Hyundai and Top Flight partner
- November 15, 2018
- Posted by: Simon Wait
- Category: Industry News
Hyundai announced a strategic partnership with Top Flight Technologies, a start-up in hybrid-electric unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) technologies.
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. Potential areas for business development include cargo transport, inspection services and surveillance missions for industrial sites.
Top Flight’s proprietary hybrid-electric power system is instrumental in developing optimized solutions for UAV-centred business models. 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.
Hyundai also seeks to enhance its existing operations with the application of drone products and technologies ― 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 Hyundai’s future business,’ said John Suh, vice president of Hyundai CRADLE. ‘Hyundai Motor continues to invest in companies that develop disruptive technologies that are in-line with Hyundai’s current and future strategic thinking.’
‘Hyundai Motor Company’s investment in Top Flight confirms its commitment to autonomous vehicles and mobility solutions, whether on the road or in the air,’ commented Long Phan, CEO, Top Flight Technologies. ‘We fully believe that Hyundai’s world-class assembly and automation capabilities will help spur the production and deployment of aerospace-grade UAVs, more efficiently than ever.’
