UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
FORM
(Mark One)
|
ANNUAL REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934 |
For the fiscal year ended
or
|
TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934 |
For the transition period from to
Commission File No.
(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter) |
|
|
(State or other jurisdiction of |
(I.R.S. Employer |
| |
(Address of Principal Executive Offices, including zip code) |
(Registrant’s telephone number, including area code)
Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:
|
|
|
|
|
Title of each class |
|
Trading Symbol(s) |
|
Name of each exchange on which registered |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Indicate by check mark if the registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act. Yes
Indicate by check mark if the registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Exchange Act. Yes
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically every Interactive Data File required to be submitted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§ 232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit such files). Yes
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, a smaller reporting company, or an emerging growth company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer,” “smaller reporting company,” and “emerging growth company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.
Large accelerated filer |
☐ |
|
☒ |
Non-accelerated filer |
☐ |
Smaller reporting company |
|
|
|
Emerging growth company |
|
If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act.
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has filed a report on and attestation to its management’s assessment of the effectiveness of its internal control over financial reporting under Section 404(b) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (15 U.S.C. 7262(b)) by the registered public accounting firm that prepared or issued its audit report.
If securities are registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act, indicate by check mark whether the financial statements of the registrant included in the filing reflect the correction of an error to previously issued financial statements.
Indicate by check mark whether any of those error corrections are restatements that required a recovery analysis of incentive-based compensation received by any of the registrant’s executive officers during the relevant recovery period pursuant to §240.10D-1(b). ☐
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act): Yes
The aggregate market value of the registrant’s common stock outstanding, other than shares held by persons who may be deemed affiliates of the registrant, computed as of June 30, 2023 (the last business day of the registrant’s most recently completed second fiscal quarter), was approximately $
As of March 8, 2024, there were
DOCUMENTS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE
The information required by Part III of this Report, to the extent not set forth herein, is incorporated herein by reference from the registrant’s definitive proxy statement relating to the annual meeting of stockholders to be held in 2024, which definitive proxy statement shall be filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission within 120 days after the end of the fiscal year to which this Report relates.
EVE HOLDING, INC.
(FORMERLY EVE UAM, LLC)
This Annual Report on Form 10-K contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. All statements other than statements of historical facts contained in this Annual Report on Form 10-K, including, without limitation, statements under “Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” regarding our financial position, business strategy and the plans and objectives of management for future operations. In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements because they contain words such as “anticipate,” “believe,” “contemplate,” “continue,” “could,” “estimate,” “expect,” “hope,” “intend,” “may,” “might,” “objective,” “ongoing,” “plan,” “potential,” “predict,” “project,” “should,” “target,” “will,” or “would” or similar terms or expressions or the negative thereof., but the absence of these words does not mean that a statement is not forward-looking.
The forward-looking statements contained in this Annual Report on Form 10-K are based on our current expectations and beliefs concerning future developments and their potential effects on us. There can be no assurance that future developments affecting us will be those that we have anticipated. These forward-looking statements involve a number of risks, uncertainties (some of which are beyond our control) or other assumptions that may cause actual results or performance to be materially different from those expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, the following risks, uncertainties and other factors:
• | our ability to raise financing in the future; |
• | the impact of the regulatory environment and complexities with compliance related to such environment, including changes in applicable laws or regulations; |
• | our ability to maintain an effective system of internal control over financial reporting; |
• | our ability to grow market share in our existing markets or any new markets we may enter; |
• | our ability to respond to general economic conditions; |
• | the impact of foreign currency, interest rate, exchange rate and commodity price fluctuations; |
• | our ability to manage our growth effectively; |
• | our ability to achieve and maintain profitability in the future; |
• | our ability to access sources of capital to finance operations and growth; |
• | the success of our strategic relationships with third parties; |
• | our ability to successfully develop, certify and commercialize our planned Urban Air Mobility solutions; |
• | competition from other manufacturers and operators of electrical vertical take-off and landing vehicles and other methods of air or ground transportation; |
• | various environmental requirements; |
• | retention or recruitment of executive and senior management and other key employees; |
• | reliance on services to be provided by Embraer and other third parties; and |
• | other risks and uncertainties described in this Annual Report on Form 10-K, including those under “Risk Factors” |
The list above is not intended to be an exhaustive list of all of our forward-looking statements. Our forward-looking statements are based on information available as of the date of this Annual Report on Form 10-K and current expectations, forecasts and assumptions, and involve a number of judgments, risks and uncertainties. While we believe these expectations, forecasts, assumptions and judgments are reasonable, our forward-looking statements are only predictions and involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond our control. Accordingly, forward-looking statements should not be relied upon as representing our views as of any subsequent date, and we do not undertake any obligation to update forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date they were made, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as may be required under applicable securities laws.
References in this Annual Report on Form 10-K (this “Annual Report”) to “we,” “us,” “our” or the “Company” are to Eve Holding, Inc. or the consolidated entity, in certain contexts. References to our “management” or our “management team” refer to our officers and directors.
Overview
Eve Holding, Inc., a Delaware corporation, is an aerospace company with operations in Melbourne, Florida and Brazil. The Company is a former blank check company incorporated on November 19, 2020, under the name Zanite Acquisition Corp. (“Zanite”) as a Delaware corporation that was formed for the purpose of effecting a merger, capital stock exchange, asset acquisition, stock purchase, reorganization or similar business combination with one or more businesses.
We are a leading developer of next-generation Urban Air Mobility (“UAM”) solutions. We are developing a comprehensive UAM solution that includes: the design and production of electric vertical take-off and landing vehicles (“eVTOLs”); a portfolio of maintenance and support services focused on our and third-party eVTOLs; and a new Urban Air Traffic Management system designed to allow eVTOLs to operate safely and efficiently in dense urban airspace alongside conventional aircraft and drones. We believe we are uniquely positioned to develop, certify and commercialize our UAM solution on a global scale given our aviation heritage, our strategic relationship with Embraer S.A., a Brazilian corporation (“sociedade anonima”) (“ERJ”), our technology and intellectual property portfolio and the experience of our management team and employees, among other factors.
Our eVTOL has successfully completed important development steps, including engineering simulations, subscale test flights, wind tunnel tests and full-scale ground tests, which have enhanced the technological capability and maturity of our eVTOL. We currently expect to reach entry-into-service in the latter half of 2026. We have also begun validating simulations of our fleet operations services model in Brazil, working with partners and utilizing conventional helicopters, to better understand the needs of passengers, partners and community stakeholders that will benefit from our mobility services. We have also engaged with aviation organizations in various cities including Melbourne, Australia; Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; London, United Kingdom; Chicago, Illinois; and Miami, Florida, to develop and simulate a concept of operation (“CONOPS”) to help inform the development of our Urban Air Traffic Management (“UATM”) solution.
We plan to market our eVTOLs globally to operators of UAM services, including fixed-wing and helicopter operators, as well as lessors that purchase and manage aircraft on behalf of operators. In addition, we plan to engage with operators of ridesharing platforms to secure committed hours of operation for our eVTOLs. To date, we have established an initial order pipeline of 2,850 vehicles valued at $8.6 billion from 29 launch customers. Our initial order pipeline is based on non-binding agreements and therefore subject to material change, consistent with common aviation practices. We do not plan to hold eVTOLs on our own balance sheet and instead plan to establish partnerships to offer solutions to operating partners. We expect to offer eVTOL service and support capabilities to UAM fleet operators, and we plan to offer our UATM systems primarily to air navigation service providers, fleet operators and vertiport operators.
Business Combination
On December 21, 2021, Zanite entered into a Business Combination Agreement (the “BCA”) with ERJ, Embraer Aircraft Holding, Inc., a Delaware corporation (“EAH”) wholly owned by ERJ, and EVE UAM, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company (“Eve Sub”), a former subsidiary of EAH, that was formed for purposes of conducting the UAM Business (as defined in the BCA).
On May 9, 2022, Zanite, our legal predecessor company and a special purpose acquisition company, consummated the previously announced business combination with Eve UAM, LLC (“Eve”), ERJ and Embraer Aircraft Holding, Inc., a Delaware corporation and a wholly owned subsidiary of Embraer (“EAH”). Pursuant to the business combination, EAH contributed and transferred to Zanite all of the limited liability company interests of Eve held by it in exchange for the issuance to EAH of 220,000,000 shares of common stock of Zanite, and Eve became a wholly owned subsidiary of Zanite. Zanite simultaneously changed its name from “Zanite Acquisition Corp.” to “Eve Holding, Inc.” The business combination was approved by Zanite’s stockholders at a meeting held on May 6, 2022.
