Japanese eVTOL Manufacturer SkyDrive Receives Orders From the US and Vietnam

SkyDrive Inc., a Japanese eVTOL aircraft manufacturer headquartered in Toyota City, has received its first orders from the US, and a new order from Vietnam. SkyDrive is currently developing a three-seater electric, vertical takeoff and landing aircraft called 'SKYDRIVE'. 

SkyDrive and Austin Aviation Inc., a US charter operator, have announced a pre-order Letter of Intent (LOI) for the delivery up to five 'SKYDRIVE' eVTOL.

In January 2023  SkyDrive announced plans to enter the US market and establish a home base in South Carolina,

Tomohiro Fukuzawa, Founder and CEO, SkyDrive Inc., says: “We have received an overwhelming amount of support from local, regional and state organizations here in South Carolina to develop our technology and operations within the state. We are thrilled to be taking this next step of working more closely with all South Carolina stakeholders, with the ultimate aim of placing South Carolina at the forefront of the AAM infrastructure development in the U.S. and making our aircraft more widely accessible in the future,”

“Sustainable electric propulsion vertical take-off and landing vehicles are the next new exciting challenge in General Aviation, following the early lead of the automotive industry with electric propulsion. With the SKYDRIVE vehicle and all South Carolina stakeholders, we look forward to being a part of this next exciting chapter in General Aviation, as this new pioneering electric technology matures into reality,” adds Alex Cavazzoni, President, Austin Aviation.

SkyDrive has also signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with CT UAV JSC in Vietnam on a pre-order of up to 100 eVTOL aircraft.

CT UAV is a subsidiary of CT Group, a multi-business group in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, that is developing various kinds of Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) technologies.

The announced pre-order count for SkyDrive’s eVTOL in Vietnam has now reached 200 units.

Fukuzawa comments: “We are very grateful for the opportunity to work with CT Group, which is one of the three largest and most comprehensive UAV companies in Vietnam and has a large share of the urban development market, especially in Ho Chi Minh City, in providing eVTOL as a new means of mobility infrastructure that to solve modern society issues such as traffic congestion in Vietnam. It will be our honor to contribute to further social development in Vietnam.”

Tran Kim Chung, CT Group President, states: “We recognize the importance of leveraging its accumulated expertise and technological capabilities in infrastructure development, as well as the development of cutting-edge technologies such as drones and AI. We expect to contribute to the general development of Vietnam on the global market.”

SkyDrive was formally established in July 2018 after testing flying car concepts and prototypes from 2014.