Vertical Aerospace launches battery line ahead of 2028 Target
By Nicole Suárez, Carbon Free Aviation Journalist
19 March 2026
Vertical Aerospace announced that its battery pilot production line is now operational at its Vertical Energy Centre (VEC) in Bristol, marking a significant step forward in the company’s push to bring its Valo eVTOL aircraft to commercial service.
The new pilot line will produce battery packs for the company’s seven Valo certification aircraft, the aircraft that will carry the programme through its final regulatory process with both the UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) and the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA). Certification, and the first phase of commercial production, is targeted for 2028.
Built on proven technology
The milestone builds on foundations already laid. The 15,000 sq ft VEC, which opened in 2023, has been supplying battery systems for Vertical’s piloted flight testing programme since 2024. Those proprietary packs have delivered up to 1.4 MW of peak power during test flights, figures the company describes as industry-leading. The facility has now been upgraded with aerospace-grade automated manufacturing processes designed to improve consistency, efficiency, and overall battery performance.
“Bringing our automated battery production line online is a defining step in our journey toward certification and commercialisation,” said Vertical CEO Stuart Simpson. “We are not only developing a world-class aircraft – we are building the industrial capability required to produce it.”
Batteries as a business model
In conventional aerospace, propulsion and key systems are typically outsourced to tier-one suppliers. Vertical has largely followed that model, partnering with companies such as Honeywell, Aciturri, and Syensqo across its aircraft development. Yet batteries remain firmly in-house, described by the company as a “core” technology and a central value driver.
The company expects to supply approximately 20 battery packs per aircraft over each aircraft’s operational lifetime, creating what it describes as long-term, predictable recurring revenue streams. By 2035, Vertical projects it will have supplied up to 45,000 battery packs across its fleet.
The same battery architecture also underpins the company’s hybrid-electric variant, extending the technology’s commercial reach beyond pure eVTOL operations and into higher-range, more flexible missions.
Alongside the pilot line announcement, Vertical confirmed progress on its next facility. Vertical Energy Centre 2 (VEC2), a 30,000 sq ft powertrain hub adjacent to the existing site, is expected to open later this year and will triple battery production capacity when it does. By 2027, the company expects to have invested £6.4 million ($8.5 million) across both VEC and VEC2.
A UK industrial bet
The expansion also carries weight for the UK’s aerospace industrial base. Vertical currently employs around 450 people in the South West of England, and as production scales toward full rate, that figure is expected to rise to at least 2,220 highly skilled jobs by 2035. A decision on the location of Vertical’s full-rate production and battery facilities, with both UK and international sites under consideration, is expected later this year.
Vertical remains pre-commercial, carrying losses and cash burn typical of development-stage eVTOL companies. Running certification and early production in parallel is what could make 2028 achievable, but it leaves little room for the kind of delays that have grounded other eVTOLs in the field.
With around 1,500 pre-orders from customers including American Airlines, Japan Airlines, GOL, Avolon, and Bristow across four continents,some of which may be fulfilled via third-party agreements, the commercial pipeline is already taking shape.
