TOYOTA, Japan. SkyDrive Inc. (SkyDrive), a leading compact eVTOL aircraft manufacturer based in Japan, announced the signing of a three-party agreement on a “framework for future eVTOL medical transport services in Taiwan”. The agreement, signed on July 15, 2026, brings together SkyDrive, the Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI), a leading Taiwanese research and development organisation, and 7A Drones, SkyDrive’s business partner in the implementation of this project.
This agreement, which builds on prior use case analysis and the Letter of Intent signed by 7A Drones for the future purchase of SkyDrive aircraft, clarifies the division of responsibilities and future timeline for the operation of medical transport services flown in Taiwan by eVTOL aircraft.
On July 15, 2026, a ceremony, attended by Taiwanese government officials, was held at The Okura Tokyo hotel to mark the signing by SkyDrive, ITRI, and 7A Drones of a practical framework for future eVTOL emergency medical transport services in Taiwan’s Penghu Islands.
■ Background to the Current Agreement
Cooperation between the three parties began in May 2025 with the signing of a partnership agreement that committed the signatories to work towards the commercialisation of eVTOL services in Taiwan’s Penghu Islands, located in the Taiwan Strait. This work began with efforts to define potential eVTOL use cases in the field of medical transport. Subsequently, in February 2026, a Letter of Intent for the purchase of 10 SKYDRIVE (SkyDrive model SD-05) aircraft was signed between SkyDrive and 7A Drones, with both parties also developing a proposed emergency medical evacuation route connecting Magong City on Penghu’s main island with Hujing Island, a more remote island within the Penghu Islands.
Remote Taiwanese islands face chronic medical access challenges including restricted inter-island transportation during rough winter weather when ferry services are frequently cancelled. With these challenges leaving significant scope for SkyDrive’s eVTOL aircraft to make a meaningful social contribution, SkyDrive is focusing on Penghu Island as a high priority project.
7A Drones, which develops drone solutions for a wide range of applications including logistics, disaster prevention, and post-disaster relief, is also deeply engaged in the development of future autonomous flight technologies. 7A Drones is participating in the Penghu Islands project as SkyDrive’s commercial and operational partner, taking responsibility for a wide range of roles including on-site feasibility studies, aircraft operations, aircraft maintenance and repair, negotiation with governmental and medical institutions, and preparations for entry into service.
■ Shift from Conceptual to Preparatory Phase
With this new agreement, the project moves from the conceptual and exploratory phase into the preparatory phase. The three parties have agreed on the concrete milestones to be met in the run-up to entry into service from 2028 or later, leading and supporting the various aspects of the project as per the below:
Defining and expanding initial routes: SkyDrive, 7A and ITRI will finalise further details of the planned Magong-Hujing route, while also adding further candidate routes within the Penghu Islands.
Cooperation with medical services and other related organisations: The project will identify candidate hospitals, clinics and emergency medical services, as well as local authority public health centres, with 7A Drones and ITRI taking the lead in specific, practical discussions with the local related parties.
Identifying and readying vertiports (takeoff and landing sites): 7A Drones will make use of their local networks to identify candidates for permanent vertiport sites, and temporary emergency landing sites, in Magong, Hujing, and other locations, engaging in advance discussions with land owners and administrators.
Clarifying technical requirements: By harnessing a combination of SkyDrive’s technical knowledge of eVTOL and 7A Drones’ track record of experience in operating and maintaining drones, including the operation of large cargo drones, both parties will establish the technical and operational requirements that will govern the systems needed to operate and control unmanned aircraft, as well as related control, communications, power supply and charging infrastructure.
Building frameworks for public-private collaboration: ITRI and 7A Drones will work together to examine possibilities for the launch of combined public-private teams that include the central and local government officials involved in overseeing medical treatment, transportation, electricity supply and communications, with the goal of harnessing such teams for the resolution of cross-domain issues including systems design, regulatory frameworks and infrastructure readiness.
Dr Pei-Zen Chang, President of the Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI), stated, “We believe that the use of eVTOL for emergency medical transportation in the Penghu Islands will represent an important step towards demonstrating the social utility of eVTOL aircraft. I am delighted that our cooperation with SkyDrive and 7A Drones has moved forward into this new phase. At ITRI, we have been working for many years to support the development of industry in Taiwan through technical innovation. As an applied R&D institution, we are working not only to develop and demonstrate eVTOL technology, we are also striving, through collaboration between administrative, industrial and academic organisations, to contribute to the future development of technical and industrial cooperation between Japan and Taiwan. We hope that this project, alongside its contribution to new modes of mobility for residents of remote islands, will also deepen the cooperative relationship between Japan and Taiwan, and spur the development of the eVTOL industry across Asia.”
Hsu Hsin-Sheng, CEO, 7A Drones Co., Ltd, remarked, “We at 7A Drones warmly welcome the advancement to the next stage of this project, which is designed to provide eVTOL-driven emergency medical transport in the Penghu Islands. Since signing a Letter of Intent (LOI) for the purchase of SkyDrive aircraft, 7A Drones has continued various investigations into the future commercialisation of eVTOL in Taiwan. This latest agreement is a highly significant development which allows us to work together with all related stakeholders to put in place specific preparations for the future launch of eVTOL services. In cooperation with SkyDrive and ITRI, we will now move steadily forward, one step at a time, to assess the specifics of aircraft and service operations, while working together with related organisations to build the necessary eVTOL infrastructure. Our goal is to establish this project as a core model case for the commercialisation of eVTOL in Taiwan, while also harnessing the project as an opportunity to further deepen relations between Japan and Taiwan.”
Tomohiro Fukuzawa, CEO and Founder, SkyDrive Inc., said, “SkyDrive is honoured to have this opportunity to contribute to improved emergency medical services in Taiwan’s Penghu Islands through the use of our aircraft to provide emergency medical transport. We consider this an extremely significant project and, with the strong support of our partners ITRI and 7A Drones, we are pleased to move this project vigorously forward from the conceptual to the preparatory phase.”
He added, “Focusing on the route linking Magong and Hujing as our core service, we will address each of the individual elements required to achieve our goals including coordination with hospitals and emergency medical services, preparation of vertiports (takeoff and landing pads), systems for operating and controlling unmanned aircraft, readiness of charging infrastructure, the development of the necessary legal frameworks, and coordination between the public and private sectors. This project will only be possible with the powerful support of ITRI, a leading Taiwanese research institution, and 7A Drones. We will continue to work closely with our Taiwanese counterparts to make these plans a reality. We are all committed to developing medical eVTOL transport in the Penghu Islands as a first model case for the successful commercialisation of eVTOL in Taiwan, and as a foundation for further contributions to future medical services in remote islands elsewhere in Asia and around the world.”
