At the Farnborough International Airshow in the U.K., Eve unveiled its first full-scale eVTOL air taxi prototype, assembled at Embraer’s test facility in Brazil’s São Paulo state.

In the U.S., Archer Aviation was the first to hit that milestone, followed shortly after by Joby Aviation and Overair. German eVTOL manufacturers Lilium and Volocopter each have rolled out full-scale prototypes as well, as has China’s EHang.

Eve’s 100 percent electric design now joins them. The lift-plus-cruise model is built to fly up to four passengers and a pilot on 60 sm (52 nm) air taxi routes in and around major cities. It will be piloted at launch, but the company intends to transition to uncrewed operations in the future.

The air taxi includes eight dedicated propellers for vertical flight and fixed wings for cruise, as well as an electric pusher powered by dual electric motors.

Eve seeks to introduce the aircraft commercially in 2026, in line with many of its competitors. The company received proposed airworthiness criteria, a key step toward that goal, from Brazil’s National Civil Aviation Agency (ANAC) in December.

“Our global team of engineers have shown exceptional dedication and expertise to successfully assemble our first full-scale eVTOL prototype,” said Johann Bordais, CEO of Eve. “This is a significant milestone that underscores our commitment to safety, accessibility and innovation.”

Eve is building its flagship air taxi using components and systems from a massive network of suppliers, and it announced two more at Farnborough: Diehl Aviation will design the eVTOL’s interior, while electric aerospace systems provider ASE will supply a power distribution system. Other Eve suppliers include Honeywell, Thales, Garmin, and BAE Systems.

On Tuesday at the airshow, the manufacturer announced another key collaborator, the smart infrastructure arm of technology conglomerate Siemens. The partners will work to gauge just how much energy an eVTOL network will require, as well as the best way to get that energy into the aircraft.

“The results and insights that Siemens and Eve Air Mobility will gain from this collaborative effort are expected to inform our strategy in preparing the ecosystem and developing services at scale for customers in the U.S. and, potentially, around the world,” said Luiz Mauad, vice president of customer services at Eve.

Eve last year announced the site of its first eVTOL manufacturing plant, where it intends to produce as many as 480 aircraft annually. Per the manufacturer’s fourth-quarter 2023 earnings report in March, it has an order pipeline of 2,850 aircraft, with the total value of nonbinding orders exceeding $8 billion.

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“Siemens’ Academic Program will be instrumental in helping EAA create clear career pathways into the world of engineering since top aerospace and defense manufacturers, as well as all agencies of the US Department of Defense, leverage and trust Siemens’ proven software and services to drive digital transformation.” Siemens’ said its “Xcelerator Portfolio, a comprehensive and integrated portfolio of software and services for electronic and mechanical design, system simulation, manufacturing, operations and lifecycle analytics, is driving digital transformation across the aviation industry.”

Dale Tutt, vice president of aerospace and defense, Siemens Digital Industries Software added, “There are challenges ahead as the aviation industry strives to fill roles for pilots, engineers and technicians over the next 10 to 20 years. This is why Siemens is proud to partner with EAA, a great organization that recognizes the importance of engaging students in STEM, to empower the next generation of aerospace talent.” EAA CEO and chairman of the board Jack Pelton said Siemens “will be demonstrating their technology through activities at KidVenture, which attracts about 25,000 children each year.”

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Texas Aircraft Manufacturing showed off its certified Colt S-LSA for the first time at this year’s AirVenture in Oshkosh. As if that weren’t enough of a success, the Hondo-Texas company also announced it’s working closely with Siemens eAircraft to create an electric version of the new light-sport aircraft. Siemens was recently acquired by Rolls-Royce, so the new alliance could mean great things down the road for both companies.

Colt’s founding partner Matheus Grande said, “The availability to offer a version of our new Colt LSA powered by a new-generation Siemens eAircraft electric motor will give both private owners and flight schools the option of having an airplane that’s not only fun to fly but will also be extremely environmentally friendly.” Present plans call for Colt to install a Siemens SP55D electric motor that Grande says will give the eAircraft performance that’s essentially the same as the Rotax-powered aircraft.

In addition to the SP55D, Siemens eAircraft will provide the system’s inverter and auxiliary control components. The SP55D direct-drive motor produces a maximum takeoff power with a two-minute limit of 72kW at 3,000 rpm. An engineering prototype of the Siemens eAircraft SP55D motor mounted on a Colt airframe is on display at the Texas Aircraft exhibit booths 355, 356, 361 and 362.

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In a move that leaves no question as to how it feels about the promise of electric propulsion, Rolls-Royce has entered into an agreement to acquire Siemens’ eAircraft business, the company announced during the Paris Air Show 2019.

Siemens’ significant work in electric and hybrid-electric propulsion development began to take shape several years ago under the direction of Dr. Frank Anton, in locations in Germany and Hungary. Its hybrid aircraft, the Magnus eFusion first flew on April 11, 2018, equipped with a SP55D engine and a FlyEco diesel engine. While it suffered an accident on May 31, 2018, investigators determined that the airplane’s batteries had not caught fire prior to the crash.

Rolls-Royce had made forays of its own into the electrification of aircraft, with “successful ground tests” of a hybrid propulsion system suitable for use across a range of platforms, including EVTOLs (hybrid electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft). The system uses a Rolls-Royce M250 gas turbine engine to charge a set of onboard batteries, utilizing a turbo-generator.

The two companies joined forces prior to the agreement, on the E-Fan demonstrator, another hybrid-electric propulsion project in collaboration with Airbus.

The deal is expected to close in late 2019, following “employee consultation,” according to the company.

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