Archer Aviation and BETA Technologies Collaborate to Accelerate the Adoption of an Interoperable Charging System Across the Electric Aviation Industry

Rhea-AI Summary

Archer Aviation Inc. (NYSE: ACHR) has entered into an industry-first agreement with BETA Technologies to accelerate the roll-out of an interoperable fast-charging system across the electric aircraft industry. This collaboration aims to create a widespread electric charging network that follows the standards outlined by the General Aviation Manufacturers Association (GAMA) and supports the broad electrification of vehicles. Archer will utilize BETA's Charge Cube and Mini Cube systems at their flight test facilities and plans to rapidly deploy them as needed.

Positive

• Archer's collaboration with BETA Technologies signals a significant step towards achieving a widespread, fast-charging system for electric air taxis, which is crucial for reaching scale in the coming years.
• The fact that BETA's charging systems are already in use at 14 locations across the eastern U.S., with plans for another 55 installations along the East and Gulf Coasts, demonstrates a growing presence and infrastructure for electric aviation charging systems.

Negative

• None.

• Archer Aviation has purchased several units of BETA’s interoperable and multimodal fast-charging system, which employs the Combined Charging Standard (CCS) utilized by top original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) in the electric aviation industry
• In September, the General Aviation Manufacturers Association (GAMA) published a report titled “Interoperability of Electric Charging Infrastructure” that highlights the fact that shared charging infrastructure offers numerous benefits over multiple proprietary protocols developed by OEMs
• The goal of BETA and Archer’s industry-first collaboration is to spur the widespread roll-out of an interoperable electric charging network that follows the standards outlined by GAMA and supports the broad electrification of vehicles
• BETA’s charging systems are already in use at 14 locations across the eastern U.S and development work is underway to install them at another 55 locations along with East and Gulf Coasts, as well as at Archer’s flight test facilities in California

SANTA CLARA, Calif. & SOUTH BURLINGTON, Vt.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Archer Aviation Inc. (NYSE: ACHR), a leader in electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft, and BETA Technologies, an electric aerospace company developing electric aircraft and charging systems, have announced an industry-first agreement to accelerate the roll out of an interoperable fast-charging system across the electric aircraft industry.

Archer is utilizing two of BETA’s Charge Cube systems at Archer’s flight test facilities, as well as a number of BETA’s Mini Cube mobile charging systems, which Archer plans to rapidly deploy as needed. (Photo: Business Wire)

Archer is utilizing two of BETA’s Charge Cube systems at Archer’s flight test facilities, as well as a number of BETA’s Mini Cube mobile charging systems, which Archer plans to rapidly deploy as needed. BETA’s charging system utilizes the Combined Charging Standard (CCS) – a multimodal, interoperable standard employed by the top OEMs. This GAMA endorsed standard comes with peer reviewed and global certification standards and is harmonized with EUROCAE ED-308. BETA’s charging systems are already in use at 14 locations across the eastern U.S., and development work is underway to install them at another 55 locations along the East and Gulf Coasts, as well as at Archer’s facilities in California.

Gaining access to BETA’s leading electric aviation charging system and network through this collaboration is another critical component of Archer’s plan to create the most efficient, and scalable, path to market for Archer’s eVTOL aircraft. Archer’s chargers bring BETA’s network to the west coast. This milestone collaboration for the industry follows the expansion of BETA’s network down the east coast – including the first electric aircraft charger on a DoD installation located at Duke Field, Eglin Air Force Base.

“Fast charging is critical to ensure rapid turnaround times between flights,” commented Adam Goldstein, Archer’s founder and CEO. “A widespread, fast charging system is critical to ensuring electric air taxis reach scale in the coming years and this collaboration between two industry leaders is an exciting step towards achieving that.”