Pursuant to the terms of the BCA, dated as of December 21, 2021, by and among Eve, ERJ, EAH, and Zanite, the business combination was effected in three steps, as follows:
1. | The Pre-Closing Restructuring: ERJ effected a series of transactions that resulted in certain assets and liabilities related to the UAM Business (as defined in the BCA) being owned by Eve and its subsidiaries in exchange for the issuance to ERJ of a number of limited liability company interests of Eve. In connection with such contribution of the UAM Business, ERJ transferred all of the Eve interests held by it to EAH in exchange for the issuance of shares of common stock and non-voting preferred stock of EAH. | |
2. | The Preferred Stock Sale: ERJ sold to an unaffiliated investor all such shares of EAH non-voting preferred stock for an aggregate purchase price of $9,973,750. | |
3. | The Equity Exchange : At the closing of the business combination, EAH contributed and transferred to the Company all of the Eve interests held by it in exchange for the issuance to EAH of 220,000,000 shares of common stock. |
As of the open of trading on May 10, 2022, our common stock and public warrants began trading on the NYSE under the symbols “EVEX” and “EVEXW,” respectively.
Development of the Urban Air Mobility Market
We believe demand for urban air mobility services is being driven primarily by urbanization, increasing traffic congestion and the development of autonomous mobility technologies. The majority of the world’s population lives in urban settings, and we expect urban populations to continue growing, creating a pressing need for new urban transportation solutions. In addition, traffic congestion imposes a significant cost on society in terms of lost productivity, fuel costs and greenhouse gas emissions, and we believe communities will look to air travel for relief from frustrating and costly traffic jams. Finally, we believe that advances in autonomous technologies in ground vehicles will help to pave the way for autonomous air travel in the future.
Global initiatives to reduce carbon emissions are driving a trend towards electrification in transportation, creating favorable conditions for UAM development. Transportation is a substantial contributing factor to greenhouse gas emissions in the United States, and fuel costs for both automobiles and aircraft have been increasing steadily in recent years. Objectives to reduce carbon emissions and save fuel costs are driving rapid growth in electrified vehicles. In connection with growth in electric and plug-in hybrid electric vehicle sales, rapid advancements in battery technologies used in the automotive sector have the potential to open new applications for electrification in the aviation sector, such as eVTOLs.
Development of the UAM market is also being fueled by a recognition of a compelling consumer value proposition – namely the ability to reduce transit times with a mobility service that is priced competitively with ground transportation alternatives. According to a consumer assessment study that we conducted in 2020, 89% of the over 14,000 consumers we surveyed indicated they would utilize UAM services frequently (either daily, weekly or monthly). In addition, 83% of the consumers we surveyed indicated they would be willing to pay a price premium of at least 1.5x over a taxi service to save commuting time by using UAM services.
UAM services also have the opportunity to address many of the shortcomings of helicopter operations, bringing the benefits of vertical air transportation to mainstream consumers in an affordable, safe and community friendly manner. We currently estimate that our eVTOL design could deliver a 65% savings in direct operating costs compared to conventional helicopters on a piloted basis, and an 85% savings after transitioning to autonomous mode in the future. The operating cost advantage of eVTOLs is expected to translate into affordable ticket prices for general public passengers. In addition, the simplified design and redundant propulsion and electrical systems of eVTOLs are designed to deliver much greater safety levels when compared to helicopters, providing prospective UAM passengers with increased peace of mind. Finally, while helicopters are prohibited from operating near many populated areas due to unacceptable noise generated by their rotors, our eVTOL is being designed with the goal of generating up to a 90% lower noise footprint compared to helicopters, opening the door for vertiports to be conveniently located within urban settings.
The aforementioned factors are expected to contribute to the development of a new Urban Air Mobility ecosystem, resulting in a significant, new global market opportunity.
UAM Execution Requirements
The magnitude of the UAM market opportunity has led to a significant wave of investments from a wide array of industry participants, including aviation incumbents and new, emerging providers. However, industry analysts expect the UAM market will ultimately be led by a more select group of participants, much like the traditional commercial aviation industry. We believe the following factors are essential ingredients to success in the emerging UAM market.
Optimal Aircraft Design. There are a number of eVTOL design configurations currently being pursued, each with trade-offs in terms of performance characteristics, reliability, cost efficiency and ease of certification. For example, tilt rotor designs are optimized for speed and range, but introduce complexities that can make the vehicle more challenging to certify and operate reliably. Multi-rotor aircraft are the simplest to certify, but have an extremely reduced payload and range due to their slow speed and battery consumption. Alternatively, the “lift plus cruise” configuration that we have chosen strikes an ideal balance between performance and operating costs, with a simple design that is easy to maintain and straightforward to certify. Given the substantial investment required to develop and validate eVTOL designs, choosing the right vehicle design for the intended mission is a critical decision that would be extremely difficult for UAM providers to alter in the future.
Certification Experience. Before any aircraft can operate commercially, providers must receive vehicle type certification from the relevant aviation regulatory authorities. This certification process is extremely complicated, time consuming and challenging, even for well-established aircraft developers. Having experience with the certification process and relationships with the regulatory agencies is, therefore, a key advantage for any UAM participant. But type certification is just one step in the evolution of any aircraft program. Developers must also obtain production certification that authorizes the manufacture of aircraft under the type certificate. This critical step requires a robust quality control system capable of ensuring that each aircraft produced conforms to the approved design.
Solution Breadth. UAM is an entirely new market, so it is not enough for industry participants to simply design and manufacture an eVTOL. Leading providers will also need to offer a comprehensive solution, either alone or with partners, that addresses fleet operations, maintenance and support, air traffic management systems and ground-based landing and charging infrastructure, among other elements.
Ability to Scale Globally. UAM is expected to be a global market, with many of the largest markets for UAM services expected to develop outside of North America. For this reason, successful UAM participants will need to have a worldwide presence and extensive capabilities to serve customers and partners wherever they operate.
Financial Strength. Given the capital-intensive nature of the UAM industry, successful participants must have access to sufficient investment capital to grow and expand their operations in advance of expected future revenues and profits. In addition, building a healthy order pipeline will be essential for UAM providers to give customers, partners, investors and other stakeholders confidence in their future prospects.
Our Business Model
We are developing a comprehensive solution that is expected to address each of the major elements required to make UAM services a reality. Key elements of our solution include the following:
eVTOL Production and Design. We are developing an eVTOL that is optimized for the UAM mission. Our eVTOL employs a lift plus cruise design that features eight redundant rotors that provide lift for takeoff, hover and landing, along with a separate forward propulsion system and fixed wing that enables efficient and quiet cruising. Our eVTOL is designed to initially accommodate four passengers and a pilot, with the expected ability to transport up to six passengers without a pilot once autonomous capabilities are introduced. Based on an analysis conducted in collaboration with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, we expect the range of our eVTOL (100 km at entry into service) will enable us to address 99% of UAM missions within cities and metropolitan areas. Our eVTOL is currently in its development phase with an expected entry into service in the latter half of 2026.
Service and Operations Solutions. We plan to offer a full suite of eVTOL service and support capabilities, including material services, maintenance, technical support, training, ground handling and data services. Our services will be offered on an agnostic basis – supporting both our eVTOL and those produced by third parties. We expect to leverage the global support network of ERJ to deploy our eVTOL services in an efficient, cost-effective and scalable manner. We recognize that vehicle support services are a vital element to enable UAM services to operate effectively and safely, and that high-quality and responsive support is a key purchasing consideration for our targeted customers.
Urban Air Traffic Management. We are developing a next-generation UATM system to enable eVTOLs to operate safely and efficiently in dense urban airspace along with conventional fixed wing and rotary aircraft and unmanned drones. Our UATM software platform is being developed in partnership with Atech-Negócios em Tecnologias S.A., a Brazilian corporation (sociedade anônima) and wholly owned subsidiary of ERJ (“Atech”) – developer of the air traffic control system used in Brazil and other global markets. We expect to offer our UATM solution primarily as a subscription software offering to customers that include air navigation service providers, fleet operators and vertiport operators. We are currently validating our UATM approach through CONOPS collaborations with stakeholders in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; London, United Kingdom; Melbourne, Australia; Chicago, Illinois, and Miami, Florida.
We are responsible for designing and delivering each of the three elements of our solutions listed above. However, a portion of these solutions will be developed with ERJ through the Master Service Agreements (“MSA(s)”) and Shared Service Agreement (“SSA”) – (collectively, the “Services Agreements”), which will allow us to deliver our solutions more efficiently and cost-effectively. Through these agreements, ERJ will essentially act as subcontractor to Eve, with Eve remaining ultimately responsible for the Integrated Product Development of the eVTOL. Pursuant to the Services Agreements, we will have access to ERJ’s engineering services, flight test infrastructure, manufacturing resources and established aftermarket network, among other assets, on an as-needed basis at attractive cost-based pricing. In addition, we plan to engage with partners beyond ERJ to assist in delivering our solutions, including our fleet operation services which we plan to design and deliver in collaboration with helicopter and fixed wing operators and ridesharing partners.
As a stand-alone entity, the Company is ultimately responsible for the program management of its planned UAM projects and initiatives, as well as the creation and execution of our business plan.
