Honda has applied with the Federal Aviation Administration to operate research flights of an electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft called “F1”, a move coming as the company prepares for first flight of a full-scale passenger air taxi prototype.
On 14 November, California-based Honda Research Institute, Honda’s technology incubator, applied to the FAA for an exemption to fly an unmanned aircraft, according to information in the US government’s regulatory database. The application is not publicly available due to being labelled “confidential business information”.
But on 29 December, the FAA issued a notice revealing more detail about the project.
Honda Research “seeks an exemption… to allow it to operate an [eVTOL] referred to as the F1 for purposes of research and development”, says the FAA’s notice.
The document does not link the aircraft to Honda’s passenger eVTOL programme. However, Honda has repeatedly said its passenger eVTOL will benefit from having technology Honda developed for Formula 1 racecars.
The exemption would allow Honda to fly the aircraft without complying with an FAA rule requiring rotorcraft operating under daytime visual flight rules (VFR) carry enough fuel for 20min of reserve flying.
Honda Research seeks the exemption “because the total flight time for the F1 is less than the VFR requirements”, the FAA’s notice says.
The documents provide no other details. Honda does not respond to requests for comment.
In 2021, Honda revealed its plan to develop a hybrid-electric air taxi.
“Honda has a proven track record of offering a number of hybrid vehicles to customers all around the world and also developing the ultimate hybrid power unit for F1 racing,” Honda’s website says.
“The motor, battery and energy management technologies Honda has amassed through hybrid system development are being optimised for our eVTOL, and the energy regeneration technology of the F1 power unit is being leveraged for the ultra-high RPM gas turbine generator,” it adds.
Honda has not publicly revealed the name of its in-development passenger eVTOL, which is to have eight lifting props and two pusher props, and range of 216nm (400km).
Honda had kept the project largely behind a curtain until November, when it displayed a cabin mock-up and a subscale demonstrator at the Dubai air show, according to reports.
The company is now manufacturing a full-scale model it expects will complete first flight in 2026, the reports say.
Honda has bucked competitors by giving its eVTOL hybrid-electric rather than all-electric power.
“Today, and probably even 20 years from now, it will be difficult for aircraft to fly long-distance solely on batteries,” Honda’s website says.
Honda Research in 2024 submitted a separate exemption request to the FAA specific to a single aircraft it then described as an unmanned “R&D subscale model test vehicle”, with registration X241RX.
The FAA approved that request and later appended it to cover a second test aircraft with registration N241HX.
Honda has reportedly completed more than 400 test flights of subscale eVTOL prototypes.
