Florida Backs Eve’s Advanced Air Mobility Research

The Florida Department of Transportation’s SunTrax Air research and development hub is to support Eve Air Mobility’s efforts to launch eVTOL air taxi services in the state. The Embraer spinoff announced the initiative with Florida officials on Wednesday at the Farnborough Airshow.

Florida’s advanced air mobility center is part of its SunTrax center in Auburndale for advancing autonomous and connected vehicle technologies in work that also covers ground transportation. The 212-acre SunTrax Air facility includes vertiports, 20,000-sq-ft hangars, high-speed charging pads, and an “aerial test track.”

On Sunday, Eve Air Mobility reported that it has resumed flight testing of its initial eVTOL engineering prototype as it moves toward its first low-speed transition flight. The company expects an ongoing expansion phase to result in a “full transition” flight—transitioning between vertical lift and horizontal cruise—between October and the end of the year. With Brazilian certification and FAA validation expected by the second half of 2028, Eve’s order book of some 2,700 aircraft—52 of which are firm orders—has also been augmented by an additional 46 units from two new customers.