’s Air One site in Coventry.
The company is also targeting the use of the air ports in emergency disaster management for the deployment of drones and eVTOLs.
The sites will be in the US, UK, EU and Asia Pacific. Hyundai is is developing its own eVTOL vehicle, in tandem with helping create the supporting ecosystem, and plans for it to enter service in 2028.
Pamela Cohn, chief operating officer and US general manager for the urban air mobility division of Hyundai Motor Group said, “Urban Air Mobility will be integral to how we get from A to B this century. Hyundai Motor Group has a bold vision for future mobility and is committed to making the human and technological investments needed to usher in a new era of transport. Urban-Air Port is key to opening up safe, affordable, zero-emission mobility, which will take urban air mobility from science fiction to tangible reality.”
“The deal with the Urban Air Mobility Division of Hyundai Motor Group is a massive step towards our vision of installing hundreds of urban-air ports worldwide to maintain our position at the forefront of this sector and support the rapid expansion of urban air mobility in this decade,” Ricky Sandhu added.
