Supernal, the advanced air mobility subsidiary of Korean carmaker Hyundai, has opened its new engineering headquarters in Irvine, California, the company announced Tuesday. This facility is where Supernal will conduct the bulk of the development work for its four-passenger SA-1 eVTOL air taxi, which the company plans to have certified and in service by 2028. 

More than 200 people now work at Supernal’s Irvine locations, which include the new 105,000-square-foot office building and a separate 80,000-square-foot satellite test and evaluation site. With the opening of the new engineering office, Supernal says it now has the capacity to expand its Irvine-based workforce to 500 employees, and it aims to hire at least 100 people by the end of the year. 

“The key to realizing the potential of advanced air mobility hinges on leveraging exceptional tech talent, making Irvine the prime location for our engineering headquarters,” said Jaiwon Shin, CEO of Supernal and president of Hyundai Motor Group. “This strategic location enables us to expand our rapidly growing team of industry experts in aerospace, automotive, and deep-tech. Together, we are poised to redefine transportation and shape the future of Advanced Air Mobility.”

The new engineering headquarters is the first of three new facilities that Supernal intends to open this year. It also plans to open a policy and commercial hub in Washington, D.C., and a primary research and development facility in Fremont, California, which is part of Silicon Valley.

In June, Supernal named a cohort of multiple suppliers and manufacturing partners who will support its efforts to bring the SA-1 to market in 2028. These companies include the following: GKN Aerospace (electrical wiring and interconnection system); Qarbon Aerospace (thermoplastic carbon-composite components); and Umbra Group (motor control electronics and actuators). Other key program partners include Honeywell, which is supplying its Anthem avionics suite, BAE Systems for flight controls, and EP Systems for batteries.

Supernal is also working on a hydrogen-powered eSTOL version of the vehicle, which would have much longer range of up to around 1,000 kilometers (621 miles). The SA-1 eVTOL aircraft is expected to have a maximum range of around 60 miles.