Palo Alto, California-based Archer, a designer and developer of eVTOL aircraft, has announced its commitment to launching its first urban air mobility (UAM) network in Los Angeles by 2024. Archer is excited to explore the potential for UAM to address some of southern California's mobility challenges and provide a new option for people to travel more freely in and around dense metropolitan areas.

Archer's UAM platform will move people throughout cities in a fast, safe, sustainable and cost-effective manner. The fully electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft is expected to travel distances of up to 60 miles at 150 mph using technology available today, transforming how people approach everyday life, work and adventure, while benefiting the environment and working towards a future zero-emissions world. Archer's recently announced merger with Atlas Crest Investment Corporation and a $1 billion commercial order from United Airlines, which is subject to United's business and operating requirements, values the company at $3.8 billion and puts Archer in prime position to integrate UAM as part of cities' future transportation networks.

In a demonstration of its commitment to Los Angeles, Archer is supporting efforts to educate the city's residents about the new transportation technology. Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti announced the Urban Air Mobility Partnership in December 2020, a first-of-its-kind initiative in the US to engage and empower residents to shape the future of LA's airspace. A collaboration between the Mayor's Office, the Los Angeles Department of Transportation (LADOT) and Urban Movement Labs (UML), the programme will develop strategies for the integration of UAM into existing transportation networks and land use policies to prioritise equity of access, connections to transit, purpose-driven data sharing and local workforce development.

“Our partnership with the City of Los Angeles will be one of our major milestones in bringing quick, safe, affordable everyday flight to dense urban locations,” comments Adam Goldstein, co-founder and co-CEO of Archer.

“In identifying our first city partnership, it was critical to have a shared vision when it comes to how people will move around more seamlessly and with less impact on the environment around them,” adds Brett Adcock, co-founder and co-CEO of Archer. “Working with Urban Movement Labs will be invaluable as we collectively advance our programmes ahead of our first customer flights in 2024.”

“Archer's commitment to launch its first eVTOL aircraft in one of United's hubs means our customers are another step closer to reducing their carbon footprint at every stage of their journey, before they even take their seat,” notes Michael Leskinen, VP of corporate development and investor relations at United Airlines. “We're confident that Los Angeles is only the beginning for Archer, and we look forward to helping it extend its reach across all of our hubs.”

Urban Movement Labs and the City of Los Angeles plan to collaborate to develop the design and access of vertiports, a new piece of L.A.'s transportation network where people can go to fly on an urban air mobility aircraft.

“Our vision is to improve mobility, reduce congestion, create employment and promote healthier communities through public and private sector collaboration,” concludes Lilly Shoup, executive director of Urban Movement Labs. “Working with companies like Archer that are at the forefront of technological innovation in the emerging UAM space delivers a unique opportunity to take the perspective of our programmes beyond just the two dimensions of roads and railways, and into the skies.”