Archer Aviation receives FAA certification to begin commercial air taxi operations
One week after sharing plans to bring commercial eVTOL operations to South Korea, advanced air mobility developer Archer Aviation is touting a key milestone in the US. The eVTOL air taxi manufacturer has received Part 135 certification from the FAA – a vital certificate to begin commercial flights – and Archer is now one of two air taxi companies worldwide to confirm the receipt of one.
Archer Aviation ($ACHR) is a Santa Clara, California-based eVTOL developer that continues to pepper the public with milestones reached in both its native US and around the world.
During a Q2 2023 call with investors last summer, Archer reported that its flagship Midnight eVTOL aircraft had received a Special Airworthiness Certificate from the Federal Aviation Administration. This means the aircraft has met all FAA safety requirements and can begin flight tests.
With (special) airworthiness certification from the FAA already in place and investments from big names like United Airlines, Stellantis, and even the US Air Force, Archer has also begun expanding to new regions around the globe in recent years.
In the fall of 2023, Archer announced plans to launch eVTOL air taxi services across the United Arab Emirates. This was followed by a deal to bring air taxi operations to India and bolstered plans in the UAE in a new deal worth an estimated $500 million.
Just last week, Archer announced a new partnership with KaKaoMobility in South Korea to begin commercial eVTOL air taxi operations in the country by 2026.
While those international expansions continue, Archer has moved one step closer to commercial eVTOL air taxi operations in the United States thanks to a new FAA certification.
Archer Air is FAA certified, but its Midnight air taxi isn’t yet
Archer Aviation detailed exactly what its latest FAA certification means for the sustainable air mobility developer. The company’s airline subsidiary, Archer Air, has received its Part 135 Air Carrier & Operator Certificate from the FAA, enabling it to begin operating aircraft commercially. Per the release:
The Part 135 certificate signals that Archer Air has developed, and demonstrated to the FAA its adherence to, the necessary policies and procedures to begin operating aircraft commercially in accordance with the stringent safety and operational standards set forth by the FAA. Today’s achievement is another key step that demonstrates Archer’s work with the FAA continues to gain momentum as Archer is now one of two air taxi manufacturers in the world to have announced receipt of a Part 135 certificate from the FAA.
While Archer Air is now certified for commercial operations, its Midnight eVTOL is not. Archer is still seeking Type certification for its eVTOL air taxi aircraft and said now that its Part 135 is in place, it will begin with conventional aircraft to refine its airline systems and procedures before launching the Midnight air taxis into service for United Airlines and others.
The company will simultaneously continue to pursue Typer certification for Midnight while it establishes key factors like repair and charging infrastructure and vertiports. Archer states the FAA has issued the final airworthiness criteria for its Midnight aircraft, setting the rigorous to-do list for Archer to comply with so it can begin commercial air taxi rides with its flagship four-passenger eVTOL.
Archer hasn’t shared a hard timeline for when the Midnight will receive its Type certification, but Part 135 and Part 134 (repairs) certs in place is a big step for an exciting air taxi company. Archer founder and CEO Adam Goldstein shared a similar sentiment:
We are honored to receive the Part 135 Air Carrier & Operator Certificate from the FAA, which is another important stepping stone on the way to commencing commercial air taxi operations with our Midnight aircraft. This milestone reflects our team’s unwavering dedication to safety and operational excellence as we stand up one of the world’s first electric air taxi services, providing communities across the U.S. with a safe, sustainable, and low-noise transportation solution.
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Three months after Uber, Lucid Motors, and Nuro announced a partnership that would enable Gravity SUV robotaxis, the rideshare network has shared where the public will first be able to hail one. Spoiler alert, it’s easy to guess if you give it half a thought.
As we reported in July, Uber Technologies committed to a $300 million investment in Lucid Group (parent company of American EV automaker Lucid Motors), to deploy at least 20,000 Lucid vehicles as robotaxis over the next six years.
Those Lucid vehicles, which will consist of the automaker’s flagship Gravity SUV to begin, will hit public roads equipped with a Level 4 autonomous system called Nuro Driver. Nuro, the third partner in this equation, is a robotics company specializing in zero-occupant delivery vehicles, which garnered an existing partnership with Uber Eats as well as a “hefty” (yet undisclosed) investment from Uber Technologies.
Last month, Lucid delivered its first Gravity SUV to Nuro to begin the retrofitting process of the Nuro Driver system to support Uber’s hopes for a luxe robotaxi fleet. While the partners continue to work toward building an exciting new fleet of Lucid Gravity Robotaxis, Uber has shared the location where they will first go into service… Casper, Wyoming.
Just kidding!
It’s the San Francisco Bay Area, of course.
Uber to deploy Lucid Gravity EVs in Bay Area in 2026
Today’s update from Uber expands upon the ongoing partnership with Lucid Group and Nuro. According to the companies, the San Francisco Bay Area will be the first market where riders will see this next-generation autonomous robotaxi program in operation. That milestone is expected sometime in 2026.
