Electric Air Taxi Coming Soon, More Affordable Than Imagined

JAKARTA - Electric air taxis that can carry passengers from the airport to the city center without congestion will soon become a reality.

According toctions Goel, Chief Commercial Officer of Archer Aviation, this technology is no longer science fiction. "We will commercialize our air taxis this year," he said in an exclusive interview with The Cool Down at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) 2025.

As one of the leading companies in the development of electric vertical take-off and landing vehicles (eVTOL), Archer has entered into partnerships with United Airlines and Southwest Airlines to realize electric air transportation.

"It's no longer like the Jetsons or Back to the Future," Goel said. "This vehicle will soon operate in cities with passengers on board."

Archer Aviation, founded in 2018, has just announced additional funding of USD 300 million (IDR 4.8 trillion), bringing the total funds raised to USD 1 billion (IDR 16.3 trillion). Archer shares, codenamed ACHR on the New York Stock Exchange, also jumped 161.69% in the past six months.

Archer air taxi tests have been carried out daily at testing sites in California. Abu Dhabi will be the first city to watch this air taxi operate commercially, thanks to a partnership with the United Arab Emirates.

"Our plan is to bring this air taxi to Abu Dhabi in the next year and start commercially launching it," Goel said. In the United States, Archer is working with United Airlines and Southwest Airlines to launch this service in major cities such as San Francisco, Los Angeles, and New York City.

In October 2024, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) approved the eVTOL as the first new civilian aircraft category since the helicopters were introduced in the 1940s.

What Makes Archer Special Technology?

Goel stressed that Archer puts forward user design and experience. "We want to provide an extraordinary experience for consumers with beautiful aircraft designs and focus on security," he said.

Archer takes a pragmatic approach so that this technology can be enjoyed immediately. "We want to start flying people in the near future so that the world can see the advantages of this technology," he said.

Goel provides examples of scenarios for the use of Archer air taxis. "Imagine you flying from Los Angeles tonch with United. Currently, traveling from the airport to the city center can take more than an hour," he said.

In the future, upon arrival at home, passengers can take a Archer taxi within five to ten minutes. With a capacity of four people, air taxis "Midnight" can travel to Manhattan's west side in just five to seven minutes. "From landing at the airport to arriving at the city center, the total travel time can be less than 30 minutes," explained Goel.

Midnight air taxis are capable of traveling up to 240 km/hour and are claimed to be 100 times quieter than helicopters.

Archer is also working with SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles to build a "vertiport", which will help LA Rams fans and Hollywood Bowl visitors avoid road congestion.

This electric taxi air traffic will be managed in the same way as today's aircraft, but with a more modern digitization system. "Currently, communication between pilots and control towers is still sound-based. Going forward, this system will be more automated and efficient," said Goel.

Archer is targeting this service to be reached by the wider community. "At first, the ticket price may be equivalent to Uber Black, but over time, we wanted to lower it to be comparable to UberX," said Goel.

As an illustration, the trip from LAX Airport to downtown Los Angeles could reach around 100 US dollars (Rp1.63 million), much cheaper than the current helicopter fare.

In December 2024, Archer announced an additional $430 million in funding as well as a collaboration with Anduril, a leading defense technology company in the US.

Archer will develop the Midnight air taxi variant for military purposes, which offers more capabilities than the consumer version.

For Goel, who has been in the eVTOL industry for more than a decade, this is a dream come true. "I am excited to see how in the next few years it will change the landscape of transportation in American cities and the rest of the world," he said.

Electric air taxis are no longer just future dreams This technology will soon air and change the way people travel in big cities.