It has been a busy few months for Archer Aviation as the company has built up anticipation for its Midnight four passenger electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) air taxi.
The company has finally released the full look at the aircraft in a new video where it also reveals it is working to certify the eVTOL with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and plans to use it as part of its Urban Air Mobility network.
This network includes working with United Airlines, which paid $10 million in pre-delivery payment to Archer in August — in one of the largest air taxi deals to date. The deposit on the eVTOL aircraft comes after ordering the 100 air taxis in 2021.
As part of this agreement, Archer unveiled one of the first airport to city center routes that would lie between United’s hub at Newark Liberty International Airport and a downtown Manhattan heliport in New York City.
Almost Midnight
The air taxi is designed to carry over 1,000 lb of payload on back-to-back trips that last about 20 miles. This includes a charging time of about 10 minutes in-between flights.
The Midnight aircraft can cruise at about 2,000 ft and the noise that reaches the ground is expected to measure about 45 A-weighted decibels (dBA), about 1,000 times quieter than a helicopter, Archer said.
So, when can you ride on one? Archer hopes to have the aircraft certified with the FAA in late 2024 and then start ferrying passengers in 2025.
New factory
Archer also announced it has chosen Covington, Georgia, as the site of its 350,000 sq ft manufacturing facility that will be capable of producing up to 650 aircraft a year.
The site is located adjacent to the Covington Municipal Airport on a 96 acre land. Archer said when the facility is completed in the first half of 2024, it will create more than 1,000 jobs over the long term. Production will then begin in the second half of 2024.
Additionally, the site could be expanded another 550,000 sq ft, which would allow an aircraft production of up to 2,300 aircraft per year.