Uber has shared that it has been updating policymakers and regulators at every level on the progress of its exclusive Lucid Robotaxis and continues to meet the operational requirements. Notably, Uber has shared that on-road development with the Lucid Gravity robotaxi engineering fleet is already underway in the Bay Area.
Furthermore, Nuro and Lucid intend to be operating over 100 Gravity robotaxis as part of the test fleet “in the coming months.” Lucid interim CEO, Marc Winterhoff, spoke about today’s announcement:
Lucid has always celebrated its California roots, and we’re thrilled to make the San Francisco Bay Area the first market for our new robotaxi on the Uber platform, powered by the Nuro Driver. Beginning next year, riders will experience a level of convenience, safety, and comfort unlike anything else on the road. We can’t wait to bring this service to life and expand it to communities across the country.
To build this fleet of Uber-exclusive robotaxis, the required hardware will be integrated into Lucid Gravity SUVS while they are still on Lucid’s assembly line in Arizona. Those builds will then be integrated with Nuro’s proprietary software when Uber officially commissions them.
All eyes on 2026 as we now know that residents around the Bay Area will be able to hail a driverless Lucid Gravity through the Uber platform. I’m very much looking forward to seeing this fleet in action.
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With its new EA line of variable speed industrial air compressors and superior energy efficiency from their advanced electric motors, industrial equipment Bobcat is setting a new standard for job site performance.
Designed for top-tier flow rates and maximum energy efficiency, Bobcat says its new EA lineup of variable speed compressors – the EA30VS, EA50VS, EA75VS, and EA100VS – is built to meet the demanding needs of modern industrial operations. But, crucially, the new EA line is about more than efficient motors, quiet running, and precise speed variation. It’s about tech.
To that end, the EA Series is equipped with a full range of “smart” operational features controlled through a 7″, full color LED controller display for intuitive operation. This system allows connection to, and intelligent optimization of, up to three additional compressors, ensuring the entire compressed air system operates at peak performance based on demand so perators can easily customize performance with programmable scheduling by date, time and pressure bands – delivering precision control with minimal effort.
And, of course, the whole system is backed by Bobcat’s global warranties, international parts and dealer networks, and commitment to durability and service.
“The new EA Series represents a leap forward in industrial air compression technology for Bobcat,” said Cody Blythe, Bobcat product manager. “These machines offer exceptional flow rates paired with peak energy efficiency, providing our customers with a powerful solution that lowers their total cost of ownership through reduced electricity usage.”
Bobcat says its new EA line of variable speed compressors are available now at select Bobcat distributors, contact your local dealer for pricing.
Electrek’s Take
Bobcat is leading the charge to decarbonize job sites, delivering quiet, smooth-running machines for operators who value safety, performance, precision, and sustainability. The company is also among the few manufacturers replacing hydraulic systems with fully electric ones, further reducing oil use and eliminating idle warm‑up time.
You love to see it.
SOURCE | IMAGES: Bobcat.
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LiveWire, the electric motorcycle brand spun out of Harley-Davidson, has just given us a closer look than ever at its upcoming lower-cost, smaller-format electric motorcycles ahead of their larger unveiling at the Milan Motorcycle Show (EICMA) next week.
While we got our first glimpse of the new machines earlier this summer, spotting a street and trail version of the smaller electric motorbikes, now we have a name for the models and a few more details.
Officially called the S4 Honcho, the new model will be a 125-cc equivalent that will be available in both a street-legal version capable of being operated by riders who possess a moped/light motorcycle license in Europe or a motorcycle license in the US, and a license-free off-road version.
“The S4 Honcho Street will qualify for A1 licenses in Europe and the UK and M-endorsement in the U.S., offering lightweight, urban-friendly electric mobility with intuitive performance and removable batteries,” explained the company.
The bikes appear to be powered by a centrally-mounted, chain-driving electric motor and a pair of removable batteries accessed by flipping up the seat.
LiveWire has remained fairly tight-lipped regarding the major tech specs for the bikes, as well as the price, but we do get a look at the dual removable batteries thanks to a new image posted to the company’s website.
There, we can see what appears suspiciously similar to a pair of KYMCO Ionex batteries, which would make sense given LiveWire’s close partnership with the Taiwanese scooter giant.
A couple years ago at EICMA I had the chance to check out KYMCO’s new Ionex batteries and e-scooter platform firsthand, which you can see in the video below.
While excitement has been building for LiveWire’s smaller electric motorcycles, the full unveiling of the bikes’ performance figures as well as the price tag will prove critical for gauging whether or not the mini-bikes could be a major turning point for LiveWire’s elusive profitability.
But the company isn’t betting it all on one horse, or one Honcho. Also in attendance at the show will be LiveWire’s full-scale concept of an electric maxiscooter built on the same S2 architecture that powers the company’s currently best-selling models, the S2 Del Mar, S2 Mulholland, and S2 Alpinista.
That scooter, built in partnership with KYMCO, will leverage the company’s fully developed S2 platform to create a more comfortable, high-performance urban and suburban-oriented model.
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