Archer Aviation announced it has completed construction of a new 400,000 square-foot eVTOL manufacturing facility in Georgia and is already implementing tooling to begin building its proprietary Midnight aircraft in early 2025. Longtime partner Stellantis assisted in the development of the new facility, and Archer will look to the global OEM to help it scale eVTOL production in the US through the end of the decade.
Archer ($ACHR) is a Santa Clara, California-based aviation developer that specializes in the design and development of electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft, particularly for use in urban air mobility (UAM) networks such as air taxi services.
We followed the company for years now, as it has established new partnerships with companies all over the world to develop and implement networks of sustainable air travel using its flagship Midnight eVTOL aircraft. One of Archer’s long-standing partners has been Stellantis, which signed an agreement to become the exclusive manufacturer of Archer’s eVTOL technology at a new facility erected in the US. More specifically, Covington, Georgia.
During the time of the January 2023 assembly plant announcement, Stellantis shared it would provide Archer with up to $150 million in equity capital to use at its discretion through 2024, subject to achieving certain business milestones this year.
The following June, Archer and Stellantis shared a progress update that included renderings of the pending eVTOL facility, which was underway across roughly 100 acres in Georgia. Archer and Stellantis also shared plans to leverage their respective strengths – eVTOL design and development and high-volume vehicle manufacturing, respectively – to rapidly scale US production and achieve local UAM commercialization.
By August 2023, Archer shared that it had secured an additional $215 million equity investment, led by Stellantis, but also included other notable companies like Boeing, United, and ARK Invest. Since then, Archer’s Midnight eVTOL has been awarded a Special Airworthiness Certificate from the Federal Aviation Administration, meaning the aircraft meets all FAA safety requirements to begin flight tests.
Today, Archer announced its new facility has completed construction and eVTOL production is right around the corner in early 2025. That being said, the initial rollout will be small at first and the aviation specialist will once again look to Stellantis to help it scale its operation.
Archer’s eVTOL plant is complete, production to begin soon
This morning, Archer Aviation confirmed its eVTOL aircraft manufacturing facility, which it calls “ARC,” has completed construction, and the company has received a certificate of occupancy to begin its operations in Georgia near the Covington Municipal Airport.
Following a ribbon-cutting ceremony, Archer says it has already begun its tooling load-in to begin initial Midnight eVTOL manufacturing, which is expected to commence early next year. Although Archer now has a 400,000 sq. ft home in Georgia, its initial eVTOL production goals will be small as it looks to evaluate its practices before scaling.
The company’s current goal is to ramp production to two aircraft per month by the end of 2025. That translates to about 15 to 24 builds next year. Archer founder and CEO Adam Goldstein spoke about the company’s eVTOL production milestone:
The completion of this facility is a testament to the state of the industry—shifting from R&D into commercialization. With construction on ARC now complete, our team is focused on the start of production planned for early next year. From there, it’s all about execution and scaling. I’m incredibly proud of the Archer team and our partners for getting this done so fast and on budget and can’t wait to see our facility begin producing aircraft.
Archer credits its partner Stellantis with helping it get this far and expects that business relationship to grow as scaled Midnight eVTOL production moves closer than ever to fruition. Looking ahead, Archer said Stellantis will continue to contribute capital, advanced manufacturing technology, production expertise, and experienced personnel to help eVTOL production grow. The goal is to scale the facility to 650 aircraft annually by 2030.
That being said, Archer and Stellantis are still finalizing the agreement announced in 2023 that would give the latter exclusive contract manufacturing rights to produce the Midnight eVTOLs. Per previous partnership announcements, Archer’s Midnight eVTOL has a growing order book for air taxi networks worldwide, so the faster it can scale its US manufacturing, the better.
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