The Company will also be the face to the customer and, as such, is responsible for all aspects of the business’ sales function, including performing market and user research activities, identifying potential exponential technologies, evaluating consumer insights and analyzing the market forces that impact the UAM ecosystem and its players. Using such insights, the Company is directly responsible for creating a cohesive user experience and ultimately implementing this vision to accelerate the growth of the UAM market and our business.
The Company is also responsible for prospecting and engaging new partners across the eVTOL ecosystem-including infrastructure, energy, platform and assets-as well as identifying business innovation and growth opportunities to generate other products and services ideas that complement our UAM solutions.
Finally, the Company will be the primary point of contact with the applicable airworthiness authorities and will lead the related certification activities. As the holder of the eVTOL Type Certification, the Company will be tasked with maintaining the Type Certification throughout the product life cycle.
To date, our business has not generated any revenue, as we continue to develop our eVTOL vehicles and other UAM solutions. As a result, we will require substantial additional capital to develop products and fund operations for the foreseeable future. Until we can generate any revenue from product sales and services, we expect to finance operations through a combination of existing cash on hand, public offerings, private placements and debt financings. The amount and timing of future funding requirements will depend on many factors, including the pace and results of development efforts.
Our Customers and Partners
We plan to market our eVTOLs globally to operators of UAM services, including fixed wing and helicopter operators, as well as lessors that purchase and manage aircraft on behalf of operators. In addition, we plan to engage with operators of ridesharing platforms to secure committed hours of operation for our eVTOLs. To date, we have established an initial order pipeline of 2,850 vehicles valued at $8.6 billion from 29 launch customers.(1) Our initial order pipeline is based on non-binding agreements, consistent with common aviation practices. As of December 31, 2023, our disclosed eVTOL launch customer list includes the following:
Fixed Wing Operators United Airlines Republic Airways SkyWest GlobalX Sydney Seaplanes |
Helicopter Operators Avantto Bristow Group Halo Aviation Helisul Aviação Nautilus Aviation Omni Helicopters International |
Aircraft Lessors |
Ride Sharing Platforms Blade Urban Air Mobility Blade India Flapper Helipass |
(1) | Our pipeline is based on launch orders (including purchase options) and capacity deals that are non-binding and subject to material change. Capacity deals are converted from annual hourly commitments to vehicles assuming 1,000 hours per vehicle per year. |
We also recognize that scaling a UAM business requires collaboration from partners spanning the entire ecosystem, including those providing critical technology elements, charging infrastructure, vertiports and financing services. As of December 31, 2023, our partner network includes:
Technology BAE Systems |
Renewable Energy Acciona EDP Group Florida Power & Light |
Vertiports |
Financing |
Our Competitive Strengths
We believe the following competitive strengths distinguish us from our competitors and position us for leadership in the developing UAM market:
Optimal Vehicle Design for the Intended Mission. We have chosen a practical and efficient lift plus cruise eVTOL design that features eight rotors for lift, along with a separate forward propulsion system and fixed wing for efficient and quiet cruising. We believe our lift plus cruise configuration provides the range and speed required to address 99% of intra-city and intra-metro missions, with a simple design that avoids complex moving parts like tilt rotors. The simplicity of our design is expected to make our vehicle highly reliable, reducing downtime and maintenance costs. We also expect our eVTOL design to create a clear pathway to achieving Type Certification by utilizing existing fixed wing and rotary aircraft certification criteria.
Proven Aircraft Certification Experience. We were formed as a business of ERJ - a recognized leader in the aviation sector with a 50-year track record of success. ERJ has successfully certified over 30 aircraft models during the past 25 years – the most of any aircraft manufacturer. ERJ has proven its ability to certify new aircraft models on time, on spec and under budget. In addition, ERJ has long-standing relationships with global aviation regulatory agencies, with demonstrated success securing “triple certifications” from the Civil Aviation Agency of Brazil (Agência Nacional de Aviação Civil – “ANAC”), the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (“FAA”) and the European Aviation Safety Agency (“EASA”). We expect to benefit from this history of success, the experience of our team and our strategic partnership with ERJ, which includes support and resources to assist with Type Certification.
Holistic UAM Solution. We have introduced a comprehensive UAM solution that spans three key pillars: eVTOL design and production, eVTOL maintenance and support and UATM systems. Within each of these areas, we believe we have distinct competencies and advantages that uniquely position us for success. By offering a holistic solution, we believe we can accelerate the development of the UAM market, engage UAM stakeholders at a strategic level to help influence the development of the ecosystem and maximize the value we can deliver to our customers and partners. We also believe that our business segments are highly synergistic, so success in one area will fuel growth in other areas.
Strategic Support from ERJ. We believe our relationship with ERJ will allow us to accelerate and de-risk the development of our UAM solution. Through our Services Agreements with ERJ, we will have access to ERJ’s vast resources at specified cost-based rates. We have first-priority access to approximately 5,000 ERJ employees, including 1,600 identified engineers with significant design and aeronautical expertise, with the ability to flex up and flex down resource utilization based on demand. In addition, pursuant to the Services Agreements, we will have a royalty-free license to ERJ’s background intellectual property to be used within the UAM market. We also believe our partnership with ERJ provides us with a significant cost advantage because we can utilize existing resources, such as flight test infrastructure, on an as-needed basis without incurring the cost of a greenfield investment.
Powerful Partner Network. We have built a global partner network that we believe provides us with significant commercial leverage, broad market access, substantial resources and strong validation of our business prospects. Our partner network includes more than two dozen industry leaders spanning fixed wing and rotary operators, ridesharing platform providers, technology specialists, renewable energy providers, ground infrastructure providers and financing partners. Our partner network is also global in scope, providing us with enhanced access to key UAM markets around the world. As we execute our strategic growth plan, we will continue to broaden and deepen our partner ecosystem and operate in an open and collaborative manner.
Significant Revenue Visibility. To date, we have built an order pipeline that consists of 2,850 vehicles valued at $8.6 billion from 29 launch customers based on non-binding agreements. We believe this order pipeline is the largest in the UAM industry in terms of number of vehicles and unique customers. Our order pipeline provides us with a healthy level of revenue visibility, totaling more than our expected aggregate vehicle shipments over our first four years of planned shipments. The strength of our order pipeline gives us confidence in committing the substantial investments required to commercialize our solution and also reflects favorably on the market perception of our UAM solution. We are focused on further expanding our order pipeline through continued engagement with current and prospective customers.
Highly Experienced Management Team and Board. We have assembled a senior leadership team and board of directors with significant levels of experience in the aviation industry. Our CEO, Johann Bordais, led Embraer’s Services & Support business since its foundation in 2016. The rest of our senior leadership team has been handpicked from ERJ to join Eve, after having led more than 30 successful aircraft projects over their careers. The individuals who have joined our Board of Directors include: Luis Carlos Affonso, SVP, Engineering, Technology and Strategy at ERJ; Gerard DeMuro, former Co-CEO of the Company; Michael Amalfitano, CEO of ERJ’s highly successful executive aircraft division; Marion Clifton Blakey, Former CEO of Rolls-Royce North America and Former FAA Administrator; María Cordón, Director of the Strategy & Corporate Development department at Acciona, S.A.; Paul Eremenko, CEO of Universal Hydrogen and Former CTO of Airbus; and Sergio Pedreiro, former Chief Operating Officer of Revlon, Inc. We believe the experience and caliber of our leadership team and Board members is a unique and compelling advantage.
Our Growth Strategy
The following are key pillars of our growth strategy that we believe will enable us to establish a market leading position in the UAM market:
Combine a Startup Mindset with Established Execution Skills. Eve has been established with the goal of providing an ideal combination of the agility and innovation of a technology disrupter with the support and resources of ERJ. As we look to grow and expand our operations, we will seek to leverage this unique culture to attract employees with entrepreneurial styles and arm them with scarce and valuable resources to maximize their effectiveness and impact.
Utilize Hybrid Innovation Approach. Our partnership with ERJ provides us with a vast portfolio of background intellectual property to utilize on a royalty free basis. We will continue to design our solutions by combining the best of these established technologies with our own, proprietary innovations. For example, our eVTOL design leverages proven, fifth generation fly-by-wire systems developed by ERJ, along with a bespoke man-machine interface developed by Eve. This hybrid design approach allows us to accelerate our development roadmaps, leverage proven technologies and focus our engineering resources on the highest value and most differentiated design elements.
Follow Established Development and Certification Practices. As we design and certify our eVTOL, we are leveraging approaches that have been proven by ERJ over the last 50 years. For example, we make extensive use of proof-of-concept vehicles and subscale models to allow us to rapidly iterate and test core building blocks to ensure thoroughly vetted subsystems and avoid costly and time-consuming redesign as the vehicle matures. We are also engaging with ANAC in Brazil as the primary certification authority, with a bilateral agreement with the FAA, as ERJ has done successfully over many years. While the FAA will likely be processing multiple eVTOL applications and vehicle types over the next few years, we expect to benefit from a more singular focus by ANAC.
