Rolls-Royce and Hyundai Motor Group are collaborating to lead the Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) market and the sustainable aviation industry by providing battery power and fuel cell power solutions to the Urban Air Mobility (UAM) and Regional Air Mobility (RAM) markets.

Rolls-Royce and Hyundai Motor Group announced on the 18th at the Farnborough Airshow in the UK that they have unveiled a cooperation plan to provide fully electric propulsion systems and hydrogen fuel cell technology to the future air mobility (AAM) market.

Hydrogen fuel cell systems for all-electric aircraft propulsion systems are zero-emission and low-noise onboard power sources that enable extended flight range and expanded power supply, and are expected to be valuable in the carbon-neutral and sustainable aviation industry.

The five strategic objectives of the agreement are: △cooperation on power and propulsion system technology development and requirements of Hyundai Motor’s Future Aviation Mobility Headquarters; △cooperation on the industrialization of Rolls-Royce’s power and propulsion systems for the future aviation mobility market; △development of electric propulsion systems based on hydrogen fuel cells as an energy source for Hyundai Motor’s regional aviation mobility platforms; and △utilizing the jointly developed fuel cell electric propulsion systems in various Cooperation in launching into the future aviation mobility market, joint demonstration of fuel cell-based electric aircraft by 2025, etc.

Hyundai Motor said it plans to introduce hydrogen fuel cells, storage devices, and infrastructure to the aerospace market and develop this technology for Hyundai’s regional air mobility and Rolls-Royce’s all-electric and hybrid electric propulsion systems.

Last year, Rolls-Royce presented a plan to move toward carbon neutrality by supporting the carbon neutrality of new products by 2030. It stated that electrification technology is one way Rolls-Royce can contribute to achieving decarbonization in key sectors of the global economy.

Meanwhile, Hyundai Motor Group announced a future air mobility business roadmap earlier this year, including urban and regional air mobility sectors, to provide eco-friendly air mobility solutions.

Supernal, a UAM company in the U.S., aims to launch commercial urban air mobility services in the U.S. by 2028, and Hyundai Motor Group added that it plans to launch regional air mobility services in the 2030s.

“We are pleased to be able to accelerate the development of hydrogen fuel cell propulsion systems by leveraging Rolls-Royce’s expertise in aviation and certification through this agreement. Hyundai Motor has successfully supplied hydrogen fuel cell systems to the global automotive market and is currently reviewing the technical feasibility of integrating electric and hydrogen propulsion systems into the aerospace sector.” “We believe this technology will be a key technology supporting the global aviation industry’s goal of achieving carbon neutrality by 2050,” they stated.

Rob Watson, President of Rolls-Royce’s Electrification Business Unit, said, “We are very pleased to have this valuable opportunity to collaborate with Hyundai Motor Group to leverage and advance each company’s capabilities built in the aerospace and automotive sectors. The future air mobility market holds significant commercial potential, and this collaboration will support both companies’ shared goal of leading the future air mobility market. It will also serve as another example of Rolls-Royce’s key role in providing solutions that realize sustainable travel for passengers and contribute to achieving carbon neutrality by 2050.”