Supernal, Hyundai’s urban air mobility subsidiary, has officially opened its research and development facility in Fremont, California, the company announced Thursday. Located right on the edge of Silicon Valley, the 72,000-sq-ft facility is dedicated to the advancement of batteries, autonomous systems, and other technologies that will enable electric air travel and urban air mobility. 

“Batteries are the linchpin of advanced air mobility and critical to powering the next generation of flight, which we see as everyday electric air travel,” said Jaiwon Shin, president of Hyundai Motor Group and CEO of Supernal. “Fremont, with its vibrant tech ecosystem, offers a robust talent pool that will enable Supernal to continue advancing the power and energy capabilities of safe aviation-grade batteries.”

Supernal is working to certify a four-passenger eVTOL air taxi by 2028. While the aircraft will initially have pilots on board, the company is also developing autonomous flight technology that it hopes will someday enable remotely piloted air taxi operations. 

More than 100 employees are already working at Supernal’s Fremont facility, and the company says it intends to hire another 20 engineers there this year. Specifically, Supernal says it is “seeking engineers with experience in autonomy, battery development, and intelligent systems.” Open positions are listed on Supernal’s website. 

Supernal's Fremont facility is the third location the company has opened this year. In July, Supernal announced the opening of its engineering headquarters in Irvine, California, where most of the development work for the company’s eVTOL aircraft is taking place. Then in August, it opened a policy hub in Washington, D.C., to oversee commercial operations and regulations.