eVTOL Vehicle Cabin Concept

Hyundai Motor Group's Supernal unveils eVTOL aircraft cabin concept. Supernal unveiled its first eVTOL aircraft cabin concept at Farnborough International Airshow, providing an initial look at how Hyundai Motor Group integrates its automotive capabilities to develop the Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) market. As the company pursues certification of its eVTOL aircraft for commercial use in the United States from 2028 onwards and subsequently in the United Kingdom and EU, Supernal partnered with the Group's design studios to create the cabin concept. Beyond the aircraft itself, Supernal collaborates with external partners and more than 50 Group affiliates spanning automotive, automotive parts, construction, robotics and autonomous driving to jointly build the broader AAM value chain responsibly. Jaiwon Shin, Chairman of Hyundai Motor Group and CEO of Supernal, said, "For Advanced Air Mobility to become a widespread mode of transportation, every detail from passenger experience to regulations and infrastructure needs to be addressed from the ground up and work in harmony with one another." "Leveraging Hyundai Motor Group's mobility capabilities, Supernal is making upfront investments of time and resources to enable the industry to scale to the masses in the years ahead and unlock its exciting potential."  

Leveraging Automotive Design

Supernal's five-seat cabin concept offers insights into how the company draws on its automotive design processes and materials while meeting the highest safety standards of commercial aviation to optimize the AAM passenger experience and price point. The design embodies a biomimicry philosophy – in this case, a butterfly – and incorporates the company's core pillars of safety first, human-centered design and environmental responsibility. Shin said, "Supernal partners with Hyundai Motor Group's finest automotive designers to develop our manufacturability and widely accepted eVTOL aircraft. We are investing time to create a safe, lightweight commercial eVTOL that provides our future passengers with the security and comfort they find in their own cars." The team of engineers and designers employed automotive industry's reductive design approach to create a lightweight interior cabin constructed from forged carbon fiber. Ergonomically shaped seats provide passengers with a cocoon-like environment. Deployable seat consoles mimic automobile center consoles and provide a charging station and storage compartment for personal items. Handles integrated into cabin doors and seat backs assist with entry and exit. A combination of lighting, including ceiling lamps inspired by automobile sunroofs, adjusts according to different phases of flight to mimic a "light therapy" effect. The cabin layout benefits from innovations in the automotive field, with a minimized divider that allows for generous headroom and packaging functionality. With sustainability as a priority, the cabin concept brings together advanced recyclable carbon fiber reinforced thermoplastic, durable plant-based leather, recycled plastic fabrics and responsibly sourced wood. The seat frame also uses excess raw material from the aircraft fuselage production process. Luc Donckerwolcke, Creative Director of Hyundai Motor Group, said, "The Supernal eVTOL aircraft draws on Hyundai Motor Group's expertise and the capabilities of seasoned automotive designers, which allowed us to develop a new air mobility concept that is not only safe and rational, but also highly emotional."  

Advancing Air Mobility Beyond Urban Markets

The Group leverages its broad mobility and mobility-enabling capabilities to develop the family of electric aircraft and surrounding value chain. Complementing Supernal's battery-powered eVTOL aircraft, designed for urban passenger travel from 2028 onwards, the Group's Korea-based business division focused on Regional Air Mobility (TheDivision) is developing a hydrogen-powered mid-size aircraft for regional, city-to-city, passenger and cargo flights. The business division plans to launch service of the hydrogen aircraft in the 2030s. Supernal and TheDivision partner with the Group's global production innovation teams to build a robust, high-rate, high-quality AAM production process that will manufacture electric aircraft at every scale – at increasingly affordable price points – in the years ahead. Shin said, "Hyundai Motor Group is working to harness the synergy between automotive's high-rate production capabilities and aviation and aerospace's high certification standards to lay the foundation for everyday use of passenger and cargo aircraft." SOURCE