“Over the past decade, transportation has shifted toward electric and now we’re seeing resonance and viability for aviation to do the same,” said Kyle Clark, BETA’s Founder and CEO. “A backbone of reliable, fast and accessible infrastructure will be critical to enabling this technology, which is why we’ve been focused on building out a charging network alongside our aircraft for some time now. When we designed our chargers, we saw an opportunity to support the entire sector by using an already peer reviewed standard, and we’re thrilled to collaborate with Archer now to validate that aim.”

“The adoption of a unified charging standard will help promote electric aviation’s development at scale,” said Pete Bunce, President and CEO of GAMA. “Enabling electric aircraft and electric ground vehicles from different manufacturers to share charging infrastructure will help reduce the costs of electrifying existing infrastructure. A common standard will boost confidence in the emerging Advanced Air Mobility sector of our industry and encourage adoption of, and access to, publicly accessible charging networks.”

Dr. Michael Schwekutsch, SVP Powertrain at Archer, added: “During my time as the VP of Powertrain Engineering at Tesla it was well understood that having a widely accessible, fast-charger network was key to driving the adoption of EVs, and the same is true for eVTOLs, and that’s why we are so excited to collaborate with BETA to build out the charging network for our electric air taxis.”

About Archer

Archer is designing and developing electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft for use in urban air mobility networks. Archer’s mission is to unlock the skies, freeing everyone to reimagine how they move and spend time. Archer’s team is based in Santa Clara, CA.

To learn more, visit www.archer.com.

About BETA Technologies

BETA Technologies is an electric aerospace company that is creating a new paradigm for transporting people and goods, making it safer, greener, quieter, and more efficient. To do this, we are building an electric transportation system that includes net-zero, all-electric aircraft and a cross-country, multimodal charging infrastructure to support various types of EVs. BETA has committed orders or contracts with leading operators across military, medical, cargo and passenger applications including UPS, Bristow, LCI, United Therapeutics, Blade and both the U.S. Air Force and U.S Army.

For more information, visit www.beta.team.

Archer Forward Looking Statements

This press release contains forward looking statements regarding Archer’s future business plans, including statements regarding the timing of Archer’s development, commercialization, and certification of its eVTOL aircraft. These forward-looking statements are only predictions and may differ materially from actual results due to a variety of factors. The risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ from the results predicted are more fully detailed in Archer’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including its most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, available at www.sec.gov. In addition, please note that any forward-looking statements contained herein are based on assumptions that Archer believes to be reasonable as of the date of this press release. Archer undertakes no obligation to update these statements as a result of new information or future events.

Source: Archer
Text: ArcherIR

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20231107548198/en/

Archer Media Contacts

The Brand Amp - Archer@TheBrandAmp.com

BETA Media Contacts

Lexi Pace - lpace@beta.team

Source: Archer Aviation

FAQ

What is the significance of Archer Aviation's collaboration with BETA Technologies?

The collaboration aims to accelerate the roll-out of an interoperable fast-charging system across the electric aircraft industry, supporting the broad electrification of vehicles and creating a widespread electric charging network.

How many locations are BETA's charging systems currently in use, and what are the expansion plans?

BETA's charging systems are already in use at 14 locations across the eastern U.S., with plans for another 55 installations along the East and Gulf Coasts, as well as at Archer’s facilities in California.

What are the benefits of BETA's charging system utilizing the Combined Charging Standard (CCS)?

BETA's charging system employs the Combined Charging Standard (CCS), a multimodal, interoperable standard employed by the top OEMs, which comes with peer-reviewed and global certification standards and is harmonized with EUROCAE ED-308.

Why is fast charging critical for electric air taxis?

Fast charging is critical to ensure rapid turnaround times between flights, and a widespread, fast-charging system is crucial for electric air taxis to reach scale in the coming years.

How does GAMA endorse the unified charging standard, and what impact does it have on the industry?

GAMA's endorsement of a unified charging standard will help promote electric aviation’s development at scale, reduce the costs of electrifying existing infrastructure, boost confidence in the emerging Advanced Air Mobility sector, and encourage adoption of publicly accessible charging networks.