Archer Aviation is continuing its goal to prove the future is now after announcing a groundbreaking partnership with top South Korean mobility platform company KakaoMobility.
On May 30, the San Jose, California-based startup announced that KakaoMobility agreed to purchase up to 50 of its Midnight eVTOL aircraft worth up to around $250 million, making electric air taxi services one step closer to reality for efficient and sustainable travel in South Korea.
The companies, including consortium partners LG UPlus Corp and GS E&C, will showcase the "electric vertical takeoff and landing" technology to the public at the 2024 K-UAM Grand Challenge, an initiative organized by Korea's Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, and Transport. Archer also expects to receive pre-delivery payments in 2025.
An Archer Aviation spokesperson told The Cool Down that the strong governmental support was one reason why South Korea was the ideal next step after the first international market launches in the United Arab Emirates and India.
"Given the Korean government has set the goal of commercializing urban air mobility in the country by the mid-2020s, and the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport (MOLIT) is hosting the K-UAM Grand Challenge … it's a strong signal that South Korea has all the right ingredients," the spokesperson wrote to TCD in an email.
Archer Aviation made the point that the capital city of Seoul is one of the most congested cities in the world, saying that the typical commuter sits in traffic for almost 90 minutes every day. However, KakaoMobility aims to offer electric air taxi flights to Kakao T mobile app users with Archer's aircraft as soon as 2026.
"Archer Aviation is excited to give KakaoMobility's vast network of over 30M users the opportunity to drastically cut down their local commute times so they can take that time back and put it toward spending more time with their families or relaxing at home," the spokesperson wrote to TCD, explaining that the "consortium's complementary strengths" enables it to "build a comprehensive approach" to incorporate all-electric air taxis into South Korea's landscape.
The Midnight aircraft can fly as fast as 150 miles per hour. While some might worry that air taxi commercialization would add a lot of noise to bustling cities, the aircraft is 100 times quieter than helicopters at cruising altitude, according to the company.
The company's website also speaks of the innovation and care it says has gone into the technology, from the design of the aircraft to data analysis.
For one, the Midnight aircraft is outfitted with 12 electric engines and six battery packs, meaning the eVTOL can remain operational if an engine or pack experiences an outage during flight. Then there's Prime Radiant, Archer's proprietary data modeling technology.
"Safety is our top priority at Archer, and we use Prime Radiant to ensure we're making data-based decisions," the spokesperson told TCD. "This partnership stands to be another showcase for our strength in both areas."
In addition to improving the lives of commuters, the partnership falls perfectly in line with South Korea's sustainability goals, including its intention of significantly reducing planet-warming carbon pollution by 2050, according to the International Energy Agency.
The Midnight aircraft relies on lithium-ion cells — the type of batteries found in most electric vehicles. While mining for these minerals does generate some pollution, the process is considerably less polluting than extracting dirty fuels for non-electric transportation.
"We are excited to bring eVTOL technology to the market and contribute to South Korea's broader goals of reducing carbon emissions and promoting green technology," the spokesperson told TCD.
The company has previously announced plans for domestic operations, including in Chicago and New York, after full approval from the Federal Aviation Administration. In June, it also revealed its game-changing vision to connect cities in the Bay Area.
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