Eve Air Mobility ("Eve") (NYSE: EVEX; EVEXW) and Hunch Mobility (“Hunch Mobility”), a joint venture between Hunch Ventures and Blade Air Mobility, Inc. (NASDAQ: BLDE), have announced that the two companies are working together to bring first electric commuter flights to Bangalore, India. With the announcement, Bangalore becomes the launch city in the region for urban air mobility flights utilizing electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft.
The announcement is the first step as both companies will be working with local, state and federal officials, infrastructure, energy and technology providers. The goal is to ensure the appropriate infrastructure is in place to introduce eVTOL aircraft flights.
“This launch city announcement is the next step in a great relationship that Hunch Mobility and Eve have built to co-create the urban air mobility ecosystem in India,” said Johann Bordais, CEO of Eve Air Mobility. “India is an incredibly important market for urban air mobility and our goal is to work with Hunch Mobility to provide residents with an additional efficient and affordable mode of transportation to ease commuting times in one of the most heavily populated cities in the world.”
“This collaboration with Eve Air Mobility underscores the commitment to contribute to India’s growth story by addressing the bottleneck of road congestion in the country. We look forward to introducing eVTOL flights that will democratize short haul air mobility by offering affordable ticket fares and zero carbon emission,” said Amit Dutta, director, Hunch Mobility.
Bangalore, located in Karnataka state of India, is one of the most populated cities in the world with an estimated population of more than 13 million people. The emergence of electric aviation with eVTOL vehicles is expected to significantly reduce the carbon footprint, noise and cost of flying, making it more accessible to the masses.
Eve’s eVTOL will offer Hunch Mobility’s customers a quick and economical way to avoid traffic congestion in one of the world’s most dense urban environments. Eve’s eVTOL is 100% electric and has a range of 100 kilometers (60 miles) allowing it to complete a variety of urban air mobility missions in Bangalore. The aircraft features a lift + cruise configuration with dedicated rotors for vertical flight and fixed wings to fly on cruise, with no components required to change position during flight. It will be piloted at launch but evolving towards uncrewed operations in the future.
Eve was the first eVTOL manufacturer to announce an LOI in India with Hunch Mobility announcing an agreement to purchase 200 eVTOLs, Services and the company’s Urban ATM (Air Traffic Management) solution. As part of the LOI announcement, Eve and Hunch embarked on a three-month-long pilot project, conducting intra-city helicopter flights in Bangalore. The objective was to collect data on operations and customer experiences throughout the pilot project. This data, in turn, is informing the further development of Eve's eVTOL aircraft, its air traffic management solution, and solutions for service and support.
In addition to a new, efficient transportation option, Eve and Hunch Mobility noted that eVTOL flights in the Bangalore are expected to have a positive economic impact on the community including new employment opportunities. Positions ranging from pilots and aircraft service technicians to training and technical services are among the numerous roles that will be needed as eVTOL flights are introduced and expand. The development of the necessary infrastructure to support eVTOL operations is also expected to contribute value and employment opportunities to the community.
Eve’s eVTOL is scheduled to enter into service in 2026.