Leverage Partnerships and Acquisitions. In order to realize the promise of UAM, we believe partnerships will be essential. We plan to leverage our leading partner ecosystem to accelerate our development and commercialization timelines and to create a more complete, end-to-end UAM solution. We also plan to selectively evaluate opportunities for strategic acquisitions to bolster our organic growth strategy, capitalizing on the acquisition experience of our senior leadership team.
Our technology platform combines a holistic eVTOL aircraft designed for high performance, low operating costs, zero local emissions, low acoustic footprint and a high level of safety. Our aircraft design choice was informed by the view that complex mechanisms, such as the ones used in tilting rotors or wing, significantly increase the challenge of vehicle certification, in addition to increasing unit and operational costs. Additionally, there is an impact on the safety level of a vehicle by adopting tilting mechanisms due to the increased number of failure conditions that the vehicle may experience. Considering that eVTOLs are expected to primarily conduct short missions in metropolitan areas, these safety disadvantages outweigh any energy-efficiency benefits offered by tilting mechanisms, in our view. Therefore, we believe the lift plus cruise configuration that we selected, along with other design choices that aim to simplify our eVTOL, provides a high level of safety with an optimal balance of performance and operational cost.
The necessary lift for hover flights of our vehicle is generated by eight rotors that are supplied by redundant energy paths from a high-voltage battery. Having this number of independent rotors provides redundancy so the vehicle can be operated safely in the unlikely event a failure renders a rotor inoperative. During horizontal flight, additional safety is provided by the fixed wings, which enable the vehicle to have an extended range after any unlikely pusher failure. These characteristics are essential to achieving the safety level needed to operate as an urban mobility vehicle.
The performance and operating cost of an eVTOL is largely dictated by battery pack performance. It is important to maximize the energy of the battery pack while meeting power demands at a low state of charge and end of life, have a fast charge capability and ensure a long cycle life. Achievement of these objectives is influenced by the choice of cell chemistries to meet the vehicle’s energy and power needs to perform its mission and by defining a battery architecture that satisfies the vehicle’s requirements in both normal and abnormal operation (i.e. in the case of failures of electrical propulsion components). Additionally, it is essential that the choice of configuration addresses a balance of features well suited for the mission to be performed. This balance contributes to the robustness of the vehicle in a range of situations that might be encountered during flight operations, including variations in temperature, winds, atmospheric disturbances (including from building wakes or other aircraft traffic), route changes or the need to change destination due to landing zone unavailability. A vehicle that demands high power during hover, for example, will have lower capability to handle the unexpected need of a longer holding period before landing.
Another key criteria of an eVTOL for urban mobility is the sound emitted by the vehicle in operation. The distributed propulsion utilized in our vehicle enables us to reduce the rotor blade tip speeds when compared to helicopters. The blade tip speed is the most important parameter associated with sound generation, followed by blade loading. The configuration chosen for our vehicle enables a large rotor area, which in turn, contributes to lower noise levels than configurations with smaller rotor areas. This approach, combined with the use of electric motors, which are dramatically quieter than internal combustion engines, makes our vehicle quieter than helicopters, bringing benefits to the communities where it will be operated, in addition to the passengers themselves. Additionally, our eVTOL performs the cruise portion of the mission with the rotors turned off, while generating lift from the fixed wing, which significantly decreases vehicle noise during this phase of the flight. Finally, rotor impulsivity, an important contributor to helicopter noise, will not be present in our eVTOL noise signature, which is another significant benefit.
Our eVTOL, as with all eVTOLs with distributed propulsion, requires complex fly-by-wire flight control systems to provide control and stability in all phases of flight. These systems must be “closed loop”, meaning that the pilot commands a response from the vehicle and the control system employs the control surfaces at the necessary rate and deflection for that vehicle response to be achieved and maintained while the pilot maintains the command. Eve and ERJ are uniquely positioned to build eVTOL fly-by-wire control systems based on the experience gained through the development and certification of several conventional aircraft employing similar systems. In these projects, ERJ has been able to increase passenger comfort as well as vehicle safety and performance through the use of fly-by-wire control systems, a technology that we will also leverage in our eVTOL development.
Finally, our vehicle will begin its operations with a pilot onboard and is expected to evolve to an autonomous vehicle once the maturity level of the technology of both onboard systems and air traffic management systems support autonomous flights. We believe that initiating operations with a pilot onboard increases safety and robustness in an ecosystem that will be under development with respect to the air traffic management and technology employed in the vehicles. As the technology, vehicle and ecosystem evolve, pilot functions are expected to be gradually assumed by the aircraft systems, decreasing pilot workload until the fully autonomous operation of the vehicle can be executed, both safely and effectively.
Research and Development
We are conducting extensive research and development to produce our eVTOL. Today, a significant portion of our team is focused on the development and testing of our concept vehicles and subsystems. These aircraft and test rigs serve as technology development testbeds to evaluate candidate system architectures and components for our certified production aircraft. Additionally, we are performing research and development on battery systems and other electric powertrain components in order to maximize the performance of the aircraft through lab bench and rig tests. We are also investing significant effort in simulations, including with pilots in the loop in our development simulator.
Manufacturing
To support our manufacturing needs, we have entered into a MSA and a SSA with ERJ and a MSA with Atech, pursuant to which Eve will be able to secure, among other things, manufacturing support and software development services from ERJ and its subsidiaries for an initial term of 15 years with ERJ and 10 years with Atech.
We plan to initially develop our proof-of-concept vehicles, testbeds, simulators and other testing tools in one of ERJ’s existing facilities in Brazil in collaboration with local suppliers. The development and manufacturing of our initial flight-test prototypes and, ultimately, the beginning of our aircraft series production is also expected to take place in one of ERJ’s existing facilities.
As our business grows, we plan to transition the serial manufacturing of our aircraft to our own manufacturing modules. The number of modules in operation will be based on anticipated customer demand. The location of our manufacturing modules will be based on economic factors as well as proximity to customer markets.
Intellectual Property
Our success depends, in part, upon our ability to protect our core technology and material intellectual property. To establish and protect our proprietary rights, we rely on a combination of intellectual property rights (e.g., patents, patent applications, trademarks, copyrights, and trade secrets, including know-how and expertise) and contracts (e.g., license agreements, confidentiality and non-disclosure agreements with third parties, employee and contractor disclosure and invention assignment agreements, and other similar contractual rights).
As of December 31, 2023, we had 38 trademark registrations granted and three trademark applications that are pending, as well as 16 other trademark registrations which are pending in the U.S. and Brazil. Our trademarks are generally renewed at the end of their validity period, which usually runs for ten years from the date of registration. As of December 31, 2023, considering our utility and design patent portfolios, we had filed 30 patent and industry design applications and had been granted nine patents and ten designs primarily related to eVTOL vehicle technology, such as rotor configurations, cruise rotor control for performance and safety, and a flight control solution.
We regularly review our development efforts to assess the existence and patentability of new inventions, and we are prepared to file additional patent applications when we determine it would benefit our business to do so.
Governmental Regulation
We have applied to ANAC, as the primary aviation authority, to certify our aircraft, and plan to subsequently apply to FAA and EASA as validating authorities of the primary certification. The Company may pursue certification in other countries after these three certifications have been obtained, if obtained at all. We will be supported in this process by ERJ, which has vast experience certifying fixed wing aircraft with ANAC, FAA and EASA. Using this experience, together with our strategies to accelerate the development of new products and technologies, we are confident in meeting our proposed certification schedule.
On February 3, 2022, ANAC accepted the Company's eVTOL Type Certificate application establishing the certification basis requirements under the performance-based Brazilian Civil Aviation Regulation (RBAC) no. 23 with other requirements or special conditions added to cover all aspects of the mission profile. In December 2023, ANAC published the Company’s proposed airworthiness criteria for public consultation. The public consultation period closed in February 2024, and the ANAC is now analyzing any feedback received. The Company believes this is an important milestone in the path towards the eVTOL certification that the Company seeks. The Company’s eVTOL certification basis is also being discussed with the FAA (as the validating aviation authority), with the expectation to also have the performance-based requirements from 14 CFR Part 23 (amendment 64) as the validating certification basis. EASA SC-eVTOL is applied as category enhanced for commercial purposes in the European market and the Company is working to have a common certification basis with the main aviation authorities under bilateral and/or multi-lateral agreements.
All aspects of our eVTOL operations are being developed in alignment with current aerospace and transportation regulations worldwide. We are working closely with ANAC, the FAA and EASA to achieve full compliance of all requirements under the applicable certification basis.
Historically, ERJ has successfully achieved certification with all three of these agencies, with additional certifications achieved in other countries as needed. The Company may pursue certification in other countries after the three main certifications have been obtained.
According to the guidelines defined in FAA’s Order 8110.4C (Type Certification) and ANAC’s instructions, the certification basis proposal for the ANAC and FAA applications for an aircraft’s type certificate shall be made under 14 CFR Part 21.17(a) considering the 14 CFR Part 23 (amendment 64) as applicable airworthiness requirements, including equivalent level of safety (ELoS) and proposed special conditions from 14 CFR Part 27 applicable to vertical take-off and landing characteristics. The Issue Paper G-1 (FAA) for certification basis, designating the applicable airworthiness and environmental regulations (especially regarding noise pollution), that must be met for certification, as stated in 14 CFR Part 21, has not yet been issued and will be proposed in a timely manner according to the definition order of applications for Type Certification process mentioned above.
