California-based eVTOL developer Archer has commitment to launching its first Urban Air Mobility (UAM) network in Los Angeles by 2024.
The fully electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft is expected to travel distances of up to 60 miles at 150 mph using technology available today, transforming “how people approach everyday life, work and adventure, while benefiting the environment and working towards a future zero-emissions world”.
Archer’s recently announced merger with Atlas Crest Investment Corporation and a $1bn commercial order from United Airlines, values the company at $3.8 billion.
Archer is supporting Los Angeles’ efforts to educate the city’s residents about the new transportation technology. Mayor Eric Garcetti announced the Urban Air Mobility Partnership in December 2020, a first-of-its-kind initiative in the US to engage and empower residents to shape the future of LA’s airspace. A collaboration between the Mayor’s Office, the Los Angeles Department of Transportation (LADOT), and Urban Movement Labs (UML), the program will develop strategies for the integration of UAM into existing transportation networks and land use policies to prioritize equity of access, connections to transit, purpose-driven data sharing, and local workforce development.
“Our partnership with the City of Los Angeles will be one of our major milestones in bringing quick, safe, affordable everyday flight to dense urban locations,” said Adam Goldstein, co-Founder and co-CEO of Archer.
“In identifying our first city partnership, it was critical to have a shared vision when it comes to how people will move around more seamlessly and with less impact on the environment around them,” added Brett Adcock, co-Founder and co-CEO of Archer. He added “working with Urban Movement Labs will be invaluable as we collectively advance our programs ahead of our first customer flights in 2024.”
Michael Leskinen, Vice President of Corporate Development and Investor Relations at United Airlines added, “We’re confident that Los Angeles is only the beginning for Archer and we look forward to helping them extend their reach across all of our hubs.”
Urban Movement Labs and the City of Los Angeles plan to collaborate to develop the design and access of “vertiports,” as a new piece of LA’s transportation network. Lilly Shoup, Executive Director of Urban Movement Labs said, “The emerging UAM space delivers a unique opportunity to take our programs beyond the two dimensions of roads and railways, and into the skies.”
