November 15, 2022

Advanced air mobility: Agreement signed between Enel X Way and UrbanV

Enel X Way air mobility graphic

Rome, 14 November 2022 --Enel X Way, Enel's company dedicated to electric mobility, has signed a memorandum of understanding with UrbanV, a company specializing in Advanced Air Mobility, to leverage their respective expertise in order to develop synergies on joint projects at a global level. This includes studying energy solutions for UrbanV's vertiports, which will allow electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircrafts to be recharged in a sustainable manner. Projects will focus on the study and implementation of Enel X Way infrastructure integrated with storage systems in vertiports and dedicated eVTOL hubs. 

 

"With the signing of this memorandum of understanding, we become the first company in Italy to provide recharging solutions to the world of vertical take-off electric aviation, reaching a very important milestone after that of electric boating, which allows us to explore a new field for the development of sustainable mobility," said Lorenzo Rambaldi, Head of Innovability at Enel X Way. "Advanced air mobility is a highly innovative and rapidly expanding sector, both in Italy and globally, and supporting its growth is an opportunity for Enel X Way to strengthen its commitment to the development of advanced charging technologies to power different types of electric vehicles."

 

“With this agreement,” commented Carlo Tursi, CEO of UrbanV, “we are launching a collaboration with a leading international partner, which demonstrates the will of two companies with a great drive towards the future to work together to find innovative, sustainable, and truly effective solutions in this new mobility ecosystem. UrbanV is establishing itself as one of the leading global companies in the Advanced Air Mobility sector, working to position Rome as one of the first cities in the world able to offer direct connections by electric aircraft. We are already working on vertiport networks in other regions in Europe (e.g. Venice, Bologna, the French Riviera) and around the world, to accelerate the transition to mobility that helps not only to reduce CO2 emissions but also noise pollution.”

 

The agreement will enable the implementation of innovative and sustainable Enel X Way recharging infrastructure in UrbanV's global vertiports, starting with Rome and Fiumicino. Electric vertical take-off and landing aircraft use electric motors and batteries to travel, both for their sustainability and practicality of travel, as an alternative to road vehicles. Compared to helicopters, eVTOLs have a 35% lower operating cost and could become an economical and sustainable alternative to road transport, especially in busy cities, according to industry estimates. This is already catching on in Italy, where UrbanV recently inaugurated the first test vertiport at Fiumicino airport, enabling the first flight of a piloted eVTOL. Soon, everyone will be able to enjoy the experience of travelling to a vertiport and boarding an eVTOL and Enel X Way will provide the technological infrastructure that will allow the management of vertiports and the recharging of these flying taxis. After an initial test phase, the service will be operational as early as 2024, helping passengers make fast, emission-free flights in urban settings.

 

About Enel X Way

Enel X Way is a subsidiary company of Fortune 200 renewable energy leader, the Enel Group, and is dedicated to electric mobility. Enel X Way operates in 16 countries and manages over 380,000 charging ports worldwide and around 150,000 in North America, both directly and through roaming agreements. As a global platform for e-Mobility, the company is focused on developing flexible charging technologies and solutions to improve the customer experience and to enable the electrification of transport for consumers, businesses, cities and public administrations.