As Urban Air Mobility (UAM) moves closer to commercialisation, one of the key challenges is ensuring that vertiports can be reliably connected to the power grid and equipped to handle high-demand, high-frequency operations. This includes enabling robust and sufficient power capacity, managing fast-charging cycles, and integrating new demand into existing energy systems.
The agreement brings together complementary expertise from the energy and aerospace sectors. Eve is advancing an eVTOL aircraft and a broader UAM portfolio of solutions, including aftermarket services, while Hitachi Energy provides its expertise and innovative technologies in grid integration, power electronics, and charging infrastructure to support the scalable deployment of these systems.
The companies will assess the requirements for enabling vertiport operations, including power availability and high-power charging for eVTOL aircraft. Hitachi Energy will leverage its Grid-eMotion charging infrastructure, already deployed globally and adapted to the specific requirements of eVTOL operations. The solution optimises power usage and ensures reliable energy and stable performance for eVTOL high-demand application.
The collaboration will also explore the potential to repurpose aircraft batteries for energy storage after their aviation lifecycle, thereby enhancing the overall ecosystem's sustainability. The agreement also establishes a path for joint business modeling and coordinated customer engagement to enable the global scale-up of urban air mobility infrastructure.
“Building a successful urban air mobility ecosystem requires collaboration across industries” said Johann Bordais, Chief Executive Officer at Eve Air Mobility. “As the sector moves toward commercial operations, it is increasingly important to understand how charging infrastructure, grid connectivity and vertiport energy requirements will be integrated into existing networks. The collaboration with Hitachi Energy supports our ongoing efforts to help enable the infrastructure needed for safe, efficient, scalable and economically sustainable eVTOL operations worldwide.”
Eve Air Mobility is developing an eVTOL aircraft with certification and commercial operations expected in 2028. Backed by Embraer’s 56-year aerospace legacy, the company holds letters of intent for about 2,700 eVTOLs from customers worldwide, signalling strong demand for a new urban transportation model.
Hitachi Energy is making significant investments to meet the growing demands of electrification and grid modernisation. This includes more than $9 billion to expand R&D, manufacturing capacity, engineering, and strategic collaborations.
By combining Eve’s aircraft innovation with Hitachi Energy’s grid connection expertise and technologies, the agreement sets the foundation for a collaborative effort to enable clean, connected, and resilient urban mobility.
“With more than a century of innovation, we are addressing the most urgent energy challenge of our time, balancing soaring electricity demand while decarbonising the power system” said Marco Berardi, Head of Grid & Power Quality Solutions and Service at Hitachi Energy. “We firmly believe that no single company or country can make the energy transition happen on its own, so we are thrilled to collaborate with Eve to jointly accelerate the decarbonisation of urban air mobility.”
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