Archer completes construction of US assembly plant, eVTOL production to begin in early 2025
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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The Nature Conservancy (TNC) and the Cumberland Forest Limited Partnership are turning former Appalachian coal mines into clean energy hubs. They just announced new agreements with Sun Tribe Development and ENGIE to build 14 solar farms and three battery storage systems across 360 acres in Virginia, Tennessee, and Kentucky.
This marks the second round of clean energy projects launched under TNC’s Cumberland Forest Project.
These projects aren’t just about clean energy – they’re about proving that clean energy can be developed on former Appalachian coal mines in a way that benefits the environment and local communities. The solar and storage hubs are expected to bring in more local tax revenue, create short-term construction jobs, and establish a community fund to support additional local initiatives.
Brad Kreps, TNC Clinch Valley director, said, “Developing projects on former coal mines – and in a way that engages with people in the local area so that communities can benefit – takes ingenuity, skill, and determination. Ultimately, we selected Sun Tribe and ENGIE, two experienced developers that have a great interest in bringing this vision to life.”
Once online, these projects will generate around 49 megawatts (MW) of solar energy and 320 MW of battery storage – enough to power 6,638 Appalachian homes annually.
Sun Tribe’s projects will be in Virginia and Tennessee. It’s planning one 5 MW solar project and three utility-scale battery storage systems ranging from 80 MW to 150 MW. These storage projects will improve grid reliability and help cut costs for utility customers by reducing the need for future grid upgrades.
“Locating solar and battery storage on former mine lands makes perfect sense to us,” said Danny Van Clief, CEO of Sun Tribe Development. “These sites and the communities they rest within have powered our country for more than a century – all we have to do is reimagine them for today’s energy technology.”
ENGIE, meanwhile, is developing 13 community-scale solar projects across Virginia, Tennessee, and Kentucky that will take advantage of Inflation Reduction Act incentives to help keep costs down. They’ll range in size from 1 MW to 6 MW, bringing clean energy access to more local communities.
“ENGIE is thrilled to collaborate on the development of these projects with The Nature Conservancy,” says Kristen Fornes, ENGIE head of distributed solar and storage. “These initiatives not only contribute to the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions but also generate employment opportunities, rejuvenate local communities, and enhance access to clean energy in areas where it is most needed.”
This latest announcement builds on previous first-round work by TNC, Sun Tribe, and Dominion Energy to bring renewable energy to Appalachia. Since 2021, Sun Tribe and Dominion Energy have been working on plans to generate 140 MW of renewable energy across eight sites in the Cumberland Forest. The first project, Wildcats Solar, is a 10 MW array planned for Wise County, Virginia. Expected to start construction by 2026, it’s projected to generate $800,000 in tax revenue for the community over its lifetime. Additional projects from the first round are set to be online by 2029.
Read more: Renewables provided 90% of new US capacity in 2024 – FERC
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The US State Department’s procurement forecast for the 2025 budget includes an item called “Armored Teslas” worth $400 million.
But worry not; it was approved under the Biden Administration, so Elon Musk’s DOGE will undoubtedly eliminate this waste. Right?
Elon Musk and his team at the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) are currently examining a large amount of US government spending.
It’s unclear if he got to the US State Department’s procurement forecast because there are a few interesting lines that would give auditors second thoughts.
The most interesting one is “Armored Tesla (Production Units)”, which is worth $400 million. Strangely, the item is listed under the NAICS code “311999 – All Other Miscellaneous Food Manufacturing.”
The program has a target for delivery in Q4 through the next 5 years.
There are several other similar and strange budgeted items that are linked to the wrong categories:
You have “ARMORED SEDAN” under “Soft Drink Manufacturing,” “ARMORED BMW X5/X7” under “Bottled Water Manufacturing,” and finally, ARMORED EV (NOT SEDAN) under “Ice Manufacturing.”
However, all these other armored vehicle-related items are budgeted at a fraction of the $400 million for Tesla vehicles ($50 million, $40 million, and $40 million, respectively).
The State Department procurement forecast website mentions that the list was last updated in December – before Trump entered office.
Electrek has contacted the State Department for a comment, and we will update you if we get an answer.
Tesla has claimed that its Cybertruck is “armored” and “bulletproof”, but its armored capacity is quite limited. It can likely deflect low-velocity bullets if they hit the doors, but that’s about it.
Other companies have been planning to modify the Cybertruck with higher levels of armor, like the partnership between Unplugged Performance and Archimedes Defense – pictured above.
Electrek’s Take
I am not against armored electric vehicles. If you need armored vehicles, you might as well make them electric.
However, this is certainly weird. Why does the State Department need $530 million worth of armored vehicles? And why is it listed under a bunch of unrelated categories that don’t make sense?
Sounds like a job for DOGE? However, Elon will need to recuse himself from that one, I guess.
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