Eve Air Mobility and Hunch Mobility, a joint venture between Hunch Ventures and Blade Air Mobility, have announced that the two companies are working together to bring electric commuter flights to Bangalore, India. The companies say that with the announcement, Bangalore becomes the launch city in the region for urban air mobility flights utilising electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft.
“The announcement is the first step as both companies will be working with local, state and federal officials, infrastructure, energy and technology providers” according to the press release. “The goal is to ensure the appropriate infrastructure is in place to introduce eVTOL aircraft flights.
“Bangalore, located in Karnataka state of India, is one of the most populated cities in the world with an estimated population of more than 13 million people. The emergence of electric aviation with eVTOL vehicles is expected to significantly reduce the carbon footprint, noise and cost of flying, making it more accessible to the masses.
“Eve’s eVTOL will offer Hunch Mobility’s customers a quick and economical way to avoid traffic congestion in one of the world’s most dense urban environments. Eve’s eVTOL is 100% electric and has a range of 100 kilometers (60 miles) allowing it to complete a variety of urban air mobility missions in Bangalore. The aircraft features a lift + cruise configuration with dedicated rotors for vertical flight and fixed wings to fly on cruise, with no components required to change position during flight. It will be piloted at launch but evolving towards uncrewed operations in the future.
“Eve was the first eVTOL manufacturer to announce an LOI in India with Hunch Mobility announcing an agreement to purchase 200 eVTOLs, Services and the company’s Urban ATM (Air Traffic Management) solution. As part of the LOI announcement, Eve and Hunch embarked on a three-month-long pilot project, conducting intra-city helicopter flights in Bangalore. The objective was to collect data on operations and customer experiences throughout the pilot project. This data, in turn, is informing the further development of Eve’s eVTOL aircraft, its air traffic management solution, and solutions for service and support.”
Eve says its eVTOL is scheduled to enter into service in 2026.
For more information
(Image: Eve Air Mobility)
