Hitachi Energy, a global technology leader in electrification, and Eve Air Mobility, an Embraer-backed electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft manufacturer, have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to advance the electrical infrastructure needed to support urban air mobility at scale.
As Urban Air Mobility (UAM) moves closer to commercialization, 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 optimizes 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.
