Hyundai Motor Group’s Supernal Unveils eVTOL Vehicle Cabin Concept
At the Farnborough International Airshow, Supernal (the Company) unveiled its initial eVTOL vehicle cabin concept, providing the first look at how Hyundai Motor Group (the Group) is integrating automotive capabilities to develop the Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) market.
Supernal collaborated with the Group’s design studios to develop the cabin concept as the Company works to certify its eVTOL vehicle for commercial use in the United States beginning in 2028, followed by the European Union and the United Kingdom shortly after.
Beyond the vehicle, Supernal is responsible co-creating the expansive AAM value chain with external partners and the Group’s more than 50 affiliates, which include automobiles, automotive parts, construction, robotics, and autonomous driving.
“In order for Advanced Air Mobility to become a wide-spread mode of transportation, every detail – from the passenger experience to regulations and infrastructure – needs to be addressed from the start and work in lockstep with one another,” said Jaiwon Shin, President of Hyundai Motor Group and CEO of Supernal.
“Leveraging Hyundai Motor Group’s mobility capabilities, Supernal is investing time and resources upfront to ensure the industry can scale to the masses in the coming decades and reach its exciting potential.”
Harnessing Automotive Design
Supernal’s five-seat cabin concept hints at how the company is leveraging automotive design processes and materials to optimize the AAM passenger experience and price-point while meeting commercial aviation’s highest safety standards.
The design embodies the biomimicry philosophy – in this case, a butterfly – as well as the Company’s pillars of safety above all, human-centered design, and environmental responsibility.
“Supernal is partnering with Hyundai Motor Group’s top automotive designers to develop our eVTOL vehicle for manufacturability and wide-spread public acceptance,” Shin added.
“We are taking the time to create a safe, light-weight commercial eVTOL that provides our future passengers with the security and comfort they find in their own cars.”
To create the light-weight interior cabin made of forged carbon fiber, the team of engineers and designers used the automotive industry’s reductive design approach. Ergonomically contoured seats provide passengers with a cocoon-like environment.
Deployable seat consoles are similar to automobile center consoles in that they include a charging station as well as a storage compartment for personal items.
Grab handles built into the cabin doors and seatbacks assist with ingress and egress. A combination of lighting – including overhead lights inspired by automobile sunroofs – adjusts with the various stages of flight to emulate a “light therapy” effect.
The cabin layout draws on automotive space innovation with a minimized bulkhead, which allows for generous headroom and package functionalities.
The cabin concept prioritizes sustainability by using materials such as advanced recyclable carbon fiber reinforced thermoplastic, durable plant-based leather, recycled plastic fabric, and responsibly sourced woods. Excess raw material from the airframe manufacturing process is also used in the seat frame.
“The Supernal eVTOL vehicle draws on the competence of the Hyundai Motor Group and the skillset of experienced automotive designers, which allowed us to develop a new air mobility concept that is not only safe and rational but also highly emotional,” said Luc Donckerwolke, Chief Creative Officer of Hyundai Motor Group.
Developing Air Mobility Beyond Urban Markets
The cabin concept prioritizes sustainability by using materials such as advanced recyclable carbon fiber reinforced thermoplastic, durable plant-based leather, recycled plastic fabric, and responsibly sourced woods. Excess raw material from the airframe manufacturing process is also used in the seat frame.
The Division plans to launch service of its hydrogen vehicle in the 2030s.Supernal and the Division are partnering with the Group’s manufacturing innovation teams across the globe to create a robust high-rate, high-quality AAM manufacturing process that will produce electric air vehicles at scale – at an increasingly affordable price-point – over the coming decades.
“Hyundai Motor Group is working to leverage synergies between automotive’s high-rate manufacturing capabilities and aerospace’s high certification standards to build the foundation for everyday use of passenger and cargo air vehicles,” Shin said.
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