SkyDrive

SkyDrive Inc. is a Japanese startup that was founded as a spin-off from volunteer company Cartivator in 2018. SkyDrive develops and manufactures cargo drones and eVTOL aircraft. SkyDrive aims to make eVTOL aircraft safer, requiring lesser infrastructure, and being less costly and noisy compared to conventional aircraft while also making eVTOL aircraft easily accessible in the future for daily transportation in Japan and globally.

SkyDrive developed its first eVTOL demonstrator prototype, the SD-03, and conducted its first public demonstration flight in Japan in August 2020. SkyDrive then unveiled the SD-03 at the 2022 International Consumer Electronics Show (CES). The company first revealed the design of its commercial model flying car SkyDrive SD-05 or SKYDRIVE in September 2022. The SD-05 commenced production in March 2024 at Sky Works, a subsidiary formed by Suzuki Motor Corporation and SkyDrive.

The SKYDRIVE, designed for cargo and passenger transport, is a fully electric eVTOL capable of reaching 62 miles per hour with a maximum range of ~25 miles and can carry a pilot and two passengers. The SKYDRIVE uses a Distributed Electric Propulsion (DEP) system with 12 propellers, ensuring safety, where other propellers can land the eVTOL should one or more propellers fail to operate. The SKYDRIVE is claimed to produce 65 decibels being less noisier than helicopters or cars, to be half the weight of a helicopter, and contains one-tenth of the parts used in a helicopter.

As part of its efforts to expand to the US in November 2023, the company established a subsidiary, SkyDrive America Inc., in Beaufort, South Carolina. In June 2024, SkyDrive announced its Type Certification application was accepted by the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) so that it would be able to offer its SD-05 aircraft for commercial use in the US. SkyDrive plans to officially debut the SKYDRIVE eVTOL at the Expo 2025 in Osaka, Japan and expects to launch its eVTOL services across the US and Japan by 2030.

Key customers and partnerships

SkyDrive partnered with Volatus Infrastructure in September 2022, aiming to support each other in their expansion goals where Volatus would enable SkyDrive’s eVTOL services in the US and SkyDrive would support Volatus’s expansion into Japan.

In September 2023, SkyDrive partnered with the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) to explore ways to evaluate and reduce the noise produced by eVTOL aircraft. In November 2023, it partnered with the Okayama Kurashiki Mizushima Aero & Space Industry Cluster Study Group (MASC) to develop the eVTOL sector in Japan’s Setouchi Islands. In November 2023, SkyDrive also partnered with the Kansai Electric Power Company (KEPCO) to set up eVTOL charging stations and vertiports in Osaka, Kansai. The company partnered with Osaka Metro in August 2024 to conduct a feasibility study on integrating eVTOL aircraft in Osaka with common modes of daily transportation.

In January 2024, SkyDrive partnered with two Indian companies, technological and engineering solutions producer Cyient and Marut Drones, an agricultural machinery manufacturer. Cyient would expand SkyDrive’s efforts by advancing the development, engineering, and manufacturing of eVTOL aircraft. The MoU with Marut Drones was to explore networks, engage with authorities and infrastructure, as well as to support SkyDrive in gaining certifications for test flights and commercial operations in India.

In March 2024, SkyDrive signed an agreement with Bravo Air, a US private air charter operator, for a purchase order of five of its SD-05 aircraft and to expand into Georgia by establishing air taxi networks. The company announced in July 2024 that it partnered with subsidiaries of Thai conglomerate Saha Group to explore use cases of eVTOL and to help reduce traffic congestion and environmental pollution in Thailand. In July 2024, SkyDrive also partnered with JR Kyushu Railway Company, aiming to conduct feasibility studies for eVTOL air taxis in Kyushu and to explore integrating air taxis with Kyushu's railway services.