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Automobile corporation Stellantis and electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft company Archer Aviation announced plans to expand their partnership by manufacturing Midnight, Archer’s flagship eVTOL.
The collaboration looks to combine Archer’s knowledge in eVTOLs and electric powertrains with Stellantis’ skills in mass manufacturing. Stellantis also announced it would offer as much as $150 million in equity capital for the potential draw by Archer. The amount is subject to business milestones that Archer hopes to achieve this year.
Production of Midnight will take place at an Archer plant near Atlanta and is scheduled to begin in 2024, with Stellantis as the exclusive contract manufacturer. Archer hopes this will eventually launch an urban air mobility network in 2026. Midnight is designed to hold over 1,000 pounds of payload, including a pilot, four passengers, and luggage. It is powered by six independent battery packs that each support a pair of electric engines.
The aircraft’s optimal urban trip is expected to be 20 to 50 miles long, with the ability to travel as far as 100 miles at up to 150 miles per hour. According to Archer, the aircraft will be able to perform consecutive trips of approximately 20 miles, separated by about 10 minutes of charging.
In November, Archer and United Airlines announced that the eVTOL’s first route would be between Newark Liberty International Airport and New York City. The first planned takeoff and landing site will be the Downtown Manhattan Heliport. Once operational, Archer’s goal is to transport customers between the locations in under 10 minutes, proving significantly quicker than the hour commute by car.
