SkyDrive, 7A Drones, ITRI “to develop eVTOL-based medical services to Penghu Islands in 2028”

SkyDrive Inc has announced the signing of a partnership agreement with 7A Drones Co., Ltd, a major drone system company in Taiwan, and the Industrial Technology Research Institute, a leading Taiwan-based applied research organization, to explore the potential for eVTOL operations in Taiwan.

“This partnership aims to jointly develop use cases for the emergency medical transport of patients and physicians using the SKYDRIVE, SkyDrive’s eVTOL aircraft,” said the Japanese eVTOL developer. “The project focuses specifically on the Penghu Islands, an island group located off Taiwan’s west coast, with the initial planned routes connecting various islets within the archipelago’s Magong City. In addition, 7A Drones has placed a pre-order for up to ten SKYDRIVE aircraft.

In March 2024, SkyDrive entered into a business partnership with 7A Drones and ITRI to collaborate on mutual business development and market expansion efforts in Japan and Taiwan. Under the newly signed partnership agreement, the parties aim to use the SKYDRIVE to connect Penghu Island, the main island in the Penghu Archipelago, with surrounding inhabited islets within a 10-kilometer radius. This initiative will initially focus on providing the infrastructure required to dispatch physicians.

 The signing ceremony was held in Taipei city area. From left to right: Tomohiro Fukazawa, SkyDrive CEO, Hsin-Sheng Hsu, CEO of 7A Drones Co., Ltd. Weng Yang Peng, Deputy General Director of Mechanical and Mechatronics Systems Research Labs of ITRI

The Penghu Archipelago comprises 90 islands of various sizes, 19 of which are inhabited. The lack of adequate emergency medical provision on these isolated islands generates an elevated need for emergency medical transport, and meeting this need is a long-standing challenge. As an initial use case, the project will focus on connecting a hospital in Magong City and Hujing Island. The three companies aim to launch the above services from 2028, with these eVTOL operations forming part of the Taiwanese government’s broader “AAM (Advanced Air Mobility)” policy.

SkyDrive intends to leverage the model being developed in the Penghu Islands as a foundational platform for the operation of further eVTOL businesses in other parts of Taiwan. This expansion will include similar medical services as well as innovative urban route concepts that strategically widen the scope of eVTOL operations into other sectors including tourism.

For more information

SkyDrive, 7A Drones, and ITRI Partner to Pioneer eVTOL Medical Transport in Penghu, Taiwan