Air Taxi Firms Joby, Archer, Beta Announce Plans to Electrify Airports

The manufacturers will install electric aircraft chargers from coast to coast as they quarrel over whose charging system, Joby’s or Beta’s, should be the industry standard.

Jack Daleo

Wednesday, January 17, 2024 at 07:05 AM ET

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A digital illustration depicts Atlantic Aviation’s Los Angeles FBO modified for eVTOL air taxi operations. [Courtesy: Archer Aviation]

Key Takeaways:

Major eVTOL manufacturers (Joby, Archer, Beta) are collaborating with Atlantic Aviation to electrify airport infrastructure across the U.S. by installing charging stations, with initial deployments expected by 2025.
A significant conflict exists over charging standards: Beta and Archer support the industry-backed Combined Charging System (CCS), while Joby is promoting its proprietary Global Electric Aviation Charging System (GEACS) with different technical specifications.
The article highlights that the future of electric aviation interoperability hinges on which of these competing charging standards ultimately prevails, drawing parallels to the electric ground vehicle industry's standard battles.

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A trio of electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) air taxi manufacturers signed separate deals to electrify airport infrastructure—all with the same partner.

On Wednesday, Joby Aviation and Archer Aviation joined Beta Technologies in collaborating with Atlantic Aviation, an FBO network and aviation services provider, to add electric charging stations to Atlantic locations across the U.S. The new infrastructure will open up the airfields to Joby’s S4, Archer’s Midnight, Beta’s Alia, and other electric air taxi designs.