Archer Aviation, a developer of electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft, and BETA Technologies, an electric aerospace company developing electric aircraft and charging systems, have announced an industry-first agreement to accelerate the roll out of an interoperable fast-charging system across the electric aircraft industry.

Archer is utilizing two of BETA’s Charge Cube systems at Archer’s flight test facilities, as well as a number of BETA’s Mini Cube mobile charging systems, which Archer plans to rapidly deploy as needed.

The BETA Charge Cube can provide continuous 350 kW power output; the Mini Cube can provide continuous power of up to 40 kW.

The stationary Charge Cube has a 50-foot cord. The Mini Cube is more mobile.

BETA’s charging system utilizes the Combined Charging Standard (CCS). This GAMA-endorsed (General Aviation Manufacturers Association) standard comes with peer reviewed and global certification standards and is harmonized with EUROCAE ED-308. BETA’s charging systems are already in use at 14 locations across the eastern US, and development work is underway to install them at another 55 locations along the East and Gulf Coasts, as well as at Archer’s facilities in California.

Gaining access to BETA’s leading electric aviation charging system and network through this collaboration is another critical component of Archer’s plan to create the most efficient, and scalable, path to market for Archer’s eVTOL aircraft. Archer’s chargers bring BETA’s network to the west coast. This follows the expansion of BETA’s network down the east coast, including the first electric aircraft charger on a DoD installation located at Duke Field, Eglin Air Force Base.

During my time as the VP of Powertrain Engineering at Tesla it was well understood that having a widely accessible, fast-charger network was key to driving the adoption of EVs, and the same is true for eVTOLs, and that’s why we are so excited to collaborate with BETA to build out the charging network for our electric air taxis.

—Dr. Michael Schwekutsch, SVP Powertrain at Archer