The dream of flying taxis zipping silently above traffic-clogged streets has long captured imaginations, yet the reality has remained frustratingly elusive. But recent developments suggest we may finally be approaching liftoff. Archer Aviation, a Silicon Valley startup developing electric vertical takeoff-and-landing aircraft, just achieved a significant milestone with its Midnight aircraft completing its longest piloted flight to date, covering approximately 55 miles (88.5km) in 31 minutes at speeds exceeding 126mph (203km/h) at its test facility in Salinas, California.
This breakthrough comes as Archer prepares for commercial operations in the UAE before the year’s end, backed by the Abu Dhabi Investment Office and partnered with Etihad Airways. The ambitious plan would connect Dubai to Abu Dhabi in just 20 minutes, transforming what can be a two-hour drive into a brief aerial commute.
While futuristic renderings have always been easier than navigating regulatory hurdles or operating in extreme desert conditions, Archer Aviation founder and CEO Adam Goldstein believes the convergence of technology, regulation and investment has finally created the perfect conditions for urban air mobility to take flight.
What has made air taxis viable now when they weren’t before?
Three things have enabled the launch of air taxis. First, battery technology has advanced to the point where we can now build vehicles that can carry sufficient loads over long distances fast enough to make it economically viable. Thanks to the EV business – specifically Tesla – for rapidly advancing this technology, which enabled us to make an aircraft that is viable and safe, meaning people are excited to pay for it, and you can travel far enough to make it interesting.
A second thing that happened is we now have a very supportive regulatory environment establishing rules. The FAA established the first set of rules, which the rest of the world is starting to adopt, that allows us to now actually build and certify these aircraft.
And then, finally, the capital investments that were required to help launch the industry have been provided from OEM providers, such as Archer, to the players who have built the core infrastructure to enable all of this. We are working through the certification process to get the project to go live by the end of this year.
Why do we need air taxis when we have ground transportation?
We live and work in three dimensions, but the transportation grid has been stuck in two dimensions. You can always develop more ground transport but that eventually maxes out, which is why you see traffic in many cities. Flying over the traffic is a good answer to the problem. Of course, it’s not the only solution – tunnels and roads will continue to expand. But to be able to see the cities from the air is probably the most beautiful version of all those.
How will you scale this technology for mass adoption?
In the beginning supply will be limited, which brings us to the question of how many of these aircraft can we build and distribute? A lot of community engagement will need to be done, such as meeting with different municipalities to make sure they feel comfortable and that everybody understands the safety aspects of this aircraft. Our goal is to be a long-term player, so we’ll start conservatively and grow it over time.
The idea is for this to be a mass-market product. The things that limited helicopters from scaling – predominantly cost, safety and noise – have been largely alleviated. Our aircraft has the ability to scale in ways that helicopters couldn’t.
Why did you choose the UAE for your first commercial operations?
The UAE really leaned in to the industry from the very beginning, in terms of advancing technology and regulatory frameworks, in attempt to establish itself as a global leader in new transportation solutions. We partnered with the Abu Dhabi Investment Office early in the process to help build the core infrastructure and frameworks for how we would launch.
There has also been overall interest from the government to partner with companies that produce cutting-edge technology to ensure the UAE can lead in all new things. The benefit they’re going to get is early access to the results – but I don’t think that’s just an Archer thing. There’s a possibility for the UAE to become a hub for new transportation solutions for many other companies. Archer will be one of the early ones, but lots will come once they see that the UAE is a great place to launch projects.
What’s your long-term vision for urban air mobility?
I think a lot of entrepreneurs, especially in the hardware space, have dreamed about taking sci-fi gadgets and turning them into real products. I’ve always had a vision of bringing flying cars into the mainstream. I think it will start slowly, and then all of a sudden, it will be everywhere.
I can envision that one day there will be multi-lane highways in the skies, and that people will be taking these aircraft to work or to vacation. In 20 years, the world will look quite different because of this product.
What will air taxi rides cost?
The target price is at the high end of rideshare to start, with the ultimate goal being to substantially drive the cost down to somewhere near car ownership. The way we get there is by scaling. It will take several years to build enough aircraft, get the product out there and create different routes that make sense.
How will you build public trust in this new form of transportation?
We’ll have to gain the trust over time and maintain a very high safety record, but I believe that because the product is so exciting, there will be a lot of early adopters. There will probably be more people who want to fly with it than we can supply for quite some time.
Listen to the full interview with Goldstein on The Entrepreneurs, below:
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