SkyDrive, the Japanese development company, has started the construction phase of the SD-05 eVTOL flying vehicle. This is a major milestone in the history of electric vertical take-off and landing vehicles (eVTOL), as the company announced that it is working with no less a player than Suzuki Motor Corporation to achieve the goal.

The most striking feature of the flying vehicle, known as eVTOL, is its ability to take off and land vertically like a helicopter – meaning it does not need a dedicated runway.

But another argument in favour of these vehicles is their environmental friendliness: as they are electrically powered, eVTOL vehicles can in principle reduce the environmental footprint of aviation and allow for zero-emission flights.

An additional benefit is noise reduction, as these vehicles are designed with this aspect in mind. Overall, these vehicles will allow for more flexible urban transport. At least that is the big promise.

The distant promise of eVTOL technology is also fully autonomous transport, which would further increase the budget.

Sky Drive could produce such vehicles through its subsidiary Sky Works at Suzuki Japan’s factory in Iwata. The collaboration between SkyDrive and Suzuki could see up to 100 such vehicles roll off the assembly line each year.

SkyDrive is currently working on obtaining type certification for the SD-05 eVTOL aircraft from the Japan Civil Aviation Bureau (JCAB), with the aim of launching this model by 2026, and plans to obtain type certification from the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), while also exploring market opportunities in Asia, such as Vietnam. Initial prototypes produced in Iwata are undergoing extensive flight testing.