Archer Aviation has revealed preliminary plans for a regional “urban air mobility network” that could slash travel times and revolutionize how people commute in the Bay Area by using flying taxis.
The electric air taxi company envisions a Bay Area network that could chop the time people spend in their commutes.
“Archer’s goal is to transform urban travel, replacing 60-to-90-minute commutes by car with estimated 10-to-20-minute electric air taxi flights that are safe, sustainable, low noise, and cost-competitive with ground transportation,” Archer said in a prepared release.
The South Bay, East Bay, Wine Country and the Peninsula would be the key hubs in the network of air taxis powered by green energy, according to Archer Aviation.
“This network is expected to open a new world of opportunity for Bay Area residents and visitors by providing efficient access to people, places, and events across the region,” Archer Aviation states in a prepared release.
A real estate giant and Archer Aviation have crafted a preliminary deal that could give Archer access to a crucial anchor for the urban mobility network.
“Archer and Kilroy Realty Corp. have recently signed a memorandum of understanding identifying Kilroy’s Oyster Point South San Francisco development as a critical hub in Archer’s Bay Area network,” Archer stated in the email.
The Oyster Point location might also become a spot for water-going transportation, according to the tech company.
“Kilroy and Archer are studying the development of a proposed Sea Portal waterfront mobility hub for electric vertical take-off and landing aircraft and electric ferry operations using renewable energy,” Archer stated in the email.
San Jose-based Archer Aviation is pushing ahead with plans to manufacture, mass produce and deliver electric aircraft that can serve as flying taxis. The proposed airborne web is a key venue to use the aerial vehicles.
This network is expected to open a new world of opportunity for Bay Area residents and visitors by providing efficient access to people, places, and events across the region.
The regional aviation network that Archer is eyeing in the Bay Area will have hubs in several cities.
“Archer’s planned urban air mobility network features takeoff and landing locations in South San Francisco, Napa, San Jose, Oakland and Livermore,” the tech company stated in the email.
Kilroy Real Estate and Archer Aviation aim to develop a “vertiport” in the water adjacent to the development firm’s office campus at Oyster Point.
“I applaud Kilroy’s vision as one of the first developers to see our mobility service as a differentiating amenity for their real estate portfolio,” said Bryan Bernhard, Archer’s chief growth and infrastructure officer.
The “vertiport” will also be a “sea portal” that would offer electric-powered ferry services across the Bay.
“The Sea Portal will be powered by renewable energy, offering unique air and sea-based transportation options to employees at the campus,” Archer and Kilroy stated in a prepared release.
Archer’s Midnight flying taxi is a piloted, four-passenger aircraft designed to perform rapid back-to-back flights with minimal charge time between flights, the tech company said.
“This innovative and sustainable service has the potential to provide exceptional convenience and optionality to current and future tenants at the project,” said Angela Aman, Kilroy’s chief executive officer.