Stellantis Works with Archer to Push UAM Boundaries

Carlos Tavares, CEO of Stellantis, said the ongoing partnership with Archer Aviation will help break the boundaries of urban air mobility (UAM) and introduce it into communities across the U.S. 

“Supporting Archer with our manufacturing capability is another example of how Stellantis will lead the way the world moves,” Tavares said in a blog. “We are pushing the boundaries to take urban air mobility a step further, delivering as many tools as possible to our fellow citizens to protect their freedom of mobility, from the road to the sky.”

Stellantis is committed to developing sustainable technologies such as electric aircraft, which serves as the backbone of the company’s partnership with Archer. Banding together, the two parties aim to introduce a quicker, safer, and quieter way for people to travel in urban environments.

In January 2023, Stellantis pledged to provide up to USD$150 million in equity capital to Archer to scale the production of the electric aircraft and align with Archer’s roadmap of bringing eVTOLs into service by 2025. 

Tavares acknowledged he is proud to support Archer in its quest to unleash the benefits of UAM to the general public through the integration of its Midnight eVTOLs. 

The introduction of eVTOL air taxis will offer people a whole new efficient mode of transportation that will drastically cut down overall traveling times.

Archer has been putting all the pieces together for a commercial launch and announced the completion of the final assembly of its first Midnight eVTOL in May 2023. The San Jose-based firm plans to conduct the first test flight this summer before targeting Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) certification in 2024. 

In May, Archer also announced its first quarter financial results, posting a net loss of USD$113.1 million, almost double the USD$59.2 million in 2022.

Once the Midnight eVTOL enters the market, Archer already has routes mapped out in New York and Chicago through a collaboration with United Airlines. Archer has plans to launch more routes in the U.S. in the future. 

The Midnight can carry four passengers and a pilot up to 100 miles, but it is optimized to conduct back-to-back flights of 20 miles, with around 10 minutes of charging time between flights. 

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