Key cog in Orange County’s nascent flying taxi industry, which is taking off, literally. Supernal is working to build an electric-powered vertical takeoff and landing vehicle—known in the industry as an eVTOL—that will carry four to five passengers in urban areas and nearby locations to start.
THEN: Supernal was launched as the Urban Air Mobility Division of Hyundai Motor Group at the CES 2020 tech show in Las Vegas. Its headquarters are in Washington, D.C., but the tech brains behind its aircraft will be in OC. The company last year picked Irvine for its engineering headquarters, and aims to get flying taxis into service in 2028. It initially leased 106,600 square feet of high-end office space in the Irvine Spectrum to hold that division, and is now in the early stages of a big hiring push for the expected 300-person group.
NOW: Company added another 80,000 square feet of working space at another nearby Irvine Co.-owned building earlier this year. “We’re working on technology at Supernal to power an entirely new dimension of mobility,” Diachun, the company’s chief technology officer, told the Business Journal.
FUTURE: Regulatory certification for the Supernal vehicles is expected in 2024.
IN THEIR WORDS: “Tech talent is critical to making advanced air mobility a reality—and that makes Irvine a great place for our engineering headquarters,” said Diachun, who was named to the CTO role in early 2021. He previously served as CEO and president at Opener, an aerospace startup in Palo Alto.
Want more from the best local business newspaper in the country?
Sign-up for our FREE Daily eNews update to get the latest Orange County news delivered right to your inbox!
