United Airlines orders 200 electric vertical take-off planes

The success of unequipped electric drones over the past two decades has made some people wonder if construction techniques similar to those used in drones could be used to create small electric planes to transport people.

Not only are electric motors more reliable than conventional motors, but they’re also light enough that you can fit more than one on a single plane, providing an additional margin of safety. The ability to use multiple engines – as well as sophisticated software – means greater design flexibility, opening the door to new types of vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) aircraft that straddle the line between conventional aircraft and the helicopter.

This technology was overestimated in the late 2010s. Uber, for example, in 2017 announced plans to launch a VTOL taxi service in Dallas and Dubai in 2020. Instead, Uber ceded its taxi efforts. flight when Joby started in December 2020.

But while the VTOL revolution didn’t happen as quickly as some of the early boosters had hoped, the industry is moving forward. The latest sign is an announcement that United Airlines is investing in start-up VTOL Archer and has placed a billion dollar order for 200 VTOL planes.

Archer is also raising funds from Stellantis, the company resulting from the recent merger of car manufacturers Fiat Chrysler and PSA Peugeot. Stellantis will help Archer fabricate the carbon fiber fuselage of his planes. The investments are part of Archer’s plan to become a public company through a merger with a special purpose acquisition company.

While battery-powered electric planes have a number of advantages, the low energy density of batteries (compared to fossil fuels) means electric vehicles have limited range. Archer’s first aircraft, scheduled for release in 2024, is designed for a range of 100 km with a top speed of 240 km / h. This is obviously not a long enough range to replace conventional commercial airline flights.

Short hops and big obstacles

Archer and others working on this technology envision a new class of intra-city air service. A United customer can drive a short distance to a nearby “vertiport” – perhaps in a suburban parking lot or at the top of an urban skyscraper. Then the customer can fly 20 or 30 miles to an airport in 15 or 20 minutes – a journey that could otherwise take an hour by car. VTOL planes could also quickly transport passengers between nearby cities – for example, from San Francisco to Palo Alto, from Dallas to Fort Worth, or from Baltimore to Washington, DC.

Of course, it’s theoretically possible to do this by helicopter, and some wealthy people are already doing it. But proponents argue that electric VTOL airplanes have the potential to be safer, quieter, and much cheaper than a helicopter. Archer says his plane will produce “minimal noise” and the cost will be comparable to that of an Uber ride.

Archer’s initial plane will require a pilot. But VTOL supporters are hopeful that we will eventually have software sophisticated enough to operate the plane on its own, simultaneously eliminating the cost of paying the pilot and opening an extra seat for a passenger.

Beyond the technical challenges of designing the new aircraft, the VTOL vision also poses significant regulatory challenges. It takes several years for the FAA to approve a new aircraft design. In addition, for urban air transport to operate on a large scale, the air traffic control system will probably have to be revised. A large number of small planes traveling short distances could overwhelm the existing system.