Hyundai partners with Top Flight UAV start-up to drive mobility to new heights
Hyundai Motor Company has announced a strategic partnership with Top Flight Technologies, Inc., a leading start-up in hybrid-electric unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) technologies, as part of its broader effort to cement leadership in future mobility solutions.
Hyundai will team up with the Boston-based start-up to explore ways to accelerate the commercial application and deployment of UAVs across various sectors and markets. Joint efforts will extend to cultivating new business opportunities around UAVs, leveraging Top Flightโs patented hybrid-electric power system. Potential areas for business development include cargo transport, inspection services and surveillance missions for industrial sites.
Top Flightโs proprietary hybrid-electric power system is instrumental in developing optimized solutions for UAV-cantered business models, as it allows for extended flight times and heavier payloads for commercial use. Drones powered by the Top Flight™ Micro Generator Hybrid Power System can stay airborne for up to two hours, while carrying a load of four kilograms. The American start-up also offers an array of scalable UAV solutions, most notably โ3D Real-time Simulation Environment & Fleet Management Systemโ which provides agile product development tools and the โRemote Location Operation Consoleโ that enables simultaneous operation of multiple UAV units.
Hyundai also seeks to enhance its existing operations with the application of drone products and technologies โ particularly high-definition (HD) mapping and operations and management (O&M) services.
“In addition to solving the challenges of longer-duration flight for quadcopters, Top Flight is developing the technologies needed to enable new solutions in aerial logistics and mapping which could be useful in Hyundaiโs future business,โ said John Suh, Vice President of Hyundai CRADLE at Hyundai Motor Company. โHyundai Motor continues to invest in companies that develop disruptive technologies that are in-line with Hyundaiโs current and future strategic thinking.โ
โHyundai Motor Companyโs investment in Top Flight confirms its commitment to autonomous vehicles and mobility solutions, whether on the road or in the air,โ commented Dr. Long Phan, CEO, Top Flight Technologies.ย โWe fully believe that Hyundaiโs world-class assembly and automation capabilities will help spur the production and deployment of aerospace-grade UAVs, more efficiently than ever.”
Hyundaiโs partnership with Top Flight is another example of the companyโs continuous efforts to advance its โOpen Innovationโ strategy, which aims to drive innovation that will enhance the companyโs foothold in the future mobility market. From technologies such as autonomous driving and artificial intelligence, to ride-sharing and things in-between, Hyundai Motor is building a network of industry leaders that will contribute to enhancing peopleโs lives through the development of innovative mobility services.
Founded in 2014, Top Flight Technologies specializes in hybrid-electric power systems and fully autonomous technologies for UAVs. The company boasts a long list of world-renowned partners across aerospace, transportation, agriculture, and many other industries.
The global UAV (commonly referred to as โdronesโ) market, is growing at a fast pace, expected to garner $22.1 billion by 2026.
