Nidec and Embraer form JV for electric propulsion systems for aircraft
Japanese electric motor manufacturer Nidec and Brazilian aircraft manufacturer Embraer announced a joint venture to develop electric propulsion systems for the aviation industry in the second half of 2023.
The new company will be called Nidec Aerospace. Nidec will own 51 per cent and Embraer the remaining 49 per cent. Its headquarters will be in St. Louis, Missouri, USA. The joint venture will initially develop and manufacture a propulsion system for eVTOLs and then pursue the goal of providing this system for other aircraft. Nidec Aerospace’s launch customer will be Embraer-owned eVTOL manufacturer Eve Air Mobility.
The joint venture is still subject to the usual regulatory and internal approvals. Both sides expect the transaction to be completed in the second half of the year. Incidentally, the JV’s headquarters are located at the office of Nidec Motor Corporation in St. Louis. The parent company Nidec Corporation is based in Kyoto, Japan. Both Nidec and Embraer intend to support the future joint venture from their existing offices in Brazil and Mexico.
“We are proud to be partnered with Embraer, and are confident that Nidec Aerospace will spearhead the electrification of aircraft with our shared drive, complementary expertise, and wide breadth of technical and manufacturing capabilities,” says Michael Briggs, Senior Vice President and President of the Motion & Energy Business Unit at Nidec.
“Innovation is our future growth driver and a key pillar of our strategic plan. That’s why I’m extremely excited about this strategic partnership with Nidec to develop agnostics solutions for aerospace sector,” says Francisco Gomes Neto, President and CEO of Embraer. “Demand for electric propulsion systems is growing exponentially in the aerospace sector, and we are very confident that Nidec and Embraer together can accelerate the development of advanced products to enable the future of sustainable aviation.”
The launch customer will be – as mentioned above – Embraer spinoff Eve. The company has already won several orders in the past two years – including from Halo Aviation and Helisul Aviation, as well as Aviair and HeliSpirit. In October 2021, Eve also announced a cooperation with Avantto to develop an urban air mobility ecosystem for Latin America.
The company’s eVTOL is a four-seater that will initially be manually controlled but will also be able to fly autonomously in the future. Further details about the air taxi are not yet known.
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