The limitations of operations will be established as a part of the certification process. We anticipate that such limitations will exclude flights into known icing conditions from the initial operational envelope.
Competition
We believe the primary sources of competition for our business are the following: |
||
• | Focused UAM developers, including: Archer Aviation, Beta Technologies, Ehang, Joby Aviation, Lilium, Vertical Aerospace, Volocopter and Wisk; and | |
• | Established aerospace and automotive companies developing UAM businesses, including: Airbus, Bell Textron, Honda and Hyundai. | |
In addition, we are likely to face competition in our specific business segments from the following: |
||
• | Service and Operations Solutions – Airbus, Bell Textron and The Boeing Company which have built extensive service and support networks that could compete with our eVTOL support services in the future; and | |
• | UATM –A number of companies are developing Unmanned Traffic Management (UTM) systems designed to manage unmanned drone flights, which if enhanced to a higher level of safety standard, could potentially compete with our UATM system in the future. However, we do not believe UTM systems are currently designed to perform at the same level of safety, capability and assurance that regulators and the traveling public expect from air traffic management software used for piloted, passenger-carrying aircraft. |
|
We believe the primary factors that will drive success in the UAM market include the following: |
||
• | performance of our eVTOL aircraft relative to both competitive eVTOL aircraft and traditional aircraft; | |
• |
the ability to certify the aircraft in a timely manner; | |
• |
the ability to manufacture efficiently at scale; | |
• |
the ability to partner with certified third parties to operate our and third parties’ eVTOL aircraft and scale the service adequately to offer affordable end-user pricing; | |
• |
the ability to offer UAM services, directly or indirectly by partnering with third parties, and routes that provide adequate value to customers; | |
• |
the ability to develop or otherwise capture the benefits of next-generation technologies; and | |
• | the ability to deliver products and services at a high-level of quality, reliability and safety. |
Human Capital
As of December 31, 2023, we had 180 full-time employees, 115 of which were members of our engineering workforce. We also note that our direct headcount does not include up to 524 ERJ employees that we have first priority access to under the MSA with ERJ. Our strategy is to maintain a lean and agile direct employee team at Eve, focused on high value engineering, project management and business development functions, supplemented by a larger pool of ERJ employees available to us on a flexible and cost-effective basis pursuant to the MSAs.
In Brazil, all our employees are unionized. According to Brazilian labor laws, salary readjustments and other clauses negotiated in collective bargaining agreements extend to all Brazilian employees covered by such clauses. We believe we have good relationships with our employees and have not experienced any interruptions of operations due to labor disagreements with them.
Diversity and Inclusion
We encourage employee engagement with affinity and employee resource groups as well as seminars to discuss gender, age, ethnicity, disability and LGBTQIA+ issues. We are focused on building support across all teams and individuals, ensuring everyone has a voice and treats others with respect.
Our Commitment to Environmental, Social and Governance Leadership
By developing an efficient, electric aircraft with zero local carbon emissions, a low noise footprint and high levels of safety, we believe we can make a meaningful contribution to tackling the dual challenges of traffic congestion and climate change.
We are building a dedicated, diverse and inclusive workforce to achieve this goal while adhering to best practices in risk assessment, mitigation and corporate governance. We plan to report how we oversee and manage Environmental, Social and Governance (“ESG”) factors material to our business, and also evaluate how our ESG objectives align with elements of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (“SDGs”).
Our ESG initiative is organized into three pillars, which, in turn, contain focus areas for our attention and action:
Our Focus on Sustainable Manufacturing and Safety
Our engineering and design standards are intended to ensure that we are operating in an efficient, safe, sustainable and compliant manner, and encourage us to be leaders in pursuing environmentally friendly production practices. Our Sustainability Team works closely with our operating units to track material inputs and outputs, to build strategies for chemical reduction and elimination, and to review the proper handling and disposal of our materials. We are also pursuing a life cycle assessment of our manufacturing processes in order to build a reliable and transparent data set that will allow us to monitor and mitigate our emissions, waste and natural resource consumption over time.
With safety as a core value, we emphasize the need for strict compliance with all safety rules and best practices, including mandatory safety training and reporting procedures through our Human Resources and Safety team. We require all employees to participate in company-wide safety initiatives and education, and we conduct regular safety audits to ensure proper safety policies, programs, procedures, analysis and training are in place.
Available Information
Our website address is www.eveairmobility.com. The information on, or that can be accessed through, our website is not incorporated by reference into this Annual Report on Form 10-K and is not part of this report. This Annual Report on Form 10-K, our Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, our Current Reports on Form 8-K and our proxy statements, and amendments to those reports filed or furnished pursuant to Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Exchange Act, are, or will be, available (free of charge) on our website as soon as reasonably practicable after we electronically file this material with, or furnish it to, the SEC.
An investment in our securities involves a high degree of risk. You should consider carefully all of the risks described below, together with the other information contained in this Annual Report, including our financial statements and related notes, before making a decision to invest in our securities. If any of the following events occur, our business, financial condition and operating results may be materially adversely affected. In that event, the trading price of our securities could decline, and you could lose all or part of your investment. The risks and uncertainties described below are not the only ones we face. Additional risks and uncertainties that we are unaware of, or that we currently believe are not material, may also become important factors that adversely affect our business, financial condition and operating results.
Summary of Risk Factors
Our business is subject to numerous risks and uncertainties that represent challenges that we face in connection with the successful implementation of our strategy and the growth of our business. The occurrence of one or more of the events or circumstances described in the section titled “Risk Factors,” alone or in combination with other events or circumstances, may harm our business, financial condition and operating results. Such risks include, but are not limited to:
Market & Service
The market for Urban Air Mobility (UAM) has not been established with precision, is still emerging and may not achieve the growth potential we expect, or may grow more slowly than expected.
The UAM market is still emerging and has not been established with precision. It is uncertain to what extent market acceptance will grow, if at all. We intend to initially launch operations in a limited number of metropolitan areas. The success of these markets and the opportunity for future growth in these markets may not be representative of the potential market for UAM in other metropolitan areas. Our success will depend to a substantial extent on regulatory approval and availability of eVTOL technology, investments and development of the ecosystem infrastructure, community acceptance, as well as the willingness of commuters and travelers to widely adopt air mobility as an alternative for ground transportation. If the public does not perceive UAM as beneficial or chooses not to adopt UAM because of concerns regarding safety, affordability, value proposition or for other reasons, then the market for our offerings may not develop, may develop more slowly than we expect or may not achieve the growth potential we expect. As a result, the number of potential fliers using our eVTOL cannot be predicted with any degree of certainty, and we cannot assure that we will be able to operate in a profitable manner in any of our targeted markets. Any of the foregoing could materially adversely affect our business, financial condition, and results of operations.
Growth of our business will require significant investments in the development of the UAM ecosystem, infrastructure, technology and marketing and sales efforts. Our current cash flow has not been sufficient to support these needs. If our business does not generate the level of available cash flow required to support these investments, our results of operations will be negatively affected. Furthermore, our ability to effectively manage growth and expansion of our operations will also require us to enhance our research and development, manufacturing, operational systems, internal controls and infrastructure, human resources policies, and reporting systems. These enhancements will require significant capital expenditures and allocation of valuable management and employee resources.
There may be reluctance by consumers to adopt this new form of mobility, or unwillingness to pay our projected prices.
Our growth is highly dependent upon the adoption by consumers of an entirely new form of mobility offered by eVTOL aircraft and the UAM market. If consumers do not adopt this new form of mobility or are not willing to pay the prices shared for aerial ridesharing services, our business may never materialize and our prospects, financial condition and operating results will be harmed. This market is new, rapidly evolving, and characterized by rapidly changing technologies, price competition, additional competitors, evolving government regulation and industry standards, new aircraft announcements and changing consumer demands and behaviors.
Our success in each market will depend on the local infrastructure and regulations, on our partners’ ability to develop a network of passengers and accurately assess and predict passenger demand and price sensitivity. Demand and price sensitivity may fluctuate based on a variety of factors, including macroeconomic factors, quality of service, negative publicity, safety incidents, corporate reporting related to safety, quality of customer support, perceived political or geopolitical affiliations, or dissatisfaction with our brand, products, and offerings in general. If our commercial partners fail to attract passengers or fail to accurately predict demand and price sensitivity, it will harm our financial performance and our competitors’ products may achieve greater market adoption and may grow at a faster rate than our business.
We expect that a large driver of passenger demand for aerial ridesharing services will be time savings when compared with alternative modes of transportation. Should we or our commercial partners be unable to deliver a sufficient level of time savings for our eVTOL passengers or if expected time savings are impacted by delays or cancellations, it could reduce demand for aerial ridesharing services. If we or our commercial partners are unable to generate demand or demand falls, our business, financial condition, and results of operations could be adversely affected.
