“SkyDrive to Explore eVTOL Medical Transport Operations in Penghu, Taiwan Alongside Partners”
Japan-based SkyDrive, recently announced a partnership agreement with two Taiwan companies: 7A Drones and the Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI), to explore eVTOL operations in the country.
The release explains, “This collaboration aims to jointly develop use cases for the emergency medical transport of patients and physicians using SkyDrive’s eVTOL aircraft. The project focuses specifically on the Penghu Islands, an island group located off Taiwan’s west coast, with the initial planned routes connecting various islets within the archipelago’s Magong City.”
In addition, 7A Drones has committed to a pre-order for up to 10 SkyDrive aircraft.
Tomohiro Fukuzawa, CEO of SkyDrive, commented, “In Taiwan, particularly on remote islands, there are significant challenges related to emergency medical services and eVTOLs can play a central role in addressing these issues.”
He continued, “By combining the three parties expertise and operational knowledge, we aim to contribute to local communities in Taiwan while building a sustainable air mobility model that will serve as a precedent for other regions in Asia.”
Under the newly signed agreement, the partnership aim to use the aircraft to connect Penghu Island, the main island in the Penghu Archipelago, with surrounding inhabited islets within a 10-kilometre radius. This initiative will initially focus on providing the infrastructure required to dispatch physicians.
The release continues, “The Penghu Archipelago comprises 90 islands of various sizes, 19 of which are inhabited. The lack of adequate emergency medical provision on these isolated islands generates an elevated need for emergency medical transport and meeting this need is a long-standing challenge. As an initial use case, the project will focus on connecting a hospital in Magong City and Hujing Island.”
The group aim to launch the above services from 2028 with these eVTOL operations forming part of the Taiwanese government’s broader AAM (Advanced Air Mobility) policy.
Hsin-Sheng Hsu, CEO of 7A Drones, remarked, “Through this project, we aim to build an environment where every citizen in Taiwan can access appropriate medical services regardless of geographic constraints. Moving forward, we remain committed to building a more sustainable and inclusive next-generation air infrastructure through public-private collaboration.”
SkyDrive’s eVTOL SD-05 on Display at the Osaka Expo
They include various government agencies, research institutes and private companies, each contributing their respective expertise. Stakeholders are working together across areas such as operations, regulatory development, technical evaluation, vertiport infrastructure and medical coordination. The aim is to establish a new public healthcare infrastructure using eVTOL technology.
Wen-Yang Peng, Deputy General Director of ITRI, affirmed, “Together, we aim to expand the position and contribution of air mobility within Taiwanese society.”
SkyDrive intends to leverage the model being developed in the Penghu Islands as a platform for the operation of further eVTOL businesses in other areas of Taiwan.
This expansion is to include similar medical services as well as innovative urban routes that widen the scope of eVTOL operations into other sectors including tourism.
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(Top image: Signing ceremony held at Taipei city. From left to right: Tomohiro Fukazawa, SkyDrive CEO; Hsin-Sheng Hsu, CEO of 7A Drones; Weng Yang Peng, Deputy General Director of Mechanical and Mechatronics Systems Research Labs of ITRI)
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