Hyundai to develop flying taxis in Irvine

A prototype of Hyundai’s S-A1 air taxi at last year’s Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.

Hyundai Motor Group plans to develop a four- to five-passenger flying taxi, ready for service in 2028, at its new headquarters in Irvine, according to the Orange County Business Journal.

The auto giant has leased a 105,600-square-foot building in Irvine Spectrum District as the engineering headquarters for its newly formed Supernal division, which will build the electric-powered vertical takeoff-and-landing vehicle, known as an eVTOL.

“We’re working on technology at Supernal to power an entirely new dimension of mobility,” Ben Diachun, the company’s chief technology officer, told the Business Journal.

Regulatory certification for the vehicles could come as soon as 2024. Supernal is in the early stages of hiring an expected workforce of 300 to occupy an entire building at Irvine Company’s Discovery Park.

“Tech talent is critical to making advanced air mobility a reality – and that makes Irvine a great place for our engineering headquarters,” Diachun told the Business Journal.

Supernal forecasts a 24-minute trip from Anaheim to downtown Los Angeles. Pricing is expected to run about the same as a ride in luxury car service Uber Black. Other electric aircraft will be used for delivery service.