Archer Air Taxis: The Future of Commuting
Have you heard of Archer? We’re not talking about the animated spy series that ran from 2009 to 2023. We’re talking about a new aviation company that was founded in 2018 with the goal of revolutionizing the way we commute with tilt-propeller and electric air taxis. Let’s explore this innovative company and what they’re doing to advance aviation technology and help commuters in busy, congested cities save time.
Archer History
Archer Aviation was founded in 2018, and from 2018 to 2021, this forward-thinking company focused on hiring a team of innovative and experienced engineers so that they could develop a revolutionary way to decrease the commute time in busy cities. Their solution is all-electric air taxis, and after an extensive design phase, they completed more than 500 subscale flight tests. They developed and tested their 12-tilt-6 aircraft configuration and began flight testing their first full-scale aircraft. Archer Aviation also began collaborating with Stellantis, and United placed a 1.5 billion dollar order.
Archer continued their momentum in 2022 and 2023 with new contracts, new income, and new facilities. Part of this was due to United Airlines announcing the first air taxi route and paying $10,000,000 for the first 100 air taxis. In 2022 and 2023, Archer decided to build their first high-volume manufacturing plant near the Covington Municipal Airport in Georgia and began construction on the facility. Archer also began test-flying the Midnight aircraft, and they announced their first two international partners, including India and the UAE.
Two thousand twenty-four was another big year for Archer. They began building the initial fleet of Midnight aircraft. They received their part 145 and 135 certifications, and the FAA provided Archer with the final criteria for the airworthiness certificates for the Midnight Aircraft.
What is the Midnight Aircraft?
Archer’s goal is to revolutionize the commute. The first proposed air taxi route will fly from Downtown Manhattan to Newark Airport (EWR). Currently, it takes 62 minutes by train and 52 minutes by car. Archer’s Midnight Air Taxi proposes to cut that down to 9 minutes. The Midnight aircraft boasts tilt-propeller technology. It’s all-electric, sustainable, and low-noise, making it ideal for operating within busy cities.
The Midnight aircraft is designed to hold one pilot and four passengers. It has the ability to reach speeds of up to 150 mph with its six independent battery packs. They’ve also developed a quick-charge method that allows the aircraft to reach full battery capacity within the time it takes to offboard and onboard passengers.
High Volume Manufacturing Facility Completed in Georgia in December 2024
On December 19, 2024, Archer announced that they had completed construction on their 400,000-square-foot manufacturing facility in Covington and received the certificate of occupancy. Currently, Archer Aviation is working on setting up the equipment and tools needed to produce their electric air taxis so that they can begin production in early 2025. By the end of the year, they hope to be able to build two aircraft a month.
Archer’s new, technologically advanced, high-volume manufacturing facility was built thanks to a partnership with Stellantis. Stellantis is known for its automotive brands, including Alfa Romeo, Chrysler, Jeep, Dodge, and Ram, as well as many other automobile and mobility brands. Stellantis has contributed capital and technology to Archer’s air taxi project, and with Stellantis’ continued support, Archer hopes to produce as many as 650 aircraft per year by 2030.
Archer Has Become One of the Few Companies to Achieve Transitional Flight with Two Different Aircraft
In order to operate as an air taxi in tight spaces, the aircraft must be able to take off in tight spaces. This often means departing vertically, like a helicopter, instead of horizontally, like an airplane. Midnight successfully made its first transitional flight in June 2024. This means that it took off horizontally, like a helicopter, then accelerated forward until it was fast enough to rotate its propellers to a forward-thrust position and fly like an airplane. During the horizontal portion of the flight, Midnight achieved 100 mph. Then, it decelerated. The propellers were rotated upward, and it landed vertically. This is considered a significant milestone for commercial viability, especially since the Midnight aircraft is considered large at 6,500 pounds.
Benefits of Air Taxis
Air taxis have the ability to provide many benefits to crowded cities across the globe, which may be why Manhattan is slated to get the first air taxi route, and the UAE and India and signed up to be Archer’s first international partners. After all, New York, Delhi, and Dubai are all considered to be crowded cities with heavy car traffic and road congestion. Air taxis in these areas and in other big and small cities could revolutionize the way we travel. Just imagine air taxis eliminating road congestion in LA, Chicago, and Detroit in the USA, as well as in some of the most crowded cities across the globe, like Tokyo, Mumbai, Mexico City, and Beijing.
Air taxis have the potential to significantly decrease road traffic and the pollution that goes along with it. It can also speed up commute times, saving travelers valuable time. Electric air taxis are also quiet. Archer’s electric air taxis are up to 100 times quieter than traditional helicopters. This means that they wouldn’t contribute to noise pollution. Air taxis are also designed to take off vertically, which means they need only about as much space as a helicopter to take off and land.
Archer brings forth a bold new world where commuters can simply hop in an air taxi and get to their jobs or places of business in a matter of a few minutes instead of sitting in traffic for over an hour. Just imagine the time saved and the way this mode of transportation could change the way we design cities and suburbs.
