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Supernal (Hyundai Motor Group) S-A2 (concept design)

Hyundai 's Supernal passenger and air cargo S-A2 eVTOL concept design aircraft

 

S-A2 (concept design)
Supernal (Hyundai Motor Group)
Washington, D.C., USA
www.supernal.aero

Supernal was founded in 2020 and is headquartered in Washington, D.C., USA. The company's Research and Development department is located in Silicon Valley in Fremont, California and their Engineering department is located in Irvine, California. On Jan. 6, 2020 during the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA, Uber and Hyundai Motor Company (headquartered in Seoul, South Korea), announced a new partnership to develop Uber Air Taxis for Uber's future aerial ride share network and Hyundai also unveiled their new full-scale electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft mock-up named the S-A1. In November 2021, Hyundai renamed its urban air mobility division to Supernal. (Image credit: Hyundai Supernal. Unless otherwise noted.)

Hyundai Motor Group is in the business of mobility both on the ground and the air with the of goal of zero-carbon for all its vehicles. Supernal is in the business of making eVTOL passenger aircraft for advanced air mobility (AAM) and to make it air travel as safe as possible, focus on customer needs and make ground to air connectivity convenient. The company's vision also includes providing the infrastructure for eVTOL aircraft to takeoff and land. The company is also focused on using more efficient, sustainable and clean sources of energy for their vehicles. The company's open design system allows for upgrades as technology matures which reduces cost, effort and downtime of recertification when installing new parts.

Key areas for Supernal eVTOL aircraft:

  • A high priority on safety including redundancy in many systems on the aircraft reducing single points of failure
  • Passenger centered design making comfort and connectivity a priority for air, landing pads and ground vehicles, including useful attributes and high-tech features
  • Affordability and accessibility for all consumers
  • A crucial vehicle to connecting people and communities to each other
  • Advanced batteries and alternative energy sources
  • Low noise
  • Distributed Electric Propulsion, providing redundancy, increased flight control, higher flight efficiency and more
  • Building landing pads
  • Autonomous flight, when it becomes available
  • Air mobility network creating seamless transportation from ground to air travel and back
  • Using sustainable technology
  • Easy maintenance and repair
  • Open design system allows for upgrades as technology matures
  • Smart factories using superior materials
Supernal S-A2 passenger and air cargo eVTOL concept design on flight pad

Supernal S-A2 passenger and air cargo eVTOL concept design on flight pad

Supernal S-A2 passenger and air cargo eVTOL concept design aircraft
The Supernal S-A2 is a passenger and air cargo eVTOL concept design aircraft. The interior of the aircraft is easily changeable allowing for a two passenger, four passenger or air cargo configuration. The passenger layout will also have room for luggage. The aircraft will have one pilot initially and in the future, the aircraft will be piloted by artificial intelligence (AI).

The anticipated average cruising speed is 193 km/h (120 mph) with a foreseen average trip distance of 39-64 km (25-40 miles). The predicted cruising altitude is 457 m (1,500 ft). The aircraft has eight tilt-propellers, eight electric motors and is planned to be powered by high-voltage, fast-charging battery packs. The aircraft has one high main wing with four booms parallel to the fuselage which hold the eight tilt-propellers. The noise at hover is projected at <65 dBA and the noise at cruise speed is calculated at <45 dBA.

The windows are larger than conventional aircraft providing excellent views for the passengers. The windows were modeled from insects. Biomimicry was an important factor in the window design with an inspiration from bees and then the bee's head was exaggerated as is if morphed by speed. The daylight opening (DLO) design of the windows is trying to allow as much visibility as possible for everyone on board for a better flight experience.

The fuselage is made from carbon fiber composite for a high strength and low weight ratio. The designers have worked on the light signature of the aircraft so the consumer can recognized the aircraft in the air by its light signature. Little metal was used as possible for the seat frames to reduce weight and providing energy absorbing properties to them. The aircraft has one V tail and has fixed tricycle wheeled landing gear.

The aircraft has Distributed Electric Propulsion (DEP) which provides safety through redundancy and there are also redundancies of critical components in the sub-systems of the aircraft providing additional safety for the pilot and passengers. Due to DEP, the flight computer can quickly change each electric motor's speed independently of each other which keeps the aircraft horizontal, providing a much smoother ride, even in gusty wind conditions. The aircraft is certified for Instrument Flight Rules (IFR). There is a whole aircraft emergency ballistic parachute in case of an unexpected inflight emergency.

The Supernal timeline (January 2024):

  • 2020: Company founded
  • 2022: Aircraft conceptual design and research
  • 2024: Full-scale vehicle testing
  • 2026: Certification application
  • 2028: Entry into service
  • 2030: Scaling begins
  • 2035: Global scaling begins
Supernal S-A2 mock-up on display at the 2024 Consumer Electronics Show (CES 2024) in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA. (Picture credit: Sergio Cecutta, SMG Consulting for the Vertical Flight Society.)

Supernal S-A2 mock-up on display at the 2024 Consumer Electronics Show (CES 2024) in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA. (Picture credit: Sergio Cecutta, SMG Consulting for the Vertical Flight Society.)

Supernal S-A2 cockpit photo at the 2024 Consumer Electronics Show (CES 2024) in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA. (Picture credit: Sergio Cecutta, SMG Consulting for the Vertical Flight Society.)

Supernal S-A2 cockpit photo at the 2024 Consumer Electronics Show (CES 2024) in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA. (Picture credit: Sergio Cecutta, SMG Consulting for the Vertical Flight Society.)

Supernal S-A2 interior photo at the 2024 Consumer Electronics Show (CES 2024) in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA. (Picture credit: Sergio Cecutta, SMG Consulting for the Vertical Flight Society.)

Supernal S-A2 interior photo at the 2024 Consumer Electronics Show (CES 2024) in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA. (Picture credit: Sergio Cecutta, SMG Consulting for the Vertical Flight Society.)

Specifications:

  • Aircraft type: Passenger eVTOL concept design aircraft
  • Piloting: 1 pilot, will be initially piloted and will transition into an autonomous aircraft
  • Passengers: 4 seats for a luxury ride (no middle seat) with enough space for baggage. The interior can be easily switched from 4 passengers, to 2 passengers and to cargo-only flights.
  • Average cruising speed: 193 km/h (120 mph)
  • Average trip distance: 39-64 km (25-40 miles)
  • Cruising altitude: 457 m (1,500 ft)
  • Propellers: 8 tilt-propellers
  • Electric motors: 8 electric motors
  • Batteries: Battery packs (high-voltage, fast-charging)
  • Noise at hover: <65 dBA
  • Noise at cruise: <45 dBA
  • Emissions: 0 emissions
  • Windows: Tall windows
  • Fuselage: Carbon fiber composite
  • Wings: 1 high main wing
  • Tail assembly: 1 V tail
  • Landing gear: Fixed tricycle wheeled landing gear
  • Safety features: Distributed Electric Propulsion (DEP) means having multiple propellers (or electric ducted fans) and multiple electric motors on an aircraft so if one or more propellers (or electric ducted fans) or some electric motors fail, the other working propellers (or electric ducted fans) and electric motors can safely land the aircraft. DEP provides safety through redundancy for its passengers or cargo. There are also redundancies of critical components in the sub-systems of the aircraft providing safety through redundancy for its passengers or cargo. Having multiple redundant systems on any aircraft decreases having any single point of failure. The aircraft is certified for Instrument Flight Rules (IFR). There is a whole aircraft emergency ballistic parachute in case of an unexpected inflight emergency.

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