In a recent announcement, automotive and mobility major, Stellantis N.V. to further its partnership with Archer Aviation Inc to jointly manufacture, Archer’s state-of-the-art electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft, Midnight.
Midnight aircraft will be manufactured in Archer’s new production plant in Covington, Georgia, from 2024. Midnight is designed to be safe, sustainable, and silent, with an anticipated payload of more than 1,000 pounds. Midnight has a range of 100 miles, which makes it ideal for back-to-back travels of under 20 miles, carrying up to 4 passengers and a pilot, with an interval of about 10 minutes for charging.
Stellantis brings its manufacturing expertise, resources, skills and knowledge, while Archer gets its world-class engineering team, eVTOL, electric powertrain and certification experts. This alliance dramatically boosts urban air mobility as Archer hopes to fulfill its commercialization goals by scaling up aircraft production quickly. At the same time, Archer hopes to strengthen its route to commercialization by avoiding spending hundreds of millions of dollars on the manufacturing ramp-up phase. As Archer's exclusive contract manufacturer, Stellantis intends to create the eVTOL aircraft in large quantities.
Stellantis will support Archer’s expansion plans by providing up to $150 million in equity capital between 2023 and 2024. This investment is subject to certain business achievements by Archer in 2023.
About Stellantis N.V.
Stellantis N.V. houses the world’s most iconic brands like Alfa Romeo, Abarth, Chrysler, Citroën, Dodge, DS Automobiles, Fiat, Jeep®, Lancia, Maserati, Opel, Peugeot, Ram, Vauxhall, including Leasys and Free2move, making it the world’s leading automotive and mobility group. Stellantis aims to create added value for all its stakeholders while being a sustainable mobility tech company.
About Archer Aviation
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With its headquarters in San Jose, California, Archer Aviation specializes in electric vertical take-off and landing aircraft. Archer’s eVTOL planes have a maximum range of 100 miles and a top speed of 150 mph. The eVTOL aircraft is aimed at air taxi services that will transport passengers within and between cities. Archer Aviation has been engaged to provide 200 eVTOL aircraft to United Airlines.