The Future of eVTOL Aircraft

After 119 years of aircraft technology advancements, we are still seeing technology developments. Like the Wright Brothers in the years leading to first flight in 1903, companies investing in the future of aviation do so with great risk at the chance of either rewards or failure.

It appears that Archer Aviation Inc. is one of the companies developing eVTOL aircraft that is on the path towards rewards. Archer Aviation has been developing an eVTOL aircraft that can be used as air taxis. Yesterday, it announced that United Airlines paid $10 million to secure 100 of Archer's production eVTOL aircraft. According to Archer Aviation, "Archer recently completed its production aircraft’s Preliminary Design Review (PDR) and is now advancing to the next stage of its development and commercialization efforts. The PDR is a meticulous review of the aircraft design to ensure the program is on track and the design is mature enough to proceed to the next development phase and kick-off of production of long lead time hardware. The PDR lays out all aspects of the aircraft’s specifications and manufacturing requirements, necessary pre-conditions for determinations that the design is feasible for regulatory compliance and viable to bring to market. United’s decision to place a deposit for 100 of Archer’s eVTOL aircraft signals its desire to be one of the first airline operators in the U.S. to bring eVTOL aircraft to market."

To learn more, you can visit the company's website at archer.com.

According to thehustle.co, "Michael Leskinen, head of United’s venture arm, told The Wall Street Journal that the company will announce routes within months and that prices will be like riding in an Uber Black."

There are many companies working on eVTOL aircraft. They all have regulatory hoops to jump through as the FAA tries to figure out just how to regulate this next generation of aircraft. However, if it is true that we could take an air taxi for roughly the same price as an Uber Black in the future, the future of eVTOL it looking bright!

Thanks for reading!

Joe