There may be rejection of eVTOL operation in certain localities due to a perceived risk of safety or burden on local communities from eVTOL operations.
We are developing eVTOL to a level of safety that is higher than that of a light aircraft, a level that is perceived by us and the regulators to be adequate for the safe operation of eVTOLs in urban centers. However, the safety record of the fleet will also depend on factors external to the vehicle and the understanding of which is currently being constructed, such as the integration of eVTOL fleets with other aircraft operating in the same urban airspace. If the prediction of important characteristics of the system, such as route placement, vehicle separation and communication protocols, is not accurate, or if these considerations are not properly taken into account, the safety level of the fleet operation may be negatively affected.
The approval of local authorities of the operation of the eVTOLs will be influenced by the public opinion about the burden imposed on that community by the vehicle operations. Local populations, being potential users of the eVTOL service or not, may perceive the external noise of the vehicles, visual pollution and changes in the neighborhood provoked by vertiport operations to be unreasonable with respect to the benefits brought by the vehicles in terms of traffic congestion reduction and decrease in travel times. If that is the case, the demand for the vehicles and its operations may be negatively affected.
If current airspace regulations are not modified to increase air traffic capacity, our business could be subject to considerable capacity limitations.
A failure to increase air traffic capacity at and in the airspace serving key markets, including around major airports, in the United States or overseas, could create capacity limitations for our future operations and could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition. Weaknesses in airspace and air traffic control system worldwide, including the National Airspace System and the Air Traffic Control (“ATC”) system, such as outdated procedures and technologies, could result in capacity constraints during peak travel periods or adverse weather conditions in certain markets, resulting in delays and disruptions to our service. While our aircraft is designed to operate in the National Airspace System under existing rules, our business at scale will likely require airspace allocation for UAM operations. Our inability to obtain sufficient access to the National Airspace System could increase our costs and reduce the attractiveness of our service.
Urban Air Traffic Management (UATM) may not be able to provide adequate situational awareness and equitable airspace access to eVTOLs or may not allow industrial scalability.
Urban Air Traffic Management (UATM) is a system that will enable UAM scalability and will mature over time to support market requirements. The UATM systems will provide traffic management services to the UAM ecosystem, including to vehicles, fleet operators, vertiports, pilots, fleet managers, network operating centers and air navigation service providers, with the objective of improving the efficiency and safety of UAM operations. The UATM systems are therefore perceived as an enabler to allow the safe scalability of the industry as the quantity of eVTOL operations increases over time.
An accident or incident resulting from the low performance of one of the UATM systems or its inability to provide adequate safety levels may negatively affect public perception and the UAM industry as whole.
Additionally, if UATM systems do not target appropriate services, it may affect their ability to support increased traffic volume and therefore impact the ability for industrial scalability. This may be the result of collecting the wrong data necessary to support future safety cases required for airspace authorities to approve new regulations and/or the inability to manage traffic equitably for all airspace users, including airspace access for eVTOLs.
The regulatory environment for third-party service and technology providers (which UATM could be labeled as) may not be specific enough to support our UATM solution, or may delay its adoption.
Every country is on a different journey with a corresponding timetable towards establishing the regulatory environment that will support third-party technology and service providers to buttress the air traffic management industry. As more varied and unique aircraft, each with unique operating characteristics (for instance, drones as compared to general aviation aircraft), are all vying for access to dense, low altitude airspace, solutions like UATM seek to standardize the way in which such airspace can be safely managed. However, as technology development usually outpaces regulation, it is foreseeable that a certain degree of business risk or regulatory risk is inherent in the investment and deployment of this new technology. Therefore, a lack of necessary regulations to help the industry understand how it may commercialize such third-party offerings, such as UATM, may result in a poor business environment that may make it difficult to achieve the deployment of UATM based on each country’s progress towards regulating similar service providers.
Additionally, competing systems or solution providers may use the lack of regulation to their advantage, leading to an unsafe operating environment that would cause we and our UATM solution to consider suspending operations until such time when clarity and an appropriate safety case with the local regulator could be established. This may negatively impact the financial results of our UATM product, its ability to provide a return on its investment, and therefore damage the business model of our UATM solution.
Our UATM solution may underperform if it has a defect or it is not delivered on the projected timeline.
We are developing our own UATM solution. We currently plan for our UATM systems to include urban aeronautical information management, vertiport information management, flight planning and authorization, traffic flow management, weather management, and collaborative or common situation awareness and any other feature identified during the interaction with stakeholders.
The underperformance of the UATM systems could result from improperly defining the system requirements and system architecture. The inability to accurately define the system requirements would result in an undesirable product by the target users and customers, including but not limited to the fleet operators, vertiport operators and air navigation service providers. By not providing the necessary services at the required time, UATM may negatively impact the ability of UAM to scale at the desired pace. Additionally, by not providing the right services, there is a heightened risk that competitors will capture additional market share. Failing to define and implement the right system architecture will make it more difficult for UATM systems to scale and evolve over time with new requirements and to integrate with other systems.
There can be no assurance that we will be able to detect and fix all defects in the UATM system prior to its entry into service. Defects could occur as a result of incorrectly identifying the standards that the UATM software must be built towards. By failing to build towards the correct standards, the impacted UATM system will not be allowed to enter into service, resulting in significant re-work to meet the required qualifications, with the project incurring schedule delays, cost overrun or, ultimately, causing eVTOL accidents.
Schedule delays of UATM systems may result in losing near-term market share to the competition. Competing service providers will begin generating hours of in-service experience earlier and become more established and desirable to the market, making it more difficult for us to become an established service provider in the future. Additionally, delays of UATM systems currently under development and systems to be developed in the future may impede the industrial scalability of UAM, impacting the volume of vehicle sales and service and support contracts.
We may not be able to launch our eVTOL and related services on the timeline projected.
We will need to address significant regulatory, political, operational, logistical, and other challenges in order to launch our eVTOLs. We do not currently have infrastructure in place to operate the service and such infrastructure may not be available or may be occupied on an exclusive basis by competitors. We also have not yet received certifications from the FAA, the ANAC, the EASA or other certifications of our aircraft or other required airspace or operational authority and government approvals, which are essential for aircraft production and operation. In addition, our pre-certification operations may increase the likelihood of discovering issues with our aircraft, which could result in delays to the certification of our aircraft. Any delay in the financing, design, manufacture, testing, certification, and launch of our aircraft could materially damage our brand, business, prospects, financial condition and operating results. Aircraft manufacturers often experience delays in the design, manufacture, testing, certification, and commercial release of new aircraft. These delays may result in additional costs and adverse publicity for our business. If we are not able to overcome these challenges, our business, financial condition and result of operations will be negatively impacted and our ability to grow our business will be harmed.
Our competitors may commercialize their technology before we do, either in general or in specific markets.
We expect this industry to be increasingly competitive and it is possible that our competitors could get to market before we do, either generally or in specific markets. Even if we are first to market, we may not fully realize the benefits we anticipate, and we may not receive any competitive advantage or may be overcome by other competitors. If new companies or existing aerospace companies launch competing solutions in the markets in which we intend to operate and obtain large scale capital investment, we may face increased competition. Additionally, our competitors may benefit from our efforts in developing a UATM solution, making it easier for them to obtain the permits and authorizations required to manufacture or operate eVTOL aircrafts in the markets in which we intend to launch or in other markets.
Many of our current and potential competitors are larger and have substantially greater resources than we have and expect to have in the future. They may also be able to devote greater resources to the development of their current and future technologies or the promotion and sale of their offerings, or offer lower prices. In particular, our competitors may be able to receive airworthiness certificates or production certificates for their aircraft prior to us receiving such certificates. Our current and potential competitors may also establish cooperative or strategic relationships amongst themselves or with third parties that may further enhance their resources and offerings. Further, it is possible that domestic or foreign companies or governments, some with greater experience in the aerospace industry or greater financial resources than we possess, will seek to provide products or services that compete directly or indirectly with ours in the future.
We may be unable to secure third parties to provide aerial ridesharing services and to make the necessary changes to, and operate, vertiports using our aircrafts, or otherwise make the services sufficiently convenient to drive customer adoption.
Our business will heavily depend on third-party operators to develop and launch aerial ride sharing services and to make the necessary changes to vertiport infrastructure, including installation of necessary charging equipment, to enable adoption of our eVTOL aircraft. While we expect to be able to develop strategic partnerships with third-party fleet and vertiport operators to provide a comprehensive UAM passenger service, we cannot guarantee that we will be able to do so effectively, at prices that are favorable to us, or at all. While we do not intend to own or operate vertiports or aerial ride sharing services, our business will rely on such services. Our business and our brand will be affiliated with these third-party ground operators and we may experience harm to our reputation if our third-party ground operators suffer from poor service, negative publicity, accidents, or safety incidents. The foregoing risks could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Our customers’ perception of us and our reputation may be impacted by the broader industry and customers may not differentiate our aircraft and services from our competitors.
