Atlantic Aviation is making plans for eVTOL aircraft operations at multiple locations in its U.S. network of FBOs, with partnership agreements announced this week with rival manufacturers Joby and Archer. The partnerships will see electric recharging equipment provided by both companies installed at Atlantic sites, as well as joint work to explore the next steps in preparing for the launch of eVTOL air taxi services in 2025.
On Wednesday morning Archer reported the recent signing of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Atlantic Aviation covering the provision of vertiport infrastructure at airports in the New York City and Los Angeles metropolitan areas, as well as in San Francisco and Miami. At almost the same time, the business aviation services group announced a similar agreement with Joby, covering the installation of its global electric aviation charging system (GEACS) at several FBOs, starting in New York and Southern California.
The equipment to be installed with Archer is the Combined Charging System (CSS) developed by Beta Technologies, which is also developing an eVTOL aircraft. Both systems are intended for use with multiple aircraft types, but the agreements announced this week did not state whether the cost of the equipment will be covered by Atlantic or the two eVTOL manufacturers.
"A precise division of investment can be expected as detailed, site-specific negotiations with each partner are finalized further down the line," a company spokesperson told AIN in a written response to a question. "The MoU referenced in today's releases set the framework and geographic focus areas for these mutually beneficial negotiations."
"We are impressed with Archer's technology and suite of world-class partners including United Airlines," commented Atlantic Aviation's chief commercial and sustainability officer John Redcay. "We are excited to work together to electrify our aviation assets to enable quiet and sustainable urban air travel in cities across the U.S."
Atlantic Supports Business Aircraft at 100 North American Airports
Atlantic’s FBO network includes more than 100 locations across North America—at least one of which already has an aircraft charger supplied by Beta Technologies. The Vermont-based company, which is developing two types of electric aircraft in addition to charging infrastructure, has already begun installing its so-called “charge cubes” at a few of Atlantic’s FBO facilities, the companies announced last week. Atlantic’s first Beta charge cube was recently installed at Elmira Regional Airport in upstate New York, and additional units are coming soon Alabama’s Birmingham International Airport, Jackson-Medgar Wiley Evers International Airport in Mississippi, and Westfield-Barnes Regional Airport in Massachusetts.
Joby is already using the GEACS to support flight testing at its Marina, California facility and at Edwards Air Force Base. On January 8 the company announced plans to install the first GEACS intended for commercial air taxi operations at a Clay Lacy Aviation FBO coming to the John Wayne Airport in Orange County, California, which is currently under construction and scheduled to open in 2025. In addition to manufacturing aircraft and chargers, Joby also intends to operate a commercial air taxi service using its four-passenger eVTOL aircraft in densely populated areas such as New York City and Los Angeles.
“Infrastructure is a critical piece of the puzzle and Atlantic’s presence in these two key U.S. markets will help ensure we’re well positioned to deliver a meaningful service for our customers,” said Joby founder and CEO JoeBen Bevirt. “We’re excited to be working together to lay the foundation for the next generation of clean and quiet flight.”
While Joby and Beta took different approaches to designing their aircraft chargers, both systems will be capable of supporting the kinds of air taxi operations that are expected to launch next year. Beta’s charge cube is an interoperable Level 3 DC fast charger based on the CSS standard for electric vehicles, which has been endorsed by the General Aviation Manufacturers Association. Joby, on the other hand, has created an entirely new interface—the GEACS—that it says will be capable of supporting a greater variety of aircraft in the future, including larger electric commuter airplanes such as the Eviation Alice. Joby published the specifications of its previously proprietary system online late last year.
