Dive Brief:
- Air taxi developers Archer Aviation and Joby Aviation separately announced deals today to install charging infrastructure for electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft.
- Archer said it is focused on establishing sites in the Los Angeles and New York City metropolitan areas, Northern California and South Florida, while Joby will electrify existing infrastructure at locations in New York and Southern California.
- Both eVTOL manufacturers will collaborate with Atlantic Aviation, an aviation services company working with Beta Technologies, which is building out a nationwide charging network with more than 55 sites in the permitting process or under construction.
Dive Insight:
As eVTOL developers move toward commercial passenger flights as soon as next year, the infrastructure to charge these electrically powered aircraft will need to be available at sites such as airports and vertiports. Atlantic Aviation is a fixed-base operator that provides services such as fueling, maintenance and parking for general aviation aircraft at more than 100 airports across North America.
Archer Aviation and United Airlines previously announced plans to operate air taxis in Chicago and the New York City area while Joby and Delta Air Lines said they anticipate launching eVTOL service in New York and Los Angeles.
In addition to needing airport locations, cities will need new or modified takeoff and landing sites such as vertiports and heliports. A McKinsey & Co. study published last May determined that large, densely populated cities such as New York City could need 20 to 30 such locations by 2030, while medium-sized cities like Atlanta, Dallas or Denver might require 10 to 18 such sites. In November, New York City Mayor Eric Adams said the city’s downtown Manhattan heliport would add the infrastructure necessary to support eVTOL operations.
The collaboration between Joby and Atlantic will focus on adding eVTOL charging infrastructure to Atlantic’s existing sites in New York City and Los Angeles. According to a Joby press release, the two companies will analyze how Joby’s aircraft can operate from these locations alongside traditional and other electric aircraft. “Infrastructure is a critical piece of the puzzle and Atlantic’s presence in these two key U.S. markets will help ensure we’re well positioned to deliver a meaningful service for our customers,” said JoeBen Bevirt, founder and CEO of Joby Aviation.
The memorandum of understanding Archer and Atlantic signed seeks to electrify some of Atlantic’s existing assets at its locations across four key Archer launch markets. Atlantic and Archer anticipate service launching at these initial locations in 2025, according to a press release, and expanding to additional markets as Archer’s manufacturing scales up.
“These initial eVTOL vertiport locations will provide a launching pad for future expansion across Atlantic’s portfolio and ensure that our Midnight aircraft has safe, centrally located landing facilities for our future passengers,” said Nikhil Goel, Archer’s chief commercial officer, in a statement.
The Federal Aviation Administration published guidelines in May 2023 for urban air mobility operations, including air taxis and cargo drones. The FAA encouraged state and local governments to plan for eVTOL infrastructure, but a Mineta Transportation Institute report released the same month warned that federal, state and local governments have not yet developed or implemented policies for the larger eVTOL aircraft system.
