Could Archer Midnight be a different kind of electric future?
Global automaker Stellantis certainly thinks so.
So much so, it has pledged $150 million to help build the all-electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft.
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Just to bring you up-to-speed, Archer is an aviation company based in San Jose, California.
Founded in 2018, its vision is to develop eVTOLs that’ll be used as aerial city taxis, and plans to have 6,000 in service by 2030.
United Airlines must like the idea – it’s apparently already placed an order for two.
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What is Archer Midnight?
It’s the production plane and an evolution of Archer’s demonstrator aircraft, the Maker.
Using 12 propellers that tilt enabling vertical take-off and landings, Midnight has a payload of 1,000 pounds (450kg).
In layman’s terms, it can transport up to four passengers plus a pilot.
It has a cruising height of approximately 2,000 feet, and, because it’s electric, it emits zero operating emissions.
Engineered for speeds of up to 241 km/h (150 mph), Midnight can turn hour-long commutes into minutes.
Containing six independent battery packs Midnight has a range of around 160 kilometers (100 miles).
Archer claims it’ll achieve 20 back-to-back flights with a 10-minute booster charge after touchdown, too.
When will we see it?
It looks like we’ll see the finished product soon, too, as Midnight is scheduled to be FAA certified by the end of 2024 and operational by 2025.
Stellantis says it’s been brought on board to bring ‘advanced manufacturing technology and expertise, experienced personnel and capital to the partnership.’
More specifically, Stellantis will help to set up the factory in Covington, Georgia where Archer Midnight will be produced.
Here’s hoping the injection of money and its expertise will be put to good use getting Midnight Archer off the ground.
See what we did there?
