Hyundai Motor unveils Project N, first regional air mobility flying longer than UAM

Hyundai Motor"s ‘Project N’

Hyundai Motor Group that rose to one of top five global auto brands despite its late arrival in the road vehicle market than bigger global rivals is actively seeking to command the sky.

The South Korean auto mogul on Wednesday unveiled its first regional air mobility (RAM) vehicle dubbed ‘Project N’ during the Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) Tech Day 2022 event held at its Hyundai Motor Studio Goyang in Gyeonggi Province.

The RAM vehicle is capable of flying farther than urban air mobility (UAM) vehicles between regional hubs like from Seoul to Daejeon and from Daegeon to Gwangju, according to Hyundai Motor Group on Wednesday.

For such a long-distance flight, more investment is required to improve operation reliability and thus, the industry projected its commercialization would be available by 2030, two years later than the UAM.

The Korean auto giant is speeding up efforts to expand its presence beyond the conventional road vehicle market.

Hyundai Motor Group formed its UAM division in 2019 and unveiled its first UAM vehicle ‘S-A1’ in 2020. Late last year, its U.S. air mobility company was named Supernal and announced its goal of commercialization by 2028. In January this year, the UAM division has been elevated to the AAM headquarters that engage in the business of both UAM and RAM.

Hyundai Motor Group now is aiming to expand the UAM vehicle size and use the existing regional airports for the business in Korea, said a group official. Commercialization of UAM could put the schedule for RAM commercialization forward, which is why the Korean auto conglomerate is spurring efforts to secure generic technology related.

UAM is not capable of flying long distances, about hundreds of kilometers due to its source of power, batteries. A vehicle equipped with more batteries weighs more and thus, its flight distance becomes shorter.

Experts expect RAM will be powered by dual sources of batteries and hydrogen fuel cells. A hydrogen tank is lighter than a battery, and the vehicle will be capable of flying farther. Likewise, hydrogen cars have been commercialized faster than electric vehicles in the eco-friendly truck market.

Hyundai Motor established the world’s first manufacturing system for hydrogen large trucks.

Newly unveiled Project N also has been designed to fly long distances with hydrogen fuel cells and batteries fitted together. The vehicle is 6 meters in diameter, 1 meter longer than Hyundai Palisade SUV. With four propellers, it is expected to have vertical takeoff and landing capability.

The RAM vehicle has been registered as Korea’s first hydrogen fuel cell flight after winning the airworthiness certification in February, said Hyundai Motor Group. It now is targeting to develop autonomous driving technology for the vehicle while keeping a focus on vehicle development and flight simulation.

“We’re confident that Hyundai Motor Group will be able to bring innovative and safe vehicles to the market based on its experience and knowhow in development and manufacturing. We’ll keep up efforts to boost the global AAM industry,” said Shin Jai-won, chief executive officer and head of the AAM headquarters.

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