Major Brazil-based aerospace group Embraer and Japan-based global major electric motor manufacturer Nidec Corporation have announced an agreement to create a joint venture (JV) company to develop electric propulsion systems for the aerospace sector. The JV will be called Nidec Aerospace, and will be owned 51% by Nidec and 49% by Embraer. It will actually be located in the US (where both parent groups have subsidiary operations) but will be supported by Embraer’s industrial facilities in Brazil and Nidec’s industrial facilities in Mexico.

The focus of the JV will initially be on developing next-generation propulsion systems for the electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) “vehicles” being developed to serve the emerging urban air mobility sector. But the aim is to, later, also power non-eVTOL aircraft. The intent is to develop propulsion systems that will be “platform agnostic”, that is, which could be applied to many, if not all, eVTOL designs.

“Innovation is our future growth driver and a key pillar of our strategic plan,” stressed Embraer president and CEO Francisco Gomes Neto. “That’s why I’m extremely excited about this strategic partnership with Nidec to develop agnostic solutions for [the] aerospace sector. Demand for electric propulsion systems is growing exponentially in the aerospace sector, and we are confident that Nidec and Embraer together can accelerate the development of advanced products to enable the future of sustainable aviation.”

“Technological innovation will be a key contributor to the International Civil Aviation Organisation’s commitment to carbon neutrality by 2050,” highlighted Nidec senior VP and Motion & Energy Business Unit president Michael Briggs. “The JV is a natural extension of both companies’ respective and continual investments in green technologies across multiple industries to accelerate global carbon neutrality. We are proud to be partnered with Embraer and are confident that Nidec Aerospace will spearhead the electrification of aircraft with our shared drive, complementary expertise, and wide breadth of technical and manufacturing capabilities.”

The JV already has a launch customer, eVTOL development company Eve Air Mobility. Eve was founded, and is predominantly owned, by Embraer, but is a US-domiciled publicly-listed company and so, although an Embraer subsidiary, is an independent business.

The JV deal is subject to regulatory approvals but is expected to close during the second half of this year.