Stellantis and Archer Aviation have shared a progress update about their partnership in constructing the world's first high-volume eVTOL aircraft manufacturing facility located in Covington, Georgia.
(Photo : Archer Official YouTube Channel)
With construction now well underway on the world’s first high-volume eVTOL aircraft manufacturing facility, we are proud of the incredible progress Archer has made with Stellantis since announcing our expanded in January of this year.
Sharing Progress Update
Six months after the announcement of expanding an existing partnership to bring mass production of eVTOLS to the United States, both Stellantis and Archer shared a progress update. Electrek reported that the development of the world's first high-volume eVTOL aircraft manufacturing facility has now moved from the concept phase to the execution phase.
The announcement coincides with a public display of Archer's Midnight eVTOL at the 2023 Paris Air Show. It was shared that the construction of the facility is underway amongst roughly 100 acres in Georgia. As they enter the execution phase, both companies ensure to meet their goal of bringing scalable manufacturing of the aircraft online in mid-2024.
Stellantis Chief Executive Officer Carlos Tavares stated, "We believe this unique partnership is setting the standard for cross-industry collaboration and continues to be a key pillar of our strategy to ensure Stellantis leads the way the world moves, providing freedom of mobility in all ways. I have no doubt that we are on the right path."
The company also shared that it had increased its strategic shareholding of Archer Aviation by purchasing a series of stocks on the open market. No confirmation from both companies regarding the details of the size of those purchased stocks but the company stated that it intends to remain a minority shareholder.
Meanwhile, Archer Founder and CEO Adam Goldstein stated that the company aims not just to get to commercialization but also to achieve it at scale. By looking at their progress, he added that he could not be prouder of what they have already accomplished by partnering with Stellantis, as they continue to lead the industry in building manufacturing capabilities.
World's First High-Volume eVTOL Manufacturing Facility
Both companies plan to leverage their respective strengths into one product, an eVTOL design and development and high-volume vehicle manufacturing. Through this partnership, it will rapidly scale production in the United States and achieve Urban Air Mobility (UAM) commercialization.
The Midnight eVTOl is being planned to be mass-produced in the facility, aiming to deploy 6,000 aircraft by 2030. This will be able to transport four passengers plus a pilot, which will be designed to have a payload capacity of over 1,000 pounds and travel 100 miles on a single charge.
Based on the press release, the initial manufacturing operations will have the capacity of producing up to 650 aircraft annually with room for expansion to support the production of up to 2,300 aircraft per year. Producing this high volume of aircraft would make the facility the leading aircraft manufacturing facility by volume in the world.
Related Article: Stellantis Expands Partnership With Archer Aviation to Build eVTOL 'Midnight'
