Stellantis Works with Archer Aviation Inc. to Make Urban Aircrafts Possible
Well this one seems to completely come out of left-field. When Stellantis announced its big plans with the Dare Forward 2030 business strategy, the automotive group talked about battery-electric vehicles (BEVs), carbon-neutrality, and even artificial intelligence software. We’re seeing some of the latter in the STLA SmartCockpit platform, built on the STLA Brain, and autonomous technology also found its way onto the game plan. Nowhere did Stellantis mention aircrafts, and yet, their recent partnership with Archer Aviation Inc. will change that.
“The Stellantis and Archer teams are moving full speed ahead in execution mode to ensure we meet our goal of bringing scalable manufacturing of Archer’s aircraft online in mid-2024…We believe this unique partnership is setting the standard for cross-industry collaboration and continues to be a key pillar of our strategy to ensure Stellantis leads the way the world moves, providing freedom of mobility in all ways. With our trusted teams onsite working shoulder to shoulder with Archer, I have no doubt that we are on the right path.” – Stellantis CEO Carlos Tavares
We don’t talk much about aviation these days. Flying cars felt like a pipedream when the 20th century first started and anything close to a flying car was only failed attempts and projects by various companies. Apparently, the production of a flying car by Stellantis was all hush-hush until the 2023 Paris Air Show, where the automotive group announced its manufacturing partnership with Archer Aviation Inc. Over the last few years, the two have been working on the construction of the world’s first high-volume eVTOL aircraft manufacturing facility. Approximately 100-acre campus in Covington, Georgia, the facility will be capable of producing up to 650 aircraft per year (with room for expansion) once fully operational.
Okay, that makes a little more sense. At first glance, it seemed Stellantis was going to enter the aviation industry. Instead, the automotive group recently increased its strategic shareholding by purchasing Archer stock in the open market. With a goal of eventually producing 2,300 aircraft per year, experienced Stellantis personnel have already been moved over to Archer, working full-time alongside the Archer team across almost all areas of Archer’s operations, including manufacturing, engineering, supply chain, quality, facilities, and human resources.
Who is Archer? It’s the company known for designing and developing electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft for urban use. We’re not saying everyone will have a flying car anytime soon, but Archer’s goal is to “unlock the skies” and create air mobility networks for the average consumer. If that becomes the case, expect flying lessons and a pilot license to become the next big milestone after graduating from driving school. With Uber and another major automobile group also working on an eVTOL aircraft, we may even see aircraft hailing in the coming years. Able to perform vertical takeoff, there is no longer a need for runways. It’s kind of like a helicopter, able to go straight up and enter the airways for multi-directional movement.
Stellantis is getting its hands in multiple pockets these days. 11 investments with Stellantis Ventures, creating SiliconAuto with the Hon Hai Technology Group (“Foxconn”), and now this? The automotive group may want to revisit Dare Forward 2030 and let us know their mid-term plans with so many rapid changes in less than a year. Want to stay up to date with what’s new with Stellantis? Follow along with us on Aventura Chrysler Jeep Dodge Ram social media.