• Swindon & Wiltshire Innovation
• Tuesday April 1 2025
• Author Name: Peter Davison

Flying taxi innovator develops first battery module

A Bristol-based firm developing a 30-seat electric ‘flying taxi’ has successfully built its first battery module prototypes.

Sora Aviation built the batteries for the S-1 eVTOL aircraft – a zero-emissions flying taxi capable of carrying up to 30 passengers for ‘short urban flights’ – in collaboration with Cambridge-based TWI, which provided advanced ultrasonic and laser welding expertise.

Innovate UK provided funding support through an RTO Catapult grant.

The company has also announced that it has secured a pre-order for 20 aircraft from Moviation, a leading Korean helicopter operator.

Furqan, CEO of Sora Aviation, said: “Integrating reliable, lightweight and scalable battery pack technologies is essential to realising our vision of cost-effective and sustainable air mobility.

Tara Gillam, regional manager of Innovate UK Business Growth in the South West of Innovate UK, said: “Innovate UK plays a crucial role in facilitating partnerships between pioneering startups like Sora Aviation and leading research organisations.

“By fostering these collaborations, we help accelerate the development of cutting-edge technologies that can redefine the future of sustainable aviation. We are proud to support Sora Aviation in achieving this important milestone.”
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Furqan added: “Innovate UK’s funding and commitment to fostering collaboration between startups and research organisations have been invaluable to Sora Aviation.

“The support is enabling us to push the boundaries of electric aviation.”

In February, Sora Aviation, which is based at UWE’s Future Space in Filton, announced it had partnered with New Jersey’s Continuum Dynamics Inc to advance flight dynamics modelling, aeromechanics analysis, and prop-rotor development for the aircraft.

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