Photo: Archer via Youtube
On the evening of June 10th, California-based Archer unveiled its new electric take-off and landing vehicle (eVTOL) at an event held at the Hawthorne Hangar Operations in L.A. The debut of the aircraft dubbed Maker was also live-streamed to a global audience. To demonstrate what Maker is capable of, the participants were invited to take part in a simulated flight.
As the problem of congestion becomes increasingly hard to get over, more and more companies roll out products and concepts that are made to take to the sky and just skip over the traffic below. That’s what Archer is trying to achieve too. Its new aircraft, Maker, is a full-scale, two-passenger eVTOL designed to serve as a certification testbed.
It has a distributed electric propulsion system that allows for 12 electric motors to be powered by six individual battery packs. This design enables the aircraft to maintain flight even if one or two of its motors fail.
One of the main focuses of the company was the noise generated by the rotors. Nobody wants a city filled with VTOLs buzzing in the air that make loud noises. To overcome that issue, Archer specifically equipped Maker with the 12 smaller rotors that would spin slower than a helicopters’ blades do.
The aircraft will climb up to 2,000 ft (610 meters) above the ground, and according to the company, it will be 100 times quieter than a helicopter. That’s about how much noise a refrigerator makes.
In terms of how fast it can take someone on an inter-city flight, Maker will be able to reach a 150 mph (340 kph) top speed and will use just 30 percent of its battery pack for trips between 20 and 40 miles (32-64 km).
This will cause the battery to charge quickly before the next flight. The aircraft would be ready for takeoff after roughly 10 minutes and would make 40 trips per day.
The company also plans to build a complete network with take-off and landing sites for the eVTOLs. It won’t actually create new spots because there’s really not much space in megacities. Instead, Archer will use the rooftops of parking garages.
Maker will start flight tests later this year, with air taxi services slated to begin in L.A. and Miami in 2024.
It has a distributed electric propulsion system that allows for 12 electric motors to be powered by six individual battery packs. This design enables the aircraft to maintain flight even if one or two of its motors fail.
One of the main focuses of the company was the noise generated by the rotors. Nobody wants a city filled with VTOLs buzzing in the air that make loud noises. To overcome that issue, Archer specifically equipped Maker with the 12 smaller rotors that would spin slower than a helicopters’ blades do.
The aircraft will climb up to 2,000 ft (610 meters) above the ground, and according to the company, it will be 100 times quieter than a helicopter. That’s about how much noise a refrigerator makes.
In terms of how fast it can take someone on an inter-city flight, Maker will be able to reach a 150 mph (340 kph) top speed and will use just 30 percent of its battery pack for trips between 20 and 40 miles (32-64 km).
This will cause the battery to charge quickly before the next flight. The aircraft would be ready for takeoff after roughly 10 minutes and would make 40 trips per day.
The company also plans to build a complete network with take-off and landing sites for the eVTOLs. It won’t actually create new spots because there’s really not much space in megacities. Instead, Archer will use the rooftops of parking garages.
Maker will start flight tests later this year, with air taxi services slated to begin in L.A. and Miami in 2024.
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