Eve Co-CEO: Certification May Not Happen by 2026

Andre Stein, the co-CEO of Embraer subsidiary Eve Air Mobility, has conceded that the company’s eVTOL currently in development may not be certified by 2026. 

During an Embraer briefing in Portugal, Stein said 2026 was the year considered most plausible when the electric aircraft started being built. “We started with the date we believe is most possible,” he said. 

The company aims to build a prototype of its eVTOL in the second half of 2023 before test flying it in 2024 and targeting certification and eventually bringing the aircraft to market. However, given the hurdles that need to be cleared, it remains to be seen if Eve can stay on track with its current certification timeline.

Eve is not the only company facing this predicament, Stein added, pointing out that many other eVTOL manufacturers have made the hard decision to push back their certification timeframes. 

Despite the potential setback, Stein insisted Eve has continued to work closely with Brazil’s National Civil Aviation Agency of Brazil (ANAC) and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) in the U.S. 

The company has “been engaged with regulators since the beginning (of the program),” he said. “Safety comes first. We’re deeply engaged with ANAC, and we have regular conversations with the FAA. Our engagement with ANAC is very positive and we have their undivided attention. We’re not fighting with other aircraft developers in Brazil. We believe we are in a good pace with the regulatory authorities.”

Even though there is a possibility Eve may have to postpone its certification timetable, Stein feels the company has the upper hand over other eVTOL firms. 

“Hell yeah, we do have an advantage,” he insisted. “We’ve seen big players trying to certify and failing. Having a cohesive group of engineers, access to IT, and tools, it gives us an advantage. Finally, the grownups are in the room. It’s an ambitious timeline. But we have a much better understanding of the process. Our peers weren’t expecting certification to be so complicated.”

Once the certification road has been crossed, Eve will have to start mass producing eVTOLs, which will spell the need for a manufacturing facility. Stein wants the construction to take place in Brazil initially before opening another facility elsewhere. 

He added that the company will leverage the current technology in existence rather than wait for further breakthroughs and innovations. 

“We’re ramping up,” he said. “We’re not waiting for a magic battery or magic composite (materials). We’re doing our math on existing technology.”

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