The aircraft—which take off vertically like a helicopter but cruise on fixed wings like an airplane—could begin flying passengers in the Big Apple as soon as next year.

Atlantic on Thursday said the chargers will be installed at its terminal at the East 34th Street Heliport (6N5) on the Manhattan waterfront, where the company this week agreed with the city’s Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC) to extend its operations for the next five years.

The location is a hub for trips in and around New York City and handles flights for New York University’s Langone Health Center. And according to Atlantic, eVTOL manufacturers Joby Aviation and Archer Aviation—which have announced New York City as a launch market in partnership with Delta Air Lines and United Airlines, respectively—plan to use the site in the coming years.

To accommodate both companies’ air taxis, Atlantic will install combined charging system (CCS) and global electric aviation charging system (GEACS) chargers.

The CCS was originally designed as a standard for electric ground vehicles and has been widely endorsed—including by the General Aviation Manufacturers Association (GAMA), as well as Archer and other manufacturers—as the standard for eVTOL aircraft. Joby chose to develop its own system, GEACS, which like the CCS is billed as a universal charger for electric aircraft. The main difference is that CCS systems can also accommodate ground vehicles.

Atlantic said it is working with Joby, Archer, and a third partner, Beta Technologies, to ensure that all certified eVTOL models can land at the heliport as soon as they receive the FAA’s green light to begin flying passengers.

“Maintaining our presence at the East 34th Street Heliport and expanding infrastructure there to support eVTOL operations aligns with our commitment to community-beneficial transportation solutions and will support New York City on its journey to facilitating quiet and sustainable aviation operations,” said John Redcay, chief commercial and sustainability officer at Atlantic.

New York is already home to scheduled and on-demand helicopter services such as Blade Air Mobility. But eVTOL air taxi manufacturers promise a service that is faster and quieter.

Joby and Archer, through its Archer Air subsidiary, each own FAA Part 135 air carrier permissions and are in the thick of the type certification process. The companies intend to offer flights to and from local airports, including Newark Liberty International Airport (KEWR) and John F. Kennedy International Airport (KJFK), with eVTOL air taxis that can carry up to four passengers plus a pilot.

The zero-emission aircraft cruise at around 150 to 200 mph, charging in about 10-15 minutes for minimal downtime between flights. They are also significantly quieter than helicopters—NASA, for example, found that Joby’s air taxi produces about as much noise as a typical conversation at cruising altitude.

Joby earlier this month showcased its air taxi at New York’s Grand Central Terminal and last year performed the first eVTOL demonstration flights in the city, lifting off from the Downtown Manhattan Heliport (KJRB) as Mayor Eric Adams and other officials looked on. Adams after the event announced the city’s plans to electrify the heliport.

Joby and Delta, meanwhile, are working with the New York Port Authority and NYCEDC to build eVTOL infrastructure at JFK and LaGuardia International Airport (KLGA). According to the manufacturer, an air taxi flight from Manhattan to JFK would take about seven minutes compared to an hour-plus drive by car.

Archer, on the other hand, estimates a flight in its Midnight air taxi from the Downtown Manhattan Heliport to United’s terminal at Newark Liberty would take about 10 minutes, compared to more than an hour in rush hour traffic. The company will initially operate airport-to-city-center “trunk” routes before adding “branch” routes that connect wider communities.

“New York City is leading the way in embracing this exciting new technology…that will bring significant quality of life improvements for New Yorkers and new sustainable transportation,” said Andrew Kimball, president and CEO of NYCEDC. “NYCEDC looks forward to working with Atlantic Aviation in our continued partnership as they ready East 34th Street for quieter and greener helicopter alternatives.”

Archer and Joby claim their offerings will be akin to ground-based rideshare services such as Uber or Lyft. Joby, for example, recently unveiled an Uber-like software for pilots and riders, which autonomously assigns users a flight based on their desired origin, destination, and departure time. Through an integration, Joby riders will be able to book rides on the Uber platform and vice versa.

