Vertical Aerospace Starts Battery Production, Targets 2028 Valo Launch

Vertical Aerospace Ltd. (NYSE:EVTL) on Wednesday announced a key milestone as it continues advancing its electric aviation strategy. Battery Production And Commercialization Vertical Aerospace announced that its battery pilot production line is operational. The facility is located at the Vertical Energy Centre. This milestone marks progress in commercializing the company's electric aviation technology. Vertical Aerospace has launched its battery pilot production line at the Vertical Energy Centre to support certification and early commercial production of its Valo aircraft, with commercialization targeted for 2028. Manufacturing Expansion And Outlook The company upgraded the 15,000 sq ft facility with automated, aerospace-grade processes to improve efficiency and performance. It will produce battery packs for certification aircraft using the upgraded facility. The company plans to supply about 20 battery packs per aircraft over its operational life. The company expects batteries to generate recurring revenue and plans to supply up to 45,000 battery packs across its fleet by 2035. Vertical Aerospace is also developing Vertical Energy Centre 2 to expand manufacturing capacity and triple production, with total investment expected to reach 6.4 million pounds (about $8.5 million) by 2027. “Vertical’s phased approach aligns manufacturing capability with its certification roadmap and early commercialisation strategy. By investing early in aerospace-grade battery manufacturing, we are reducing integration risk, strengthening supply chain control, and preparing for commercial service,” commented Stuart Simpson, CEO of Vertical Aerospace. Short Interest Increases Short interest in Vertical Aerospace rose from 5.15 million to 5.77 million shares, representing 18.37% of the float. Based on current trading volume, it would take about 6.3 days to cover these positions. Technical Analysis The stock is currently trading 4.2% below its 20-day simple moving average (SMA) and 19.5% below its 100-day SMA, indicating a bearish trend in the short- to medium-term. Shares have fallen 6.89% over the past 12 months and now trade closer to their 52-week lows than highs. The RSI stands at 39.57, indicating neutral conditions with no clear overbought or oversold signal. Meanwhile, MACD is at -0.2451, with the signal line at -0.2561, indicating bullish momentum as the MACD is above the signal line. The combination of neutral RSI and bullish MACD suggests mixed momentum for the stock. Key Resistance: $4.50 Key Support: $3.00 Earnings & Analyst Outlook Vertical Aerospace is set to report earnings on March 24, 2026 (confirmed). EPS Estimate: Loss of 1 cent (Up from $-49.15) Analyst Consensus & Recent Actions: The stock carries a Buy Rating with an average price target of $11.57. Recent analyst moves include: Raymond James: Downgraded to Underperform (Feb. 23) William Blair: Initiated with Outperform (Jan. 7) Needham: Buy (Raises Target to $11.00) (Dec. 15, 2025) EVTL Price Action: Vertical Aerospace shares were down 3.32% at $3.79 at the time of publication on Wednesday, according to Benzinga Pro data. Image via Shutterstock