Referring to the aircraft's safety, Goldstein said that with electric power systems, redundancy can be built into the vehicle, which was not possible before.Air taxi maker Archer Aviation is planning an early launch in India as soon as next year through a joint venture and expects to expand globally soon after the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) certification process is completed, a top official said.
"We've been working with regulators in the US for a long time, and they have set up the framework for certifying the aircraft, as well as certifying the operations... Once we complete the certification process in the US, we'll have the ability to expand globally, and we believe India will be one of the most attractive markets for Archer to be in," Adam Goldstein, founder and chief executive, Archer Aviation, told ET.
Goldstein said that the core technology has matured significantly supported by testing data to prove that this is a safe platform, speaking on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos, on Tuesday.
"Many global regulators are looking to the FAA for guidance on this category. They've spent a lot of time on it... So, I think you'll see regulators in India closely follow the rules set up by the FAA," he said while noting that the aircraft has not been tested in India yet as it will first be launched in the US. He mentioned that the new government under Trump has been supportive of the EV aviation business as well.
Referring to the aircraft's safety, Goldstein said that with electric power systems, redundancy can be built into the vehicle, which was not possible before.
"For example, we have 12 electric engines and 6 battery packs, so the vehicle is designed to withstand failures in any one of the engines or battery packs. The redundancy you can add to these aircraft will allow you to certify at that level. In the end, you have to make it the safest form of commercial aviation travel today, with very low levels of incidents, in order to scale the product," he said.
The San Jose, California-based company will utilise existing infrastructure, such as helipads, airports, and municipal airports for its operations. "While we will need charging infrastructure, we use very similar charging infrastructure as the electric ground vehicles."
According to Goldstein, although the aircraft will have a higher cost in India initially, the price will decrease over time as it scales. The company, which has raised USD 2 billion in funding so far, has partnered up with InterGlobe Aviation to launch its operations.
"So, helicopters have trouble scaling in cities because they're very loud. These vehicles are much quieter, which allows you to put many more of them into the air. Ultimately, the more you put into the air, the more you drive the cost down," he said, highlighting that each aircraft will have a pilot and four passengers.
"It is also in line with many of the topics we see today. First, it is a sustainable, fully electric aircraft. Second, it has a much lower cost, making it accessible not just for the ultra-rich, but with broader use cases. And, of course, it's about safety in transportation with speed," he added.
