Eve has 2,700 eVTOL LOIs

Luiz Mauad, VP Services and Operations Solutions, Eve Air Mobility (Embraer Group) presented an attention-getting reason for his company’s deliberate but fast-paced entry into the global UAM market when he placed the value of this sector at $760 billion through 2040. The OEM’s portfolio to allow it to gain a foothold in this new market consists of four AAM enablers: eVTOL development; UAM services; operations solutions; and urban air traffic management. The company’s activities have major implications for evolving pilot training programs.

The Eve executive noted his company’s current eVTOL design supports one pilot and four passengers. The OEM has signed letters of intent or comparable agreements for up to 2,700 eVTOL aircraft with “the largest and most diverse backlog in the industry.” Eve’s initial customers range from Kenya Airways to Skywest.

Global Ecosystem

Eve is pursuing a global UAM ecosystem, consisting of a Rio Concept of Operations (CONOPS), an Australia Urban Air Traffic Management CONOPS and a Miami UAM CONOPS. Miguel Cará, Eve’s Head of Business Development Americas, shared insights on his company’s forecast for one ecosystem node, the Miami market. In 2027, the Miami ecosystem is expected to have 85+ eVTOLs, six operational vertiports and 15 possible routes. The 2035 ecosystem is forecast to have 210 eVTOLs, 25+ operating vertiports and 50+ operational routes. “The eVTOL will move people in an ecosystem. We won’t wait for customers; we’re going to their neighborhoods,” he emphasized.

Enter one data point on the path to establishing an eVTOL training enterprise. For starters, Eve is collaborating with other OEMs and stakeholders on implementing a safe, integrated national airspace. “Navigation must be more precise and holistic, and trained to,” Cará observed and said that instead of a clean-sheet design, eVTOL training will be a natural evolution of Embraer’s long history of training pilots.

Cará further envisions the Eve training program to be enabled by A/M/V/XR and other technologies, all supporting “a simple vehicle for operations.” With another corporate eye on the burgeoning number of operators required for his fleet alone, the executive built the case for a positive-flow for training organization, one with diversity, accessibility and other attributes.

The executive provided an interesting perspective on the FAA’s 1,500-hour rule, offering eVTOLs could enable aspiring pilots one opportunity to accumulate hours to achieve that mandate. Cará noted that the FAA has yet to define eVTOL operator requirements.