British start-up Urban-Air Port (UAP) has secured investment from Supernal, previously the Urban Air Mobility Division of Hyundai Motor Group, with the aim of delivering on the companies’ shared vision of integrating advanced air mobility (AAM) into existing transit networks.
This investment is the first time a major eVTOL company has invested in an AAM ground infrastructure developer, and will go towards supporting UAP’s plans to develop 200 vertiport sites across the world in the next five years.
UAP’s vertiport sites are designed to provide infrastructure to help enable mass adoption of eVTOL aircraft, such as cargo drones and air taxis. The world’s first fully operational hub for eVTOLs, Air-One, will open for public visitation in Coventry this April.
The demonstration site aims to show how AAM can help unlock the potential of sustainable mobility and how the industry will work to help reduce congestion, cut air pollution and decarbonise transport.
Ricky Sandhu, founder and executive chairman of Urban-Air Port, said: “Cars need roads. Trains need rails. Planes need airports. eVTOLs need Urban-Air Ports. Despite the unparalleled potential of eVTOL aircraft to revolutionise mobility, the importance of the ground infrastructure that enables them is too often overlooked.
“With Supernal’s investment and expertise and connection to Hyundai Motor Group, we can supercharge the rollout of sustainable, intermodal and scalable ground infrastructure that will unleash the future of advanced air mobility globally.
“We are assembling a group of aligned financial and corporate venture capital investors that will extend our leadership. I look forward to welcoming further investors into UAP.”
Urban-Air Port has also named Adam Slepian, global head of partnerships & business development at Supernal, to its board of directors. Matthew Sattler, head of infrastructure and ecosystems partnerships at Supernal, joins UAP’s board of advisors.
Jaiwon Shin, chief executive officer of Supernal and president, Hyundai Motor Group, added: “At Supernal, we are on a mission to transform how people and society move, connect, and live; therefore, it is essential we not only develop electric air vehicles, but also help shape the broader advanced air mobility market from the ground up.
“We are pleased to continue working with Urban-Air Port and support its efforts to create ground infrastructure that works seamlessly with eVTOLs and integrates the advanced air mobility industry with existing modes of transportation.”
Read more: Urban-Air Port and Hyundai to develop 65 electric air mobility hubs worldwide
