Supernal and Urban-Air Port Debut World’s First Functional Advanced Air Mobility Vertiport.
Coventry, U.K., activation showcases new multi-modal infrastructure for eVTOLs and future passenger journeys.
COVENTRY, United Kingdom, April 25, 2022- Supernal and Urban-Air Port today announced the launch of Air-One®, the first operational multi-modal infrastructure hub capable of handling future electric air transport. Air-One® is Urban-Air Port’s unique deployable operations centre for human and unmanned vehicles. The vertiport is open to the public in Coventry, United Kingdom, and will be redeployed in more cities across the world later this year to continue showcasing future Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) passenger itineraries and operations.
“The Air-One activation is an important step for the Advanced Air Mobility industry and demonstrates how eVTOLs can easily integrate with existing transportation networks to address local needs,” said Mike Whitaker, chief commercial officer, Supernal. “The reality is no single mode of transportation – current or future – can solve cities’ traffic and congestion challenges. Supernal is working with partners like Urban-Air Port to design infrastructure that brings multiple modes of transportation together under one ‘roof’ and enable AAM to reach its full potential.”
The 17,000-square-foot radial Air-One was built in just 11 weeks and features a passenger lounge, café, retail pop-up, cargo logistics hub, electric and hydrogen air vehicle hangar, security screening, and command and control centre. The zones are anchored by a proprietary 56-foot circular final approach and takeoff (FATO) platform that rises 19 feet into the sky – thanks to a compact, state-of-the-art, synchronised link-lift system – to allow future electric air vehicle takeoffs and landings.
In addition to Supernal’s first concept eVTOL vehicle, the S-A1, on display in the vehicle hangar, live drone demonstrations from the FATO, and several new electric vehicles connected to EV chargers on the vertiport’s exterior, which are powered by off-grid hydrogen fuel cells, the activation includes several new electric vehicles connected to EV chargers on the vertiport’s exterior. The activation, which is located 0.2 miles from the main Coventry train and bus stations, highlights how the Air-compact, One’s prefabricated design may enable seamless multi-modal travel, including AAM.
Co-creating the AAM Ecosystem
The debut of Air-One is a result of Supernal’s partnership with Urban-Air Port, which began in 2020. The companies are working together to support future AAM operations related to building infrastructure networks, designing physical prototypes and shaping operational procedures.
“The opening of Air-One is a momentous occasion – the starting gun for a new age of transport, an age of zero-emission, low-congestion travel between and within cities that will make people healthier, happier and more connected than ever before,” said Ricky Sandhu, founder and executive chairman, Urban-Air Port. “The Coventry demonstration – delivered in partnership with Supernal – will showcase the future of how people will travel, seamlessly integrating with other modes of transport to create a greener, more connected future. I am extremely proud to have like-minded, industry leaders like Supernal as partners on our journey to building this industry from the ground up – paving the way for us all.”
Urban-Air Port is among the diverse stakeholders Supernal is working with – across public and private entities, other modes of mobility, academia and startups – to responsibly co-create the AAM ecosystem. In addition to the Air-One activation, Supernal recently signed a partnership with the City of Miami, Fla., to help city leaders explore whether AAM can enhance existing transit options and determine if new policies are necessary to enable the industry. Supernal also supported the launch of a first-of-its-kind public-private partnership with the City of Los Angeles and Urban Movement Labs to advance L.A.’s Urban Air Mobility (UAM) planning, including the development and implementation of a comprehensive public engagement and empowerment strategy, and the pending distribution of an UAM integration manual addressing the policy and regulatory responsibilities of multiple city departments.
Supernal is building a family of electric air vehicles and expects to commence commercial service with its first eVTOL in 2028, in addition to co-creating the AAM ecosystem. Supernal wants to use the Hyundai Motor Group’s manufacturing skills to scale electric air vehicle production and ensure that AAM reaches the correct price point and is affordable to the public in the next decades.
Learn more about the Air-One activation here.
SOURCE Supernal