Hyundai Motor to partner with Microsoft to develop UAM solutions

Hyundai Motor to partner with Microsoft to develop UAM solutions [Source : Hyundai Motor Group]

Hyundai Motor Group, South Korea’s biggest auto making group, has joined hands with the world’s largest information technology company Microsoft Corp. to develop advanced air mobility solutions as it aims to commence its Urban Air Mobility (UAM) service in the United States in five years.

Hyundai Motor’s U.S.-based UAM division Supernal announced on Jan. 4 that it will develop cutting-edge, next-generation aviation solutions including advanced autonomous flight, three-dimensional flight simulation, and virtual manufacturing and service with Microsoft‘s cloud platform.

Supernal will develop an autonomous flight solution with Microsoft’s artificial intelligence (AI)-based flight simulation platform “Project AirSim” from the initial stages of development and work jointly with Microsoft on test flights and demonstration projects.

Supernal also plans to take advantage of Microsoft’s mixed reality (MR) headset that supports real, virtual interactions for a range of projects including UAM aircraft assembly and maintenance, quality control, and customer experience.

Hyundai Motor Group is aggressive in taking the lead in future mobility solutions including UAM. It aims to launch its UAM service through Supernal in the U.S. in 2028.

[Source : Hyundai Motor]

Supernal revealed its first cabin concept model of an electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft at the Farnborough Air Show in the U.K., one of the world’s top three air shows, in July last year.

Hyundai Motor Group currently partners with leading companies from home and abroad for its UAM project.

Its overseas partners include Rolls-Royce Holdings, a British aircraft engine manufacturer; Urban- Air Port, a British UAM vertical takeoff and landing (Vertiport) startup; and Safran, a French aircraft engine company.

In South Korea, it has formed a consortium with Korean Air Lines Co., KT Corp., Incheon International Airport Corp., and Hyundai Engineering and Construction Co. to create a UAM ecosystem best suited for the country.

Other Korean companies are eager to develop their own advanced air mobility solutions. Hanwha Systems Co., Lotte rental co., and GS Caltex Corporation have formed their own UAM alliances.

The South Korean government is also supportive to the creation of the country’s UAM ecosystem. It decided to introduce a UAM act on special regulatory exceptions in June this year to foster the nation’s UAM business. UAM tests and demonstrations will take place in Goheung, South Jeolla Province this year and next, and in the metropolitan area in the next two years.