SÃO PAULO, Dec 19 (Reuters) – The full-scale prototype of electric aircraft manufacturer Eve Air Mobility’s so-called ‘flying car’ completed its first flight, the company said on Friday, marking an important step in its work to obtain certification for its aircraft.
Eve, controlled by Embraer (), is among several companies that are developing battery-powered aircraft with the ability to take off and land vertically to transport passengers on short trips around the city, a sector considered fundamental to the future growth of the Brazilian aircraft manufacturer.
At 10:30 am (Brasília time) this Friday (19), the shares rose 1.23%, to R$87.87.
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Eve, which has accumulated nearly 3,000 potential orders for its electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft ahead of production, expects to obtain certification, make first deliveries and enter service in 2027, a year later than initially planned.
The inaugural flight at Embraer’s test unit in Gavião Peixoto marked the beginning of Eve’s flight testing phase, the company said in a statement, with ‘hundreds of flights’ planned for next year to support certification. The company validated the aircraft’s architecture, fly-by-wire controls and integrated propulsion system, Eve added.
The first flight took place in line with the company’s previously announced plan to complete it in late 2025 or early 2026. ‘The prototype behaved exactly as predicted by our models,’ said Eve’s chief technology officer, Luiz Valentini. ‘With this data, we will expand the aircraft’s envelope and move towards wing-supported transition flight in a disciplined manner.’
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Eve will manufacture six compliant prototypes to carry out the flight testing campaign, the company said.
The president of the National Civil Aviation Agency (ANAC) told Reuters earlier this year that he considered 2027 a realistic deadline for certification of the aircraft, which he described as the regulator’s top priority. Eve debuted on the New York Stock Exchange in 2022 and, this year, raised new funds from the National Bank for Economic and Social Development (BNDES) and Embraer. Other investors include United Airlines, BAE Systems, Nidec, Thales and Acciona.
