SkyDrive and Government of Gujarat in India sign agreement to drive eVTOL technology in the country by 2027
Japanese eVTOL OEM SkyDrive has signed a Strategic Partnership Agreement with the State of Gujarat in India, to cooperate on enabling the future of eVTOL aircraft operations in the region.
With the agreement, the Department of Science and Technology (DST) and SkyDrive will explore the settings of the ecosystem that is required for social implementation of our eVTOL aircrafts within the States of Gujarat by 2027.
In addition to developing the Advanced Air Mobility ecosystem, SkyDrive will carry out feasibility studies of creating new business related to our eVTOL in Gujarat within the cooperation.
Tomohiro Fukuzawa, CEO at SkyDrive, said: “SkyDrive and Suzuki have been collaborating in business development of eVTOL in India and developed suitability use cases. We are delighted to enter into the partnership with the most innovative state in India, Gujarat, also the hometown of the Prime Minister of India, to embark on the journey together.
“We would like to work closely together as the public and private sectors to provide solutions for the social issues such as mobility emissions and urban congestion.“
The Department of Science and Technology under the Government of Gujarat promotes, supports and facilitates the growth and development of new and emerging technologies to enable the development of Gujarat. The Department also works for popularization of Science to increase scientific temper among the masses.
SkyDrive was formally established in July 2018 after testing flying car concepts and prototypes from 2014, with the mission of ‘taking the lead in the once-in-a-century mobility revolution’.
The company’s vision is to create a future where everyone has access to eVTOLs as their daily transportation in Japan and across the world. The company succeeded in the first crewed eVTOL flight test in Japan in 2019 and its eVTOL aircraft is in the process of acquiring its Japan Civil Aviation Bureau (JCAB) certification.
SkyDrive has also been selected as a company to participate in the Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) project at Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai, Japan. SkyDrive plans to begin production of “SKYDRIVE” in the Spring 2024 at the plant owned by official production partner Suzuki Motor Company.