<(From the left) Michael Duffy, Vice President of Product Development of EPS, Nathan Millecam, President & CEO of EPS, Jinmo Lee, Chief Product Officer of Plana, Kyoungseok Oh, Product Lead of Plana>
On 27th October 2022, Plana, a Hybrid eVTOL company based in South Korea, announced the LOI (Letter of Intent) contract with Electric Power Systems (EPS) for its battery system. Based on the contract, Plana will deploy EPS’ battery system for its commercial Hybrid eVTOL aircraft, which targets commercialization in 2028.
EPS is a leading global electric powertrain supplier in the aviation industry, having NASA, FAA, Boeing, Safran, and Supernal as their list of customers. They supply their electric powertrain system to X-57, Boeing’s CAV (Cargo Air Vehicle), Bell Helicopter’s hybrid AAM aircraft ‘Bell Nexus),’ and so on.
Plana, founded in July 2021, is the sole Hybrid eVTOL startup in Korea. Plana develops hybrid eVTOL aircraft, which carries 4 to 6 passengers with one pilot with a cruising speed of 300 km/h (maximum 350 km/h) and flight range of more than 500km.
Plana plans to finish the pure battery-based eVTOL subscale test this year and introduce a 700kg weight half-scale model next year. Plana plans to launch a branch office in the United States for closer communication and starting the certification process with FAA, and to participate in the Korean Grand Challenge UAM demonstration project organized by Korea Mistry of Land, Infrastructure, and Transport (MOLIT).
Braden J. Kim, CEO of Plana, said: “it is quite a meaningful moment for Plana to contract LOI with EPS, which established its reputation in the electric aviation industry for its expertise and reliable system.”
Now, Plana is accelerating its AAM business with strong R&D manpower consisting of talents from the aerospace industry, such as Airbus, Collins Aerospace, Turkish Aerospace Industries, Korea Aerospace Industries, and from the automotive industry, such as Hyundai Motor Company, Honda Motor Company, Mando, Autoliv, and Valeo.