Eve Air Mobility to Manufacture Flying Taxis in Brazil

Eve Air Mobility, the offshoot of the giant Brazilian aerospace company Embraer, has announced its decision to manufacture electric flying taxis in the city of Taubate in Brazil. This strategic move comes as part of Embraer’s expansion plans for an existing facility located in Taubate.

The flying taxis will function as electric vertical take-off and landing aircraft (eVTOL). Several established companies and startups have promised to produce eVTOL aircraft for the transportation of passengers or goods but the concept is still unproven.

According to the start-up’s announcement, they have set their sights on creating a prototype within this year. Their ambitious target is to commence passenger flights as early as 2026.

Eve Air Mobility to build flying taxis

“The manufacturing plant will be situated on a designated portion of land within Embraer’s existing unit in the city, [which] will be expanded,” said Eve Air Mobility and its parent company Embraer in a joint statement.

Taubate is situated approximately 87 miles east of Sao Paulo, Brazil’s economic capital, and just 25 miles east of Sao Jose dos Campos, where Embraer’s headquarters and its extensive E-Jet production plant are located.

Eve’s engineering and human resources team are also based in Sao Jose dos Campos, further consolidating their close ties with Embraer and the region’s aerospace expertise.

The Taubate location enjoys convenient access to two highways and is also in close proximity to a railroad network. This advantageous transportation connectivity is expected to play a crucial role in facilitating their operations and distribution.

“When we began our search for a manufacturing location to build our eVTOL, we wanted to reimagine how the aircraft could be built using the latest technology and manufacturing processes, coupled with other aspects such as supply chain and logistics,” commented Andre Stein, co-CEO of Eve.

“Our objective is to offer safe and reliable products and services to the market and be highly competitive in manufacturing efficiency. The team was tasked with the opportunity to design an optimized assembly line that prioritizes safety, quality, efficiency, productivity, and sustainability,” Stein continued.

Production of eVTOL aircraft

In May 2022, Eve made public a collaboration with Porsche Consulting aimed at outlining the eVTOL (electric Vertical Take-Off and Landing) global manufacturing, supply chain, and logistics macro strategy for the company.

Since then, both organizations have joined forces to explore cutting-edge manufacturing and innovation ideas. Leveraging their collective expertise in the aerospace and automotive domains, they have crafted an industrialization concept for eVTOL aircraft centered around utmost safety, quality, efficiency, and customer satisfaction.

Recently, Eve entered into an expanded partnership with Blade Air Mobility, allowing the use of Eve vehicles on Blade’s existing routes in Europe. At present, these routes primarily involve operating conventional helicopters between destinations like Nice and Monaco.

Eve has reported that it has already received pre-orders for approximately 2,800 air taxis, indicating strong interest and demand for its innovative mobility solutions.