Japan’s Nidec Corporation and Brazil’s Embraer have announced an agreement to establish a joint venture company, called Nidec Aerospace LLC to develop electric propulsion systems for the aerospace sector.
The announcement came on Sunday, June 18, 2023, in anticipation of the Paris Air Show and will see the two companies unlock new opportunities by providing an agnostic portfolio of products and services worldwide, driven initially by the growth of the Urban Air Mobility (UAM) industry.
Nidec Corporation, one of the world’s leading comprehensive motor manufacturers, will be backed by Embraer to design, certify, produce, and commercialize next-generation electric propulsion systems based on well-proven technologies suitable for powering more efficient and greener aircraft models.
The JV will develop and manufacture the Electric Propulsion System for electric Vertical Take-Off Landing (eVTOL) vehicles, with the aim of providing the system to non-eVTOL vehicles in the future.
Nidec Aerospace will be jointly owned, with Nidec owning a 51% share and Embraer the remaining 49%. The headquarters, located at Nidec Motor Corporation (NMC) in St. Louis, Missouri, USA, will be supported by both companies’ existing industrial footprint in Brazil and Mexico.
“Technological innovation will be a key contributor to the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO)’s commitment to carbon neutrality by 2050. Nidec Aerospace LLC is a natural extension of both companies’ respective and continual investments in green technologies across multiple industries to accelerate global carbon neutrality,” said Michael Briggs, senior vice president and president of the Motion & Energy Business Unit, at Nidec. “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 electric propulsion system launch-customer will be the eVTOL manufacturer of Eve Air Mobility, an independent company well-positioned to be a global leader in the UAM segment by delivering an effective and sustainable new mode of urban transportation.
“Innovation is our future growth driver and a key pillar of our strategic plan. That’s why I’m extremely excited about this strategic partnership with Nidec to develop agnostics solutions for aerospace sector,” said Francisco Gomes Neto, President and CEO at Embraer. “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.”