Eve UAM, LLC, an Embraer company, and Acciona, a global company leader in the provision of regenerative solutions for a decarbonized economy, today announced a strategic partnership to accelerate the development of a global and sustainable Urban Air Mobility ecosystem.
Under the terms of the partnership, upon the consummation of Eve’s business combination with Zanite Acquisition Corp., Acciona will invest US$30 million and will join the group of strategic investors that are currently supporting the development of Eve and its business plan.
As part of the agreement, José Manuel Entrecanales, Acciona’s Chairman and CEO, will become one of the seven members of the Board of Directors after Eve’s listing on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE), which is expected to happen in the second quarter of 2022.
“Whether we like it or not, the world’s population is increasingly concentrating in larger cities,” said José Manuel Entrecanales.
“Keeping the climate footprint of these urban areas at bay is one of the greatest challenges of the decarbonization process we are all engaged in.
“Urban air transport models such as the one proposed by Eve can be very useful when considering different sustainable mobility solutions.
“Participating in a project as innovative as Eve will allow us to continue advancing along that path.”
“Our agreement with Acciona reinforces Eve’s commitment to delivering a sustainable UAM ecosystem, which includes not only our zero-emission eVTOL but also the green infrastructure that will support this new way of transport,” said André Stein, co-CEO of Eve.
“Its capability to build these infrastructures, added to its top credentials in sustainability, bring essential skills and expertise to the business that will help us to maintain our distinction in the market”.
The partnership will also benefit novel industrial initiatives in the development of a sustainable UAM ecosystem, including vertiports, power purchase agreements, battery charging solutions, and handling.
In 2021, 93% of the Acciona Group’s investments were aligned with the European Union’s taxonomy for sustainable activities.
The company avoided the emission of 13.4 million tonnes of CO2 (+1.5%) during the year, ending that year as the most sustainable electricity company in Spain and the second most sustainable worldwide, according to the Sustainability Yearbook 2022 published by S&P Global.