Eve Air Mobility was officially born as Embraer’s AAM branch, and it has steadily developed and expanded in the last few years. Being backed by one of the world’s most reputable aircraft maker is certainly part of Eve’s global success formula, and it also led to this exciting partnership with the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT).
It’s common for eVTOL makers like Eve to sign commercial agreements with industry partners from all over the world, but large-scale strategic collaborations with state authorities are rare and highly significant. At the center of this fresh partnership between Eve and FDOT is SunTrax Air, introduced and operated by FDOT as the state’s premier hub for AAM research and development.
It’s part of a wider, more complex facility designed to combine air and ground mobility testing within a single campus, SunTrax (with the SunTrax Ground and SunTrax Air branches). SunTrax currently covers 775 acres (313 hectares) and it will bring together some of the most innovative concepts in ground and air mobility, including autonomous vehicles, connected vehicles, and eVTOLs.
SunTrax Air is a major innovation for the entire nation, not just Florida. It features the first AAM aerial test track in the US, and exciting plans for the near future include an elevated vertiport specifically designed to rooftop urban conditions for eVTOL takeoff and landing. It currently includes several vertiports, large hangars, and high-speed charging pads, all in support of advanced tests and simulations.
FDOT’s partnership with Eve will help both parties advance their operations and prepare for real-world integration. The Brazilian eVTOL maker will bring its expertise, while FDOT’s SunTrax Air hub will provide the perfect environment to advance Eve’s own continuous testing.
Will all of this lead to concrete Eve eVTOL operations in Florida? Most likely yes, but FDOT didn’t state it officially. Eve’s intentions for its expanded presence in the US are not new. At the beginning of this year, the eVTOL maker announced an agreement with the Export-Import Bank of the United States (EXIM Bank) and the Private Export Funding Corporation (PEFCO).
This was specifically needed to cover the costs with what Eve describes as its “critical US suppliers”, in particular BAE Systems, which will provide the batteries for the Eve eVTOL. Eve’s endgame was to secure a reliable supply chain in the US, as part of its strategic expansion on the American market.
This new collaboration with FDOT is further confirmation that the Eve electric air taxi is here to stay, and that passengers in the US are due to become familiar with it in the near future.