US air taxi developer Eve Air Mobility has offered a public glimpse of the first full-scale, nonconforming prototype of its electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft.
The Florida-based start-up, which is backed by Embraer, shared images of the nearly assembled prototype via social media on 8 May. The vehicle is being built at Eve’s eVTOL production facility near Sao Jose dos Campos, Brazil.
Eve’s first prototype will not conform to eventual production standards. Rather, the uncrewed craft will be used as a test bed to validate the company’s technologies, informing future piloted variants.
”We are making great progress on the assembly of our first eVTOL prototype and we are on schedule to complete production and begin flying,” says Johann Bordais, Eve’s chief executive.
The start-up has previously disclosed that it intends to begin a flight-test campaign with its first prototype this year, and to assemble a conforming prototype in 2025.
Eve’s design calls for eight propellers to provide vertical flight and a pusher propeller for wing-borne forward flight. Unlike tiltrotor designs of rival US air taxi makers Archer Aviation and Joby Aviation, the position of the aircraft’s propellers will not change during the transition phase.
Eve maintains that its piloted, four-passenger air taxi is on track to clear certification first with Brazilian aviation authorities and enter service in 2026.
