The car manufacturer Stellantis is launching into the manufacture of aerial vehicles: it announced on Wednesday at the major electronics show CES in Las Vegas that it would produce the electric aircraft developed by the American company Archer and intended for become flying taxis.
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Stellantis, known for its Peugeot, Citroën or Jeep car brands, will contribute up to $150 million to Archer and its vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) device, designed to carry four passengers in addition to the pilot.
Called Midnight, it looks like a small plane with several rotors on the wings and is intended to make consecutive journeys of around 30 kilometers with a recharge time of around 10 minutes between each journey.
The two groups had already entered into a partnership in 2021, but on a more limited scale, Stellantis then having to provide technical assistance and access to its supply chain.
This time around, Stellantis is expected to mass-produce the aircraft, as the exclusive contract manufacturer, at Archer's factory in Covington, Georgia, in the eastern United States.
Venturing out of car manufacturing is “a matter of freedom of mobility,” Stellantis boss Carlos Tavares told a press briefing.
Stellantis is committed to providing transport that is “safe, clean and affordable” and the partnership with Archer is part of this, he said.
In addition to its expertise in terms of mass manufacturing and the 150 million dollars which will be disbursed in 2023 and 2024 subject to the achievement of certain objectives, Stellantis also plans to increase its stake in the capital of Archer by buying back shares on the market.
The partnership allows Archer to accelerate production of the device, which is expected to begin in late 2024.
The American company should be able to build up to 650 devices per year initially before a possible extension to produce up to 2,300 per year, said Adam Goldstein, co-founder and director of Archer, during the update. hurry.
The partnership should also allow the American company to save “several hundred million dollars” during the ramp-up of production thanks to the expertise of Stellantis.
"We have already made a lot of progress on the design of the device and on the certification process," said Mr. Goldstein. “It is now a privilege to work with Stellantis on the production itself,” he added.
The company has already received a pre-order for 200 vehicles from the American airline United Airlines in 2021, which confirmed its interest in August 2022 by providing a $10 million deposit for 100 aircraft. These aircraft are expected to fly between New York and Newark Airport initially, then to other cities like Los Angeles, Miami and San Francisco where United has a significant presence.
In France, Archer's device would be ideal for trips between Roissy, Orly and Beauvais airports, said Tavares.
