Archer and Beta Launch US Electric Air Taxi Charger Network Targeting 250 Sites by 2030
Tesla revolutionized electric automobiles by building thousands of interoperable chargers that it opened up to the broader industry. A pair of air taxi manufacturers aim to do the same for electric aircraft. Thursday marked the launch of America's Consortium for Electric Skyways (ACES), a collaboration between electric aircraft developers Archer Aviation and Beta Technologies to stand up as many as 250 air taxi operating sites by 2030. That would entail the installation of Beta's electric charging systems across U.S. airports and cities in states including New York, Florida, California, and Texas, the partners said. "Electric air taxi operations can't scale without the infrastructure to charge them," said Archer founder and CEO Adam Goldstein in a statement . "That's why we're building the backbone to support the next 250 years of electric aviation in America." A Beta spokesperson told FLYING on Thursday that the company's network of fixed and mobile charging systems spans 123 active and in-progress sites. In June, Nate Ward, who leads Beta's North American charge network, said the chargers are online at more than 60 airports. The systems are designed to support eVTOL (electric vertical takeoff and landing) models like Beta's Alia A250 and Archer's Midnight, runway-based electric aircraft such as Beta's Alia CX300, and even electric ground vehicles such as zero-emission airport shuttles. Archer and Beta said Thursday that they plan to expand the network into states where they are devising activities under the FAA's eVTOL Integration Pilot Program (eIPP). Beta earlier this month completed the first official eIPP operations , delivering organs manufactured by its customer United Therapeutics between Maryland and Virginia. But the multiyear effort will span at least 26 states , meaning electric aircraft chargers could soon be online from coast to coast. Macquarie Capital, a global investment and advisory firm, is supporting ACES as a strategic advisor and will provide the funding for site acquisition and development. The partners said they intend to expand the consortium to more aircraft manufacturers, infrastructure providers, and investors. Electrifying America As Archer, Beta, and other electric aircraft manufacturers progress through type certification, they are also focused on what comes after. A type-certified aircraft is no use with a dead battery. Beta's chargers are designed to the Combined Charging Standard (CCS) and are interoperable, allowing any electric air or ground vehicle to plug in. That means the same system could juice up its Alia, Archer's Midnight, or the Valo air taxi under development by the U.K.'s Vertical Aerospace, which has also committed to the CCS. Once the widely accepted standard for electric automobiles, the CCS is being phased out for Tesla's North American Charging Standard. However, the General Aviation Manufacturers Association (GAMA) has endorsed it as the framework for electric aircraft. The CCS is aligned to the European Organisation for Civil Aviation Equipment's (EUROCAE) ED-308 provision, which sets minimum requirements for VTOL charging infrastructure around the world. One competitor, Joby Aviation, developed its own interoperable charging system. Its Global Electric Aviation Charging System (GEACS) includes a coolant mechanism, whereas Beta opted for separate charging and thermal management systems. GEACS also includes multiple DC channels to accommodate the Joby air taxi's distributed battery packs. Archer and Beta have no need for this as their models concentrate the packs in one location. But the industry is largely united around the CCS and views it as preferable to each manufacturer developing a proprietary system. Archer and Beta said the latter's customers, which include Republic Airways, Bristow Group, and Surf Air Mobility, will tap into the ACES network for cargo and medical operations. Archer during peak operational hours would have access for passenger operations. "The infrastructure required to open our nation's airports and future vertiports to advanced air mobility is a fraction of what people expect," Beta founder and CEO Kyle Clark said in a statement. "By deploying interoperable chargers built on an open standard, we're putting in place nearly all the physical infrastructure this industry needs, built so every operator can use it." Archer in 2023 placed an initial order for Beta's charging systems. Both companies have partnered with Signature Aviation and Atlantic Aviation to install them at FBOs nationwide. Ward estimated it takes Beta six to nine months to put a charger in the ground. "FBOs, their bread and butter is general aviation," he told FLYING in June. "Being on that GA apron—where it's a little bit come one, come all, and they've got a mandate to serve the public—is a natural fit for chargers." Ward said the company evaluates heaps of data, including traffic volume, proximity to power sources, and runway length, when evaluating charge sites. Part of the strategy entails clustering chargers together to form a mesh network. "As you add interconnected nodes within an area, you increase the utility, the work that that network can do," he said. The states hosting activities under the eIPP could be next in line for electric aircraft chargers. Beta's organ delivery flights this month were conducted in partnership with the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT), which is leading an eIPP project comprising 17 other states. Beta was also part of winning eIPP bids by state transportation agencies in Texas, Florida, Utah, North Carolina, Louisiana, and New York and New Jersey. Archer is part of the Texas, Florida, and New York and New Jersey-led projects. The company previously shared air taxi route maps for New York City and Miami, which could be an indication those cities are next in line for chargers. Archer and Beta will exhibit at the Farnborough International Airshow in the U.K. from July 20-24. On July 21, Clark, Goldstein, and Dan Edwards, principal deputy assistant secretary for aviation and international affairs within the Transportation Department, will share more about the partnership during a fireside chat.