The Kansai Electric Power Company (KEPCO) and Vertical Aerospace Group have signed a Memorandum Of Understanding (MOU) to cooperate on the Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) opportunity, and will establish a joint working group to study, define and research electric chargers and infrastructure; charging standards in Japan; and other relevant markets in Asia.
“Vertical Aerospace is a manufacturer headquartered in Bristol, UK, and is designing a 1 pilot, 4 passenger seat eVTOL to aircraft safety design standards under SC-VTOL, with a target certification with the UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) by the end of 2026. Vertical Aerospace aims to fly the eVTOL (VX4) at the Asaka Kansai Expo in 2025” according to the press release.
“Vertical Aerospace will mainly coordinate specification design requirements for charging facilities for the eVTOL, while KEPCO will develop DC fast chargers; battery cooling systems; energy management systems; etc. based on this information.
“The knowledge and results obtained from this project will be used for flying eVTOLs at the Asaka Kansai Expo and for their subsequent social implementation in Japan and other Asian countries.
“Through this business alliance, KEPCO will accelerate the development of charging facilities tailored for eVTOLs.”
For more information
https://www.kepco.co.jp/english/
(Image: Vertical Aerospace)