Electric grids are not yet ready for flying cars, says Eve – 06/30/2023 – Market

Power grids around the world have yet to fully prepare to deal with so-called “flying cars”, an executive at Eve, a maker of electric vertical take-off and landing vehicles (eVTOLs) controlled by Embraer, told Reuters.

The vice president of service solutions and operations at the company, Luiz Mauad, said in an interview that the nascent industry still faces challenges in the supply of energy so that electric aircraft can be recharged.

He believes, however, that they will be overcome in time for the company to reach its goal of starting commercial operations in 2026.

Mauad said that the company has been talking with distribution and power generation companies about how to get to the proper infrastructure for the operation of the eVTOLs, including in the so-called “vertiports”, from where the aircraft will take off and land.

“The big cities we observe that they are already better prepared, when we talk to the companies they say that they already have a deeper study of the distribution grid and the demands are greater, so you can adapt and reposition to arrive”, said Mauad .

“The challenge in big cities is to arrive exactly at what we call a vertiport, you place the cargo there in the ‘last mile'”.

He stated that Eve is in a position to enter into partnerships with energy companies to help them develop the necessary infrastructure, noting that in Brazil the company has already discussed projects with EDP.

“Our customers’ routes are not yet exactly defined, points A and B, so as soon as understanding evolves, distribution and generation companies can come in and really say ‘look, this one is fine; this one will need a little more time and work,” said Mauad.

Even before starting production, Eve already has an order backlog of up to 2,850 aircraft, with customers in countries such as Brazil, the United States, India and France.

The company’s eVTOL is being developed to have a range of 100 kilometers, but the average distance traveled is likely to be 30 kilometers.

Mauad also stated that discussions on the creation of vertiports are also advancing, noting that studies today show that they could be as small as a heliport or have larger sizes, with several “stands” and passenger terminals, depending on demand and available area. .

“Everyone [no setor] He learns as we go along.”