Hitachi Energy and Eve Air Mobility Sign MOU to Develop Electrification Infrastructure for Urban Air Mobility

Hitachi Energy and Eve Air Mobility Partner on UAM Electrification Infrastructure

Hitachi Energy and Eve Air Mobility have formally signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to pursue deep collaboration on the electrification infrastructure required for large-scale commercial Urban Air Mobility (UAM) operations.

Focus Areas: Grid Integration, Charging Infrastructure, and Vertiport Power Supply

Under the agreement, the two companies will focus on grid integration, charging infrastructure deployment, and power supply integration for vertiports. Together, they will assess power availability, high-power charging requirements, and approaches to seamlessly connecting new energy demands to existing grid networks. Hitachi Energy plans to adapt its Grid-eMotion charging infrastructure platform to address the specific charging needs of eVTOL aircraft.

The partnership will also explore second-life applications for retired aircraft batteries, repurposing them as energy storage systems to extend battery lifecycle and improve overall sustainability. The MOU further encompasses joint business model planning and coordinated customer development to advance UAM infrastructure on a global scale.

Eve Air Mobility: Targeting Commercial Launch in 2028 with ~2,700 LOIs

Eve Air Mobility, backed by Brazilian aerospace major Embraer, is actively advancing eVTOL aircraft development and airworthiness certification, with a target to achieve certification and begin commercial operations in 2028. Eve has received letters of intent (LOIs) for approximately 2,700 eVTOL aircraft from customers around the world, reflecting strong market demand for urban air mobility services.

Hitachi Energy: Deep Expertise in Grid and Power Electronics

Hitachi Energy brings extensive experience in grid integration, power electronics, and charging systems to the partnership. The company has invested more than USD 9 billion in electrification and grid modernization initiatives, spanning research and development, manufacturing, and strategic partnerships.

Eve Air Mobility CEO Johann Bordais noted that the collaboration will help advance safe, efficient, and sustainable eVTOL operations. Marco Berardi, Head of Grid & Power Quality Solutions and Service at Hitachi Energy, emphasized that cross-industry collaboration is essential to driving the energy transition forward.

Electrification Infrastructure: A Critical Challenge for eVTOL Commercialization

As Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) moves closer to commercialization, the need for robust electrification infrastructure has become increasingly urgent. Vertiports require stable power connections and rapid charging capabilities to support high-frequency flight operations. Second-life battery applications not only address sustainability challenges but can also reduce overall operating costs.

The collaboration between Eve and Hitachi Energy combines aircraft development expertise with energy systems knowledge to directly tackle a key bottleneck in scaling UAM networks. Infrastructure readiness—particularly in terms of power supply and charging capacity—is widely recognized by the industry as a decisive factor in the commercial viability of eVTOL services.

The two companies plan to develop concrete implementation roadmaps for vertiport power supply, with an initial focus on technical requirements analysis and system integration strategy. The partnership is expected to further support the broader industry in building the ground infrastructure ecosystem necessary for urban air mobility.

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