EMBRAER seals largest eVTOL ‘flying car’ order for Brazil

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – EMBRAER has received its largest order for eVTOLs (electric vertical take-off and landing vehicle, as the “flying car” is officially called) for the Brazilian market. The aircraft manufacturer is expected to deliver up to 100 units to Avantto aircraft sharing company starting in 2026.

Prior to this agreement, EMBRAER had announced that Helisul (an air taxi company) placed an initial order for 50 vehicles and that Flapper (an executive aviation platform) signed a contract to operate up to 25 units.

The value of the deals has not been disclosed.

Still far from having the technology fully developed and certified by regulatory authorities, EMBRAER – through its subsidiary Eve – has received orders to deliver 735 eVTOLs worldwide, and has formed 6 partnerships to develop the infrastructure needed to operate the “flying cars”.

According to Avantto’s CEO Rogerio Andrade, the ordered eVTOLs should serve the whole of Latin America, but a higher demand is expected, mainly in São Paulo. EMBRAER itself “conservatively” estimates that the São Paulo market will count on 500 aircraft of this model by 2035.

Although Avantto currently sells and operates shared aircraft, it intends to work with eVTOL as an air taxi. Also according to Andrade, the price of trips should decrease as the company gains scale until it reaches a level close to that of an Uber Black (Uber’s premium service).

However, to reach this price level, the eVTOL will need to be autonomous, i.e. fly without a pilot, which should occur at a later stage.

Eve’s CEO Andre Stein says that more affordable prices for consumers will be feasible because the cost of operating the “flying car” should be equivalent to 10% of that of a helicopter. “The eVTOL is a vehicle that reduces fuel and maintenance expenses, and is autonomous in the long run.”

Avantto should also be involved in the development of the infrastructure to handle the “flying car” landings and takeoffs. Rio Bravo, an asset management company that also invests in the real estate sector, is one of the company’s investors, which may help define buildings that will serve as passenger boarding terminals.

The Avantto order places Eve among the eVTOL companies with the most orders to date. The Brazilian company is second only to Vertical, which has announced orders to deliver 1,350 aircraft.

In total, Vertical’s contracts total US$5.4 billion and have been signed with companies such as American Airlines and Virgin Atlantic. Vertical has a further advantage: it has pledged to deliver its first units in 2024.

EMBRAER has always been skeptical about tighter deadlines because it considers that the certification process will not be quick. According to the executive, the company is ahead in its research when considering the deadline set for the delivery of its first units, 2026.

“We are advanced in developing the software that goes on the aircraft and flying models of various scales. We expect to fly a 1:1 model still this year.” This test aircraft is to be remotely piloted, Stein explains.

TECHOLOGY

The “flying car,” an aircraft under development by dozens of companies worldwide, does not resemble the model used by the characters in the Jetsons cartoon. The vehicle is closer to a helicopter, and its use will be shared – no one will own an eVTOL. Nevertheless, the technology is a breakthrough.

One of the main differences between the eVTOL and helicopters or airplanes is that it will be electric. By not using aviation fuel, the environmental impact and operating cost is reduced.

The aircraft are also being designed to be less complex than helicopters and, as they are electric, they will require less maintenance, which makes them cheaper.