The companies also claim their services will be cost competitive with existing rideshare platforms. Both firms have appointed veterans of Uber Elevate—which ran the short-lived UberCopter service—to their leadership teams, which could help them learn from the failed service’s missteps.

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The HHS’ Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response (ASPR) awarded electric aircraft manufacturer Beta Technologies $20 million, forming a partnership that could one day send the vehicles to respond to natural disasters or public health emergencies. As part of the multiphase contract, Beta will install 22 electric chargers along the East Coast and Gulf of Mexico at sites the partners believe will enable faster response times for potentially life-saving healthcare.

About half of these sites are up and running in states including Georgia, Florida, Alabama, and Arkansas. The most recent was installed at Jackson-Medgar Wiley Evers Airport (KJAN) in Mississippi, where the company also agreed to electrify a terminal for FBO network Atlantic Aviation. The rest are expected to come online in 2025, joining a Beta charging network that already spans from Vermont to Florida to Arkansas.

Bridging the Gap

Lack of access to healthcare, whether due to financial or geographical reasons, is a key driver of high morbidity and mortality rates in rural areas of the U.S., according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Beta, citing a study in the National Library of Medicine, points out that air ambulances, which typically take the form of helicopters, take in more than half a million patients each year. The aircraft have played an increasingly important role as more rural hospitals shut down.

The problem, though, is that these services are often bogged down by costs and inclement weather. Per an investigation by Kaiser Health News and Reveal, between 2014 and 2019, transportation issues during organ transplants caused about 370 “near misses,” or delays of two hours or more that nearly made the organs unusable. Almost 170 organs failed to reach their destination in time and could not be transplanted—instead, they were discarded.

“We’ve had organs that are left on airplanes, organs that arrive at an airport and then can’t get taken off the aircraft in a timely fashion and spend an extra two or three or four hours waiting for somebody to get them,” Dr. David Axelrod, a transplant surgeon at the University of Iowa, told Kaiser Health News.

Beta claims its chargers will allow HHS to establish an Emergency Preparedness Platform (EPP)—essentially a network for delivering equipment, pharmaceuticals, and patients without the pitfalls of using conventional aircraft. The idea is to help close the healthcare access gap between urban and rural areas.

“We expect this work with Beta to give ASPR and other federal partners the ability to get vital materials and equipment to ground zero when other land-based modes of transportation are unavailable,” said Arlene Joyner, director of ASPR’s Office of Industrial Base Management and Supply Chain (IBMSC).

The company’s chargers are designed to the Combined Charging System (CCS) standard, a system originally created to be the norm for electric ground vehicles. The systems so far have been purchased by the U.S. Air Force, airports, FBOs such as Atlantic and Signature Aviation, and even other electric aircraft manufacturers such as Archer Aviation.

Beta is developing two electric aircraft that will use the systems: one that takes off conventionally (the Alia CTOL or CX300) and another that lifts off vertically like a helicopter (the Alia VTOL). But the chargers can use grid-tied energy to juice up other manufacturers’ aircraft, as well as electric ground vehicles.

Quicker and Cheaper

According to Beta, electric chargers and vehicles will lower operating costs compared to existing air ambulances. The company further claims electric aircraft such as the Alia CTOL and Alia VTOL fare better in inclement weather, enabling higher usage rates and fewer missed opportunities.

“HHS and ASPR are on the front lines of these issues and we’re excited to be working with them on meaningful, capital-efficient solutions that benefit the public,” said Kyle Clark, founder and CEO of Beta. “We believe this work has the potential to increase access to healthcare and essential services for all types of geographies, including the historically harder-to-reach ones.”

An ASPR spokesperson told Inc. magazine that the aircraft tied to the program will carry a pilot plus four passengers or three pallets of medical supplies, which could include vaccines, personal protective equipment, and other gear. The spokesperson also said that Beta will study pathogen containment on its aircraft in order to transport contagious patients.

