Archer Aviation Inc. [NYSE: ACHR] and BETA Technologies have formed an industry-first agreement to accelerate the deployment of an interoperable fast-charging system for electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft.
This collaboration aims to facilitate the efficient charging of electric aircraft and further contribute to the development of the electric aviation industry.
Charging System Standard
Archer Aviation and BETA Technologies are collaborating to deploy a fast-charging system for electric aircraft. Archer is using BETA’s Charge Cube and Mini Cube charging systems at its flight test facilities.
BETA’s charging system uses the Combined Charging Standard (CCS), which is a well-established, multimodal, interoperable standard widely employed by major OEMs in the electric vehicle industry.
The CCS standard is peer-reviewed and globally certified, and it is harmonized with EUROCAE ED-308.
BETA Technologies already has its charging systems in use at 14 locations across the eastern United States.
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Development work is underway to install these systems at an additional 55 locations along the East and Gulf Coasts, as well as at Archer’s facilities in California.
This expansion will help create a widespread charging network for electric aircraft.
Importance of Fast Charging
Fast charging is crucial for achieving rapid turnaround times between flights. The collaboration between Archer and BETA aims to ensure efficient charging infrastructure to support electric air taxis and their scale in the coming years.
The adoption of a unified charging standard is expected to promote the development of electric aviation at scale. It allows electric aircraft and electric ground vehicles from different manufacturers to share charging infrastructure, reducing the costs of electrifying existing infrastructure.
eVTOL – GAMA Endorsement
The General Aviation Manufacturers Association (GAMA) has endorsed the use of a common charging standard for eVTOL aircraft.
This endorsement is expected to boost confidence in the emerging Advanced Air Mobility sector and encourage wider adoption of publicly accessible charging networks in the electric aviation industry.
Dr. Michael Schwekutsch, Senior Vice President of Powertrain at Archer and formerly the Vice President of Powertrain Engineering at Tesla, emphasized the importance of widely accessible, fast-charging networks for driving the adoption of electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft.
“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.”
Use of a common standard
“The adoption of a unified charging standard will help promote electric aviation’s development at scale,” said Pete Bunce, President and CEO of GAMA.
“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.”
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