Eve Air Mobility, a company controlled by Embraer, carried out on July 3 the first flight of the transition phase of its eVTOL, the electric vertical take-off and landing vehicle popularly known as the “flying car”. This trial represents one of the most important milestones in the aircraft’s development, signaling significant progress in the certification campaign and the goal of starting first deliveries in 2028, promising to transform urban air mobility.
During the air phase, the rear propeller, identified as the “pusher”, was activated for the first time. This activation marked the beginning of the transition between vertical and horizontal flight mode, a crucial change, as the prototype had only performed hovering and low-speed flights until then.
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The test lasted 3 minutes and 9 seconds. The aircraft traveled approximately 1,550 meters, reaching an altitude of 27 meters and a stabilized speed of 27 knots (equivalent to 50 km/h), with a peak of 30 knots (about 55 km/h). The rear propeller operated at a maximum of 1,200 revolutions per minute (RPM) during the test.
Eve considers the transition stage to be one of the most critical in the operation of an eVTOL, as it involves the fundamental change from vertical lift to horizontal flight. Successful completion of the test drives expansion of the aircraft’s flight envelope and validation of its systems’ performance.
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Johann Bordais, CEO of Eve Air Mobility, stated that the success of the first partial transition flight is a significant milestone in the company’s development trajectory. He said the activation of the rear propulsion system confirms a key aspect of the aircraft’s design, bringing the company closer to offering safe, efficient and scalable air mobility solutions for the future.
Marcelo Basile, the company’s Engineering Director, informed that the data collected in the trial will be used to improve the eVTOL’s capabilities. He explained that the flight demonstrated the engagement of the rear propeller and validated the initial performance goals of the transition phase, providing valuable information for continued expansion of the flight envelope toward higher speeds and more complex testing.
Eve’s engineering team will continue with structural and load analyzes to inform the next stages of the development program. Next, the company plans to test the data link to validate the aircraft’s communications and gradually increase the flight envelope, with the expectation of operating at speeds of up to 50 knots (92 km/h).
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In May, the company had already completed the hovering and low-speed flight phase of the engineering prototype. At that stage, 59 successful flights were accumulated, totaling 2 hours, 27 minutes and 33 seconds of testing, although the model used does not yet correspond to the final version that will be delivered to customers after certification.
Despite some adjustments to the schedule, Eve maintains the deadline to begin commercial deliveries of the eVTOL in 2028.
In addition to the electric model, Eve is studying the development of a future hybrid version of the vehicle. In June, Johann Bordais indicated that the combination of electric and fuel propulsion could expand the aircraft’s range for longer distance trips, as the model currently under development has an estimated range of 100 kilometers.