Hyundai Motor readies separate headquarters on UAM for biz takeoff in 2028

Shin Jaiwon. [Photo by Lee Chung-woo]

South Korea’s auto giant Hyundai Motor Group is establishing separate headquarters in urban air mobility (UAM) in Yongsan of downtown Seoul and plans to add test sites as it readies for take-off in aerial vehicle.

“We’re aiming to bring UAM technology to everyday lives by 2028,” said Shin Jaiwon, chief executive officer and head of the urban air mobility division at Hyundai Motor Group, in his interview with Maeil Business Newspaper.

To ensure the speedy development, the auto giant has decided to move its UAM division to its Yongsan office from Yangjae headquarters in Seoul. The relocation date has not yet determined. It is also on the lookout for test sites.

The company must build manufacturing lines in the United States or other strategically important markets as a fully electric UAM can fly maximum 150 miles on a single charge, Shin added.

Noise from aerial vehicles would be less of a worry.

The company’s noise target for UAM vehicles is below 60 decibels (dB), similar to daily life noise and lower than the 80 dB of a helicopter.

[Source: Hyundai Motor Group]

“UAM is fitted with batteries that make engine quieter. It also flies on smaller propellers in greater number, compared with typical helicopters with a much larger propeller that makes roaring noise,” explained Shin.

Safety infrastructure is a must to carry human passengers.

“The government has the goal of commercializing air taxis four years later. Foreign companies too would be able to enter Korea with their aircrafts from 2025,” said Shin. “To make the service possible we need to establish vertiports or landing pads for passengers to get on and off.”

Hyundai Motor Group is studying to apply hydrogen fuel and autonomous driving technology on UAM. As with self-driving cars, the group is aiming to bring unmanned UAM vehicles to real life in the long term, he added.

Shin, born in Seoul in 1959, studied mechanical engineering at Yonsei University in Korea and received a master’s degree at California State University of the U.S. and a doctorate at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University of the U.S.

He co-chaired the U.S. Air Force / NASA Executive Research Committee in 2008-2016 and the White House National Science & Technology Council’s Aeronautics Science & Technology Subcommittee in 2008-2014. He served as associate administer for the Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate (ARMD) of the NASA, as the chief executive officer and head of its urban air mobility division in 2008-2019.

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