Supernal, part of Hyundai Motor Group, has made a minority investment in weather intelligence provider TruWeather Solutions to leverage its weather data analytics and forecasting technology in Supernal’s electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) vehicle and operations testing.
Weather forecasting is the latest aspect of the advanced air mobility (AAM) ecosystem that Supernal is addressing in tandem to developing its eVTOL vehicle for 2028 entry into service.
As part of the investment, Supernal will pilot TruWeather’s V360° software-as-a-service product in the company’s vehicle and surrounding operations to collect and integrate real-time distributed sensor weather data. V360° will provide Supernal with a comprehensive view of low-altitude weather and enable the company to more accurately assess and predict weather conditions at critical locations and along flight paths. Supernal plans to deploy the TruWeather system in its future launch markets and make the infrastructure available to the broader AAM community.
Adam Slepian, chief commercial officer, Supernal, said, “Supernal is pleased to incorporate TruWeather technology into our vehicle and operations testing as we work to make AAM as safe and reliable as commercial aviation. The concept is simple: better weather measurements mean better forecasts for AAM operations. TruWeather’s solution is advanced and can turn potential flight delays or cancellations into safe and timely passenger journeys for Supernal customers – and the entire industry.”
V360° can deliver eVTOL operators wind and weather updates every 15 minutes with tens of meters of grid resolution at and around vertiports. This model has 1km or better resolution along flight corridors and captures the effects that buildings have on wind flow, which is critical when flying in urban environments. By comparison, the best data available in commercial aviation today is 2.5km resolution and does not provide for urban building disrupted wind flows.
Don Berchoff, co-founder and CEO, TruWeather Solutions, said, “TruWeather is excited about Supernal’s investment in our vision, team and capabilities. We feel fortunate to have the opportunity to work closely with one of the premier mobility service providers in the world to further accelerate our learning and enable Supernal’s success in building a safe, efficient business with an unparalleled passenger experience. Our job is to keep them flying safely and we know how to do that from a weather perspective with the help of our outstanding sensor and urban modeling partners.”
TruWeather has spent five years developing the next generation of micro-weather data collection technology and analytics for AAM and conducts R&D at unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) test ranges – sanctioned by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) – in four states across the USA.
