Hyundai to launch its first self-flying drone taxi in 2028

The South Korean car manufacturer intends to make its first registered passenger flight in 2028 and proceed to make the technology accessible to everyone by the start of the next decade.

A subsidiary called Supernal will handle the development of the all-electric aerial drone. The company is tasked with securing a place in the emerging market and developing the needed infrastructure.

The drone is envisioned as a VTOL with four or five seats capable of rising to 300-600 meters (roughly 1,000–2,000 feet) and accelerating up to 290 km/h (180 miles per hour).

Supernal is currently discussing cooperation with third parties. In 2020, it signed a contract with Urban-Air Port, a British startup company currently constructing a landing site in Coventry. The construction is due to be finished in 2022. Once commissioned, Hyundai and Urban-Air Port intend to build two more in London and Los Angeles. The first stage of the project envisions the creation of such drone pads in 65 cities worldwide.

At the Las Vegas show in late 2020, Hyundai unveiled its first flying taxi concept co-designed with Uber, promising to make such transports available to everyone.