Eve Air Mobility has signed a landmark letter of intent with Helicopters Inc., a leading vertical lift operator in the United States, for the purchase of up to 50 electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft. The order for aircraft, service support and Vector, Eve’s urban air traffic management (ATM) software, was announced during the Revolution. Aero Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) conference where Eve was participating in the event discussing how to support and scale the future of air mobility.
“We appreciate Helicopters Inc.’s confidence in Eve by purchasing up to 50 of our eVTOL aircraft,” said Megha Bhatia, chief commercial officer, Eve Air Mobility. “Helicopters Inc. is a recognized leader, safely operating aircraft in more than 30 metropolitan areas throughout the U.S., and we are excited to add such a credible vertical lift operator to our list of customers. We look forward to working with them on deploying our all-electric eVTOL aircraft as part of their extensive U.S. operation.”
Eve’s relationship with Helicopters Inc. dates back to a simulation the two companies worked on together in Chicago, IL. in 2022. Eve, partnering with Blade, Inc. and Helicopters Inc., used a helicopter that was operated by Helicopters Inc. to replicate future eVTOL operations. The companies teamed to transport passengers from the Vertiport Chicago facility to two helistops located northwest and southwest of Chicago. The first route connected Vertiport Chicago to Schaumburg Municipal Helistop, and the second route connected Vertiport Chicago to Tinley Park Helistop.
Eve Air Mobility’s maturity and reliability, backed by Embraer, one of the world’s largest manufacturers of commercial aircraft, was a key factor in our decision to select Eve for our future eVTOL aircraft,” said Tom Wagner, president of Helicopters Inc. “The eVTOL aircraft will provide numerous advantages including competitive cost of operation, fewer parts and optimized structures and systems, not to mention a lower noise footprint and environmental benefits.”
Eve and Helicopters Inc. will further work together in refining potential launch cities in target markets, aircraft maintenance and servicing requirements, and along with ecosystem partners, analysing the additional infrastructure requirements needed to support safe and efficient operations. Target use cases could feature airport shuttle and point-to-point connections across the United States.
As part of the new agreement, Helicopters, Inc. will also have access to Eve TechCare, a pioneer all-in-one suite of solutions designed to streamline eVTOL operations by providing the industry’s most comprehensive services, expert customer support, and cutting-edge operational solutions. The agreement also includes Vector, an agnostic software solution designed to efficiently navigate current and future advanced air mobility operations.
Eve’s eVTOL aircraft utilizes a lift+cruise configuration with eight dedicated propellers for vertical flight and fixed wings to fly on cruise, with no change in the position of these components during flight. The aircraft includes an electric pusher powered by dual electric motors that provide propulsion redundancy with the goal of ensuring the highest levels of performance and safety.
Last year, the company announced that its first eVTOL production facility will be located in the city of Taubaté, in the state of São Paulo, Brazil. The company recently unveiled its first full-scale prototype at the Farnborough Air Show this past July and is progressing towards its test campaign. Eve has letters of intent for nearly 3,000 eVTOL including with customers on nearly every continent.
