Hmm: United Airlines orders 200 electric air taxis

Before the pandemic, one of the main goals of airlines was to invest in sustainable aviation (possibly due to social pressure). This has taken the form of flights offsetting carbon emissions, as well as a commitment to invest in more sustainable forms of aviation.

Well, United Airlines just announced their first plans to operate electric aircraft, although that’s not what you think, and the title almost reads like it’s a fish joke. April.

United Airlines invests in Archer and buys 200 electric air taxis

United Airlines has announced plans to work with air mobility company Archer as part of a larger effort to invest in emerging technologies that decarbonize air travel.

Rather than relying on traditional combustion engines, Archer’s electric vertical take-off and landing planes are designed to use electric motors and have the potential for future use as “air taxis” in urban markets. .

With current technology, Archer planes are designed to fly distances of up to 60 miles, at speeds of up to 150 miles per hour. The plan is for future models to travel faster and further. Archer’s plan is to launch between Hollywood and Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), and it is estimated that he could reduce CO2 emissions by up to 47% per passenger.

Under United’s deal with Archer:

• United to bring airspace management expertise to assist Archer in developing battery-powered short-haul aircraft
• Once the planes are in service and meet United’s operational and commercial requirements, United will acquire a fleet of up to 200 of these electric planes that would operate for Mesa Airlines.
• These planes are said to be intended to provide customers with a “fast, economical and low-carbon way to get to United’s major airports and to travel in dense urban environments over the next five years.”

United Airlines says this investment in Archer will improve the customer experience and generate a solid financial return. As United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby describes this investment:

“Part of how United will fight global warming is to embrace emerging technologies that decarbonize air travel. By working with Archer, United is showing the aviation industry that now is the time to embrace cleaner and more efficient modes of transportation. With the right technology, we can reduce the impact of airplanes on the planet, but we need to identify the next generation of companies that will make it happen quickly and find ways to help them take off. Archer’s eVTOL design, manufacturing model, and engineering expertise have the clear potential to change the way people travel in major metropolitan cities around the world.

I guess United’s investment in Archer is cool, but …

I have a few different thoughts here, aside from the fact that it’s generally a nifty concept.

First of all, this appears to be an unusual extension for an airline investing in sustainable aviation. These are not replacements for jets, but rather replacements for cars and helicopters. United and Mesa have placed an order for these planes, so will United Express start providing transportation from cities to airports? If so, will there be a First Class, what will the Elite Perks look like and how many miles will need to be redeemed for a flight? 😉

Second, I’m not totally sure I’m buying whether it’s objectively good for the environment. Of course, the emissions here are lower than from a helicopter, so if that’s the alternative, I guess it’s true. However:

• The claim is that CO2 emissions are lower than in cars, but cars are getting more and more electric, so it’s not really fair to compare today’s gasoline cars to an air taxi. which will not work until several years later, when more cars will be electric. good
• The emissions statistics do not take into account the fact that people will have to travel to the departure points of air taxis, and that presumably the reduction in emissions is based on the fact that these taxis always fly full, which is unlikely. .
• At $ 5 million per frame plus operating costs, the seats won’t be particularly cheap, plus there will be limits to how many can work at any one time; in other words, these won’t completely replace cars and kind of become the way everyone gets to airports

So yeah, it’s definitely an improvement in every way over helicopters, but helicopters aren’t the way most people get to airports.

It makes me believe that United’s main motivation here is that they think Archer is a good financial investment. Archer plans to go public and United have invested an undisclosed amount in the company. While we don’t know how much money United is investing right now (presumably a lot of money will be paid out later), the optics of United spending money on it while taking billions of dollars in support of taxpayers is not bad?

At the end of the line

United Airlines is investing in Archer and has placed an order for 200 electric air taxis. While these seem like great alternatives to helicopters, I can’t help but find everything else about it a little odd.

Are United now trying to compete with Uber and Blade? Is it really an environmental issue, because if it is to reduce emissions on the way to airports, it seems that electric cars would be more useful and accessible? And is this really the time for an airline to promote that they are investing $ 1 billion in something that they believe will “bring in a good financial return” because they just took billions of dollars? in public funds?

What do you think of United’s investment in Archer and the order for 200 electric air taxis?