The 22 new charging locations will join Beta’s network of more than 30 sites, with another 50 in the construction or permitting process. Some of these locations overlap with the company’s commercial customers, such as Atlantic at Jackson-Medgar Airport in Mississippi. But Beta tells FLYING the chargers will be publicly accessible, meaning they could facilitate an HHS organ transplant and an Atlantic passenger flight on the same day.

Beta aims to certify its Alia CTOL with the FAA and launch the model in 2025, followed by the Alia VTOL in 2026.

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The company on Tuesday announced a partnership with California-based vertiport developer and operator Skyway Technologies to install eVTOL hubs in South Florida and Puerto Rico. The partners plan to release more information on locations and routes in those markets in the coming months, with plans to launch service in 2026.

“Our partnership with UrbanLink is advancing the industry towards launching operations in the United States,” said Clifford Cruz, CEO of Skyway.

Similar to a heliport, a vertiport allows an eVTOL aircraft to take off and land vertically, with additional infrastructure for electric charging. In addition to design and operation, Skyway provides vertiport services such as air traffic management and mission planning.

The partnership is UrbanLink’s second in as many months following an agreement with Texas-based Ferrovial Vertiports to build a network of hubs in South Florida and the Los Angeles metro area.

Both collaborations are intended to set the stage for Lilium Jet operations across networks linking the takeoff and landing locations. The sites are also meant to serve “the broader [advanced air mobility (AAM)] industry,” UrbanLink says.

“In order to finance and build the vertiports needed to support the AAM industry, it is crucial to have multiple partners,” said Ed Wegel, who founded UrbanLink earlier this year and serves as chairman. “We are impressed with Skyway’s understanding of our business and their commitment to delivering well-designed, safe, and efficient vertiports in the U.S. and Caribbean.”

The operator is eyeing a 2026 U.S. commercial launch, which is in line with Lilium’s projections for when its flagship Lilium Jet will be ready for service.

The manufacturer is so far the only company to receive certification bases from both the FAA and European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) for a commercial eVTOL design. It intends to fly on both sides of the Atlantic, as well as in the Middle East.

The Lilium Jet is expected to cruise at 162 knots on city-to-city trips spanning 25 to 125 sm (22 to 109 nm). It uses a propulsion system seldom seen on eVTOL designs, with a pair of electric motors feeding 10 independent battery packs that power 36 electric ducted fans embedded in the aircraft’s fixed wings. These allow it to hover and take off vertically like a helicopter, with minimal noise production or impact on cruise performance, Lilium says.

By contrast, manufacturers such as Archer Aviation and Joby Aviation employ tilting rotors and propellers that aid in both vertical and forward flight.

The unique propulsion system underwent initial testing in June ahead of the Lilium Jet’s first crewed flight, expected later this year. The manufacturer began building its first production prototype aircraft, which will be used to validate the design with regulators, in December.

Since partnering in May, Lilium and UrbanLink have moved quickly to target eVTOL jet operations in South Florida—which is poised to be Lilium’s U.S. base of operations—Los Angeles, Southern California, and Puerto Rico. Announcements for additional locations are on the horizon, they said Tuesday.

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Soon, a very different kind of Butterfly—the electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) air taxi from manufacturer Overair—may grace the Golden State’s skies following a partnership between Overair and Clay Lacy Aviation. The FBO network and infrastructure developer is working with the manufacturer to introduce advanced air mobility (AAM) services across Southern California.

The core focus of the strategic collaboration will be on vertiports and a concept of operations for Butterfly and other AAM aircraft. Clay Lacy Aviation will spearhead the development of electric charging infrastructure and operational logistics.

“Ultra-quiet, all-electric aircraft bring the promise of convenient and efficient transportation, easing traffic congestion and reducing travel times,” said Scott Cutshall, senior vice president of strategy and sustainability at Clay Lacy Aviation.

Overair, meanwhile, will bring expertise in aircraft integration, certification, and maintenance, as well as flight path planning and user and vertiport software. The manufacturer will also work to get the public on board for AAM services.

“AAM is an ideal addition to Southern California’s transