Hold onto your designer sunglasses, Hollywood! Forget dodging traffic on the 405; soon, you might be zipping above it in an electric "air taxi." Archer Aviation, the company pioneering these futuristic flying machines, is teaming up with entertainment giant AEG to build a swanky "vertiport" right in the heart of Downtown L.A. Get ready for some serious sci-fi vibes, because these electric choppers are set to take flight well before the 2028 Olympic Games.
Imagine this: you're heading to a Lakers game or a major convention, and instead of battling gridlock, you just… fly over it. That's the dream, folks! This new take-off and landing hub for Archer's electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft is likely going to perch atop a parking garage at AEG's massive L.A. Live complex. We're talking prime real estate, right next to the Crypto.com Arena (where the Lakers and Kings play, duh!) and the Los Angeles Convention Center. While an exact launch date is still TBD, Archer's CEO and cofounder, Adam Goldstein, spilled the tea to Forbes, confirming it'll be open for business before July 2028.
Goldstein sounded pretty pumped about the timeline, telling Forbes, "One of our big goals has been to find a point in time that everybody could work toward. The LA 2028 Olympics is a good way to get everybody motivated to do this." He's talking about rallying everyone from regulators certifying these bad boys to infrastructure partners getting the build-out done, and even power companies setting up all the necessary charging stations. It's a massive undertaking, but apparently, the Olympic deadline is the ultimate motivator!
This new L.A. Live spot isn't the only place you'll be able to catch an eVTOL. Archer's already got plans for other high-profile locations across the city, including near SoFi Stadium (hello, Rams and Chargers fans!), the University of Southern California, and Hollywood Burbank Airport. Their electric Midnight eVTOLs are no joke either: they're powered by a 142-kilowatt-hour battery (that's like two Tesla packs in one!), can carry four passengers for up to 100 miles, and hit speeds of a zippy 150 miles per hour. Talk about making an entrance!
L.A. is just the beginning for Archer's aerial ambitions. While the City of Angels gets first dibs, the company is looking to spread its wings to New York and other major urban centers in the coming years. The eVTOL world has seen some serious shake-ups, with steep development costs and lengthy FAA certification processes trimming the competition. Now, it's mostly Archer and Joby Aviation leading the pack.
In a power move earlier this month, Archer announced it was snapping up autonomous eVTOL developer Wisk Aero, air traffic management software gurus Skygrid, and defense-focused surveillance aircraft maker Insitu from Boeing. In a sweet deal, Boeing then snagged a 20% stake in Archer. Smart play!
Now, for the million-dollar question: how much will these high-flying rides cost? Goldstein's got some good news for your wallet. Unlike those super pricey short-hop helicopter rides you might find near New York airports (we're talking $200+), Archer's aiming to keep fares comparable to what you'd shell out for an Uber or Lyft. That's right, luxury in the sky without breaking the bank!
Archer is currently ramping up production of their Midnight eVTOL model at a brand-new factory in Georgia, with the capacity to churn out a whopping 650 units a year. While the L.A. service will probably kick off with a couple dozen aircraft, Goldstein acknowledges they're "kind of two years out, so we've got to get moving on this." He added, "There's not going to be a hundred aircraft in the air in year one. We'll start with tens, something like that, and then grow it over time."
So, while we might not be fully living the Jetsons life just yet, L.A. is definitely taking a massive leap into the future of urban transport. Get ready for some serious sky-high celebrity spotting!
