eVTOL developer Archer Aviation has just laid out some plans to help alleviate some of the nasty traffic around Los Angeles. Today, the company outlined an air mobility network it is developing for Southern California that will bring eVTOL air taxi rides to the public within the next two years.
Today’s news is merely the latest milestone for California-based eVTOL developer Archer Aviation ($ACHR), which is quickly rising to the top of a booming new industry in sustainable air mobility. We’ve covered much of that progress in the past year and a half as Archer has continued to establish promising relationships with big names in manufacturing and aviation.
Some of those deals include plans for commercial eVTOL air taxi operations with United Airlines in Chicago and, most recently, Southwest Airlines in California, including Los Angeles. That’s on top of established cooperation agreements for international eVTOL travel networks in regions like the United Arab Emirates and South Korea.
This past June, Archer announced a landmark deal with Signature Aviation – a major network of private airport terminals, to identify day-one opportunities for launching eVTOL air taxi services in the US and globally.
Today, we’ve learned that some of those initial US-based eVTOL rides will be implemented in and around Los Angeles.
Archer to launch first US eVTOL network in Los Angeles
Per details shared by Archer Aviation today, it is planning to implement its first US eVTOL air taxi rides to the public in its native state of California, more specifically, around Los Angeles – a city notorious for frustrating travel times due to its large population and lack of public transit (trust me, I lived there for almost 12 years).
The planned eVTOL network includes several vertiports around the Los Angeles metropolitan area, including LAX Airport, Orange County, Santa Monica, Hollywood, Burbank, Long Beach, Van Nuys, and the University of California (USC). Archer’s flagship Midnight eVTOL aircraft will lead the new era of sustainable air travel and has already received a Part 135 certification from the FAA en route to bonafide commercial flight operations.
Additionally, Archer shared it is in talks with NFL organization, the Los Angeles Rams, to explore the potential of exclusive vertiports at Woodland Hills and Hollywood Park, an approximately 300-acre district centered around SoFi Stadium, where the Rams and Chargers play. Can you imagine Rams players flying in on game day from their mansions up North in an eVTOL?
Per Archer, the goal of its planned eVTOL network in Los Angeles is to offer strategically placed vertiports to local residents, who can show up, hop in a zero-emissions aircraft, and get to their destination in 10-20 minutes versus hours in vehicle traffic, lamenting their entire existence on the 405 or dreaded 101. Per Archer CEO Adam Goldstein:
This is a big moment for Archer. Establishing our LA network ahead of the global events that are coming to the region over the next three years is a milestone that will put Midnight on display for the whole world to see. LA is known for its horrendous traffic—our goal is to offer a safer, faster and more sustainable alternative travel option.
If and when the Los Angeles network is put into operation, Archer’s Midnight eVTOLs will be able to transport up to four passengers with carry-on luggage, plus a pilot, to destinations quickly at speeds up to 150 mph. Archer states its aircraft is currently designed for back-to-back flights of 20-50 miles with minimal charge time in between – all while delivering air transportation that is 100 times quieter than a helicopter at cruising altitude (currently a constant plague of noise to LA residents).
Due to its technology, Archer says its eVTOL trips will be virtually inaudible to Los Angeles residents from street level. The company said it is targeting initial eVTOL operations in Los Angeles by 2026, long before the influx of visitors around the globe for the 2028 Olympic Games.
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