Customers and other stakeholders may not differentiate between us and the broader aviation industry or, more specifically, the UAM service industry. If our competitors or other participants in this market have issues in a wide range of areas, including safety, technology development, engagement with aircraft certification bodies or other regulators, engagement with communities, target demographics or other positioning in the market, security, data privacy, flight delays, or bad customer service, such problems could impact the public perception of the entire industry, including our business. We may fail to adequately differentiate our brand, our services and our aircraft from others in the market which could impact our ability to attract passengers or engage with other key stakeholders. The failure to differentiate ourselves and the impact of poor public perception of the industry could have an adverse impact on our business, financial condition, and results of operations.
Our prospects and operations may be adversely affected by changes in consumer preferences, discretionary spending and other economic conditions that affect demand for UAM services.
Our business will be primarily concentrated on commercializing our eVTOL aircraft, providing agnostic UAM capacity by operating a fleet of eVTOLs together with partners and providing a suite of services including maintenance, technical support and training to our and third parties’ eVTOL aircrafts, which we expect may be vulnerable to changes in consumer preferences, discretionary spending and other market changes impacting discretionary purchases. The global economy has in the past, and will in the future, experience recessionary periods and periods of economic instability. During such periods, eVTOL passengers may choose not to make discretionary purchases or may reduce overall spending on discretionary purchases. Such changes could result in reduced consumer demand for air transportation, including UAM services, or could shift demand from our UAM services to other methods of air or ground transportation for which we do not offer a competing service. If we are unable to generate demand or there is a future shift in consumer spending away from UAM services, our business, financial condition and results of operations could be adversely affected.
Aircraft and Production
Neither we nor ERJ have manufactured or delivered any eVTOL aircraft to customers, which makes evaluating our business and future prospects difficult and increases the risk of investment.
The UAM Business was launched by ERJ in 2017 and ERJ has a limited operating history in the urban air mobility industry, which is continuously evolving. Our eVTOL aircraft is in the early development stage and we do not expect our first serial vehicle to be produced until the latter half of 2026, if at all. We have no experience in high volume manufacturing of the planned eVTOL aircraft. We cannot assure you that we or our partners will be able to develop efficient, automated, cost-efficient manufacturing capability and processes, and reliable sources of component supplies that will enable us to meet the quality, price, engineering, design and production standards, as well as the production volumes, required to successfully mass market our aircraft. You should consider our business and prospects in light of the risks and significant challenges we face as a new entrant into the UAM industry, including, among other things, with respect to our ability to:
• | design and produce safe, reliable and quality eVTOL aircraft on an ongoing basis; | |
• | obtain the necessary regulatory approvals in a timely manner, including receipt of governmental authority for manufacturing the equipment and, in turn, marketing, selling and operating our UAM services; |
• | develop a UATM solution; | |
• | build a well-recognized and respected brand; | |
• | establish and expand our customer base and strategic partners; | |
• | successfully market not just our eVTOL aircraft but also the other services we intend to provide, such as maintenance, materials, technical support and training services; | |
• | successfully service our eVTOL aircraft after sales and maintain a good flow of spare parts and customer goodwill; | |
• | improve and maintain our operational efficiency; | |
• | successfully execute our manufacturing and production model and maintain a reliable, secure, high- performance and scalable technology infrastructure; | |
• | predict our future revenues and appropriately budget for our expenses; | |
• | attract, retain and motivate talented employees; | |
• | anticipate trends that may emerge and affect our business; | |
• | anticipate and adapt to changing market conditions, including technological developments and changes in competitive landscape; and | |
• | navigate an evolving and complex regulatory environment. |
If we fail to adequately address any or all of these risks and challenges, our business may be harmed.
Our eVTOL aircraft may not perform at the level we expect, and may have potential defects, such as higher than expected noise profile, lower payload than initially estimated, shorter range, higher unit cost, higher cost of operation, perceived discomfort during transition phase of flight and/or shorter useful lives than we anticipate.
Our eVTOL aircraft may contain defects in design and manufacture that may cause them not to perform as expected or that may require repair. For example, our eVTOL aircraft may have a higher noise profile than we expect or carry a lower payload or have shorter maximum range than we estimate. Our eVTOL aircraft also uses a substantial amount of software code to operate. Software products are inherently complex and often contain defects and errors when first introduced. The ability of our eVTOL aircraft to perform as expected depends on the development of certain components, such as batteries, the technology of which is either currently under development or existing technology never before used in an eVTOL aircraft and therefore not yet proven in operation.
While we have performed initial tests with flying vehicles and components in test rigs, in some instances we are still relying on projections and models to validate the projected performance of our aircraft. To date, we have been unable to validate the performance of our eVTOL aircraft over the expected lifetime of the aircraft. There can be no assurance that we will be able to detect and fix any defects in the eVTOL aircraft prior to their use in our service. For example, a flight in an eVTOL aircraft will be unlike anything passengers have experienced before, and due to the aircraft characteristics (including a comparatively light weight, multiple rotors, vertical takeoff, and transition to forward flight) and operation characteristics (flying at low altitudes close to buildings, likely to frequently encounter turbulence), passengers may be susceptible to motion sickness during the transitioning phases.
We expect to introduce new and additional features and capabilities to the aircraft and our service over time. For example, while our vehicles will begin its operation with a pilot onboard, we project that they will evolve to become uncrewed vehicles over time. If successful, this would reduce the cost of operation related to hiring the crew, although part of the cost reduction will be offset by the need to introduce additional equipment and sensors needed for autonomous flights. As with other areas of the vehicle, we expect to improve the autonomous capabilities of our aircraft through testing and simulations throughout the vehicle development process, since this technology and capability is currently not available for vehicles of this nature. However, we may be unable to develop or certify these upgrades in a timely manner, or at all, which could have a material adverse impact on our business, financial condition, and results of operations.
We may not be able to produce eVTOL aircraft in the volumes and on the timelines projected.
There are significant challenges associated with mass producing aircraft in the volumes that we are projecting. The aerospace industry has traditionally been characterized by significant barriers to entry, including large capital requirements, investment costs of designing and manufacturing aircraft, long lead times to bring aircraft to market from the concept and design stage, the need for specialized design and development expertise, extensive regulatory requirements, establishing a brand name and image and the need to establish maintenance and service locations. As a manufacturer of electric aircraft, we face a variety of added challenges to entry that a traditional aircraft manufacturer would not encounter including additional costs of developing and producing an electric powertrain, regulations associated with the transport of lithium-ion batteries and unproven high-volume customer demand for a fully electric aerial mobility service. Additionally, we are relying on ERJ to develop production lines for components and at volumes for which there is little precedent within the traditional aerospace industry. The ability to reach high vehicle production volumes also depends on the supply of components and systems reliably at adequate rates, and such components are not manufactured at scale at this moment. Additionally, there may be competition between markets for related products that may affect the ability of suppliers to provide equipment. These products include, for example, batteries, which are in high demand by the automotive industry. In addition, since our eVTOL aircraft cannot be delivered via long distance flights, it is pivotal that we have the ability, in factory, to disassemble aircraft produced in areas that are not close to customer operations immediately after unit production. Tests, transportation and assembly close to customer operations need to follow high standards of safety and efficiency in order to deliver the products to different geographic regions. If we are not able to overcome these barriers, our business, prospects, operating results and financial condition will be negatively impacted and our ability to grow our business will be harmed.
Our business will initially rely on a single aircraft type. Our dependence on our aircraft makes us particularly vulnerable to any design defects or mechanical problems associated with our aircraft or its component parts. Any product defects or any other failure of our aircraft to perform as expected could harm our reputation and result in adverse publicity, delays in or inability to obtain certification, lost revenue, delivery delays, product recalls, product liability claims, harm to our brand and reputation, and significant warranty and other expenses, and could have a material adverse impact on our business, financial condition, operating results and prospects.
We are relying on the ERJ entities to manufacture and assemble our eVTOL aircraft, conforming prototypes, and certification devices that will be used for certification purposes, pursuant to our MSA with ERJ and Atech. The initial terms of the MSAs with Atech and ERJ are expected to end on the 10th and 15th anniversaries of May 9, 2022 (the “Closing Date”), respectively. If ERJ or Atech terminates or fails to renew or to comply with the terms of the respective MSAs, we may not be able to engage other manufacturers and suppliers in a timely manner, at an acceptable price or in the necessary quantities.
In addition, our eVTOL will be subject to regulation in Brazil, the U.S., the European Union and in each jurisdiction where our customers are located. ANAC, as well as Civil Aviation Authorities (CAA) in other countries in which our potential customers are located, most notably the FAA and the EASA, must certify or validate the design (Type Certificate) of our eVTOL before we can start delivering it to any customers. As a result, we will also need to do extensive testing to ensure that the aircraft is in compliance with applicable local civil aviation regulation (e.g., ANAC, FAA, EASA), safety regulations and other relevant regulations prior to entry into service. In addition to certification of the aircraft (Type Certificate), we will be required to obtain approval from the ANAC, or from local Civil Aviation Authorities where the manufacturing facilities will be located to produce the aircraft according to the approved type design. Our plan involves manufacturing the vehicle in Brazil (under ANAC ’s regulations) and, according to the evolution of market demand, other production facilities shall be implemented, which may be located in other countries outside Brazil, such as the U.S. or Europe. Production approval involves local authority manufacturing approval and extensive ongoing oversight of mass-produced aircraft. If we are unable to obtain production approval for the aircraft, or the ANAC, the FAA, the EASA or local Civil Aviation Authority imposes unanticipated restrictions as a condition of approval, our projected costs of production could increase substantially.
The timing of our production ramp is dependent upon finalizing certain aspects of the design, engineering, component procurement, testing, build out, and manufacturing plans in a timely manner and upon our ability to execute these plans within the current timeline. It is also dependent on being able to timely obtain Production Certification from the respective local Civil Aviation Authority.
Crashes, accidents or incidents of eVTOL aircraft or involving UATM solutions, or lithium batteries involving us or our competitors could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, and results of operations.
Test flying prototype aircraft is inherently risky, and crashes, accidents or incidents involving our aircraft are possible. Any such occurrence would negatively impact our development, testing and certification efforts, and could result in re-design, certification delay and/or postponements or delays to our commercial service launch.
The operation of aircraft is subject to various risks, and we expect demand for our eVTOL aircraft and our UAM services to be impacted by accidents or other safety issues regardless of whether such accidents or issues involve our aircraft. Such accidents or incidents could also have a material impact on our ability to obtain ANAC, FAA and EASA certifications for our aircraft, or to obtain such certifications in a timely manner. Such events could impact confidence in a particular aircraft type or the air transportation services industry as a whole, particularly if such accidents or disasters were due to a safety fault. We believe that the regulators and the general public are still forming their opinions about the safety and utility of aircraft that are highly reliant on lithium ion batteries, and/or advanced flight control software capabilities. An accident or incident involving either our aircraft or a competitor ’s aircraft during these early stages of opinion formation could have a disproportionate impact on the longer-term view of the emerging UAM market.
We are at risk of adverse publicity stemming from any public incident involving our company, our controlling stockholder, our people, our brand or other companies in our industry. Such an incident could involve the actual or alleged behavior of any of our employees or third-party contractors, including ERJ and its other subsidiaries, or the employees or contractors of our competitors. Further, if our personnel, our aircraft, or other types of aircraft, including ERJ’s aircraft and the aircraft of our competitors, are involved in a public incident, accident, catastrophe or regulatory enforcement action, we could be exposed to significant reputational harm and potential legal liability. The insurance we carry may be inapplicable or inadequate to cover any such incident, accident, catastrophe or action. In the event that our insurance is inapplicable or inadequate, we may be forced to bear substantial losses from an incident or accident. In addition, any such incident, accident, catastrophe or action involving our employees, our aircraft, the aircraft of our competitors or other types of aircraft could create an adverse public perception, which could harm our reputation, result in passengers being reluctant to use our services, and adversely impact our business, financial condition, and results of operations.
Unsatisfactory safety performance of our aircraft could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, and results of operations.
While we are building operational processes designed to ensure that the design, testing, manufacture, performance, operation and servicing of our aircraft meet rigorous quality standards, there can be no assurance that we will not experience operational or process failures and other problems, including through flight test accidents or incidents, manufacturing or design defects, pilot error, cyber-attacks or other intentional acts, that could result in potential safety risks. Any actual or perceived safety issues may result in significant reputational harm to our businesses, in addition to tort liability, maintenance, increased safety infrastructure and other costs that may arise. Such issues could result in delaying or cancelling planned flights, increased regulation or other systemic consequences. Our inability to meet our safety standards or adverse publicity affecting our reputation as a result of accidents, mechanical or operational failures, or other safety incidents could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. In addition, our aircraft may be grounded by regulatory authorities due to safety concerns that could have a material adverse impact on our business, financial condition, and results of operations.
We currently rely and expect to continue to rely on ERJ to provide services, products, parts and components required to develop and certify our aircraft and to supply critical services, components and systems necessary for our operations, which exposes us to a number of risks and uncertainties outside our control.
While we will have our own engineering capabilities, we will be substantially reliant on ERJ, our controlling stockholder, to provide us with development, certification and other services and supply our aircrafts, at least initially, pursuant to the MSAs. Additionally, ERJ will rely on its suppliers and service providers for the parts and components in our aircraft. ERJ is currently our sole supplier of aircraft development and certain other services. We or ERJ are also, in some cases, subject to sole source suppliers for certain parts and other components for which we rely on, or may be reliant on, to achieve our projected type certification. While we believe that we may be able to establish alternate supply relationships and can obtain replacement components, we may be unable to do so in the short term at prices that are favorable to us or at all. These disruptions in our supply chain could lead to delays in aircraft development, type certification and production, which could materially adversely affect our business, financial condition, and results of operations.
Although we have a defined strategy for the manufacturing of our aircraft following type certification, we are exposed to a number of risks and uncertainties outside our control.
We have entered into supply agreements with, and expect to rely on ERJ to provide certain services, products, parts and components required to manufacture our aircraft to sell to final customers, and we also may be subject to sole source suppliers for certain parts and other components for which we may be reliant on to achieve our projected high- volume production numbers. This supply chain may expose us to multiple potential sources of delivery failure or component shortages for our aircraft. While we believe that we may be able to establish alternate supply relationships and can obtain replacement components, we may be unable to do so in the short term or at prices that are favorable to us, or at all.
If any of our suppliers or service partners were to experience delays, disruptions, capacity constraints or quality control problems in its manufacturing operations, or if they choose to not do business with us, we would have significant difficulty in procuring, producing and delivering our aircraft, and our business prospects would be significantly harmed. These disruptions in our supply chains may cause delays in our production process for both prototype and commercial production aircraft which would negatively impact our revenues, competitive position and reputation. Outside the markets where the manufacturing takes place, we will rely on third parties to transport and reassemble the aircraft close to customer operations. In addition, our suppliers or service partners may rely on certain state tax incentives that may be subject to change or elimination in the future, which could result in additional costs and delays in production if a manufacturing site must be obtained. Further, if we are unable to successfully manage our relationship with our suppliers or service partners, the quality and availability of our aircraft may be harmed. Our suppliers or service partners could, under some circumstances, decline to accept new purchase orders from or otherwise reduce their business with us. If our suppliers or service partners stop or reduce manufacturing our aircraft components for any reason, we may be unable to replace the lost manufacturing capacity on a timely and comparatively cost-effective basis, which would adversely impact its operations.
The manufacturing facilities of our suppliers or service partners and the equipment used to manufacture our aircraft would be costly and could require substantial lead time to replace and qualify for use. The manufacturing facilities of our suppliers or service partners may be harmed or rendered inoperable by natural or human-made disasters, including earthquakes, flooding, fire and power outages, or by health epidemics, which may render it difficult or impossible for us to manufacture our aircraft for some period of time. The inability to manufacture our aircraft, our aircraft components or the backlog that could develop if the manufacturing facilities of our suppliers or service partners are inoperable for even a short period of time may result in the loss of customers or harm our reputation.
We do not control ERJ or our other suppliers or service partners or such parties’ labor and other legal compliance practices, including their environmental, health and safety practices. If ERJ or our other current suppliers or service partners, or any other suppliers or service partners which we may use in the future, violates U.S. or foreign laws or regulations, we may be subjected to extra duties, significant monetary penalties, adverse publicity, the seizure and forfeiture of products that we are attempting to import or the loss of our import privileges. The effects of these factors could render the conduct of our business in a particular country undesirable or impractical and have a negative impact business, financial condition, and results of operations.
Furthermore, if we experience significant increased demand, or need to replace our existing suppliers, there can be no assurance that additional supplies of aircraft manufacturing or other services or products, parts or other components will be available when required on terms that are acceptable to us, or at all, or that any supplier would allocate sufficient supplies to us in order to meet our requirements or fill our orders in a timely manner. These disruptions in our supply chain could lead to delays in aircraft development and production, which could materially adversely affect our business, financial condition, and results of operations.
Our agreements with our customers are non-binding and constitute all of the current orders for our aircraft. If we do not enter into definitive agreements with our customers, or the conditions to our customer’s orders (if any) are not met, or if such orders (if any) are cancelled, modified or delayed, our prospects, results of operations, liquidity and cash flow will be harmed.
Our agreements with potential customers for our eVTOL aircraft are non-binding and constitute all of the current orders for our aircraft. Such orders and agreements are subject to conditions, including the parties reaching mutual agreement on certain material terms, such as aircraft specifications, warranties, usage and transfer of the aircraft, performance guarantees, delivery periods and other matters, and entering into definitive agreements. The obligations of such potential customers and strategic partners to consummate any order will arise only after all of such material te