<p>Hanneke Weitering is a writer and editor with AIN covering advanced air mobility and new flight technologies. She became an aviation journalist and joined the AIN team in the summer of 2022 after reporting on spaceflight and astronomy for six years at Space.com. After earning a bachelor’s degree in physics from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, she moved to New York City to pursue a master’s degree in science, health, and environmental reporting at New York University&#039;s Arthur L. Carter Journalism Institute. She is now based in Seattle near Boeing Field and spends her free time exploring nature in the Pacific Northwest.</p>


Science & Technology Editor

<p>Archer Aviation is accelerating the adoption of electric aircraft charging infrastructure developed by rival&nbsp;eVTOL manufacturer Beta Technologies with the purchase of several of Beta's multimodal chargers.&nbsp;Beta says it has delivered two chargers to Archer’s flight test facility&nbsp;in Salinas, California, where Archer is conducting a <a href="https://futureflight.aero/news-article/2023-10-25/archers-midnight-evtol-prototype-aircraft-makes-first-flight">flight test campaign</a> with its four-passenger Midnight eVTOL air taxi. Both Archer and Beta are developing electric air taxis that are expected to be certified and in service by 2025.&nbsp;</p>
<p>In addition to its <a href="https://www.futureflight.aero/news-article/2023-03-13/beta-technologies-plans-certify-electric-ctol-airplane">CX-300</a> electric fixed-wing airplane and its Alia-250 eVTOL aircraft, Beta has been developing a network of <a href="https://futureflight.aero/news-article/2023-03-27/beta-installs-first-electric-aircraft-recharging-station-southeast-us">charging stations</a> in the eastern U.S. with its proprietary charge cubes. The Vermont-based company already has chargers online at 14 locations and is working to install more at another 55 other locations along the East and Gulf Coasts. Through its partnership with Archer, Beta’s charging network is now expanding to the West Coast.&nbsp;</p>
<p>A Beta spokesperson told <strong>AIN</strong> that Archer has received the first two deliveries of “a number of Beta's mini cube mobile charging systems,”&nbsp;which the California-based eVTOL developer intends to “rapidly deploy as needed.” In addition to the portable mini cubes, Beta intends to install two permanent charging cubes at Archer's facility in Salinas. Archer and Beta have not disclosed exactly where the additional mini cubes might be deployed. Archer plans to launch its first eVTOL air taxi routes in <a href="https://www.futureflight.aero/news-article/2022-11-09/archer-and-united-airlines-announce-evtol-air-taxi-route-between-manhattan">New York City</a> and <a href="https://www.futureflight.aero/news-article/2023-03-23/archer-and-united-airlines-reveal-first-air-taxi-route-chicago">Chicago</a>, connecting major airports&nbsp;to city centers.</p>
<p>“Fast charging is critical to ensure rapid turnaround times between flights,” said Archer co-founder and CEO Adam Goldstein. “A widespread, fast charging system is critical to ensuring electric air taxis reach scale in the coming years and this collaboration between two industry leaders is an exciting step towards achieving that.”</p>
<p>Beta’s standard charge cubes are Level 3 DC fast chargers that produce 350 kilowatts of power, which is enough to charge an eVTOL aircraft such as the Alia or Midnight in under an hour. Each unit stands about four feet tall and features a 50-foot charging cable for easy access. The mini cube, which sits on caster wheels, is a smaller and easily portable Level 3 DC fast charger, but it produces only about 40 kilowatts of power output, Beta’s spokesperson told <strong>AIN</strong>.&nbsp;</p>
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            <div class="field field--name-field-media-image field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item">  <img loading="lazy" src="/sites/default/files/futureflight/import/beta-mini-cube.jpg" width="2200" height="1088" alt="Beta's &quot;mini cube&quot; mobile charging station is pictured next to a Beta Alia prototype" title="Beta's mini cube is a 40-kilowatt portable fast charger. (Photo: Beta Technologies)">

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            <div class="field field--name-field-caption field--type-string-long field--label-hidden field__item">Beta's mini cube is a 40-kilowatt portable fast charger. (Photo: Beta Technologies)</div>
      
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<figcaption>Beta's mini cube is a 40-kilowatt portable fast charger. (Photo: Beta Technologies)</figcaption>
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<p>Both versions of Beta’s chargers are multimodal and interoperable, which means they can charge electric ground vehicles as well as aircraft. The charging systems utilize combined charging standard (CCS) plugs, which are the most commonly used among electric aircraft and ground vehicle manufacturers—with one notable exception being Joby Aviation, a California-based eVTOL developer that has opted to create its own universal charging interface. Joby has not yet revealed the specifications for its proprietary chargers, but the company claims they will be capable of supporting a wider variety&nbsp;of electric vehicles, including larger electric airplanes that could hit the market in the next decade.&nbsp;</p>
<p>Beta says it designed the chargers to the standards outlined in the General Aviation Manufacturers Association’s (GAMA) recent <a href="https://prismic-io.s3.amazonaws.com/archerv2/fb524537-1541-4d7e-b4b5-0f812862e1a4_Interoperability_of_Electric_Charging_Infrastructure_v1_0.pdf">white paper</a>, “Interoperability of Electric Charging Infrastructure,” which most electric aircraft developers have agreed to follow. The same standard has also been endorsed by the <a href="https://eshop.eurocae.net/eurocae-documents-and-reports/ed-308/#">European Organisation for Civil Aviation Equipment</a> (EUROCAE). “When we designed our chargers, we saw an opportunity to support the entire sector by using an already peer-reviewed standard, and we’re thrilled to collaborate with Archer now to validate that aim,” said Beta founder and CEO Kyle Clark.</p>
<p>“The adoption of a unified charging standard will help promote electric aviation’s development at scale,”&nbsp;said GAMA president and CEO Pete Bunce. “Enabling electric aircraft and electric ground vehicles from different manufacturers to share charging infrastructure will help reduce the costs of electrifying existing infrastructure. A common standard will boost confidence in the emerging advanced air mobility sector of our industry and encourage adoption of, and access to, publicly accessible charging networks.”</p>


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Hanneke Weitering

Archer Aviation is utilizing Beta Technologies's "charge cubes" to recharge its all-electric Midnight eVTOL air taxi. (Photo: Beta Technologies)

Archer Aviation Brings Beta's Charging Network to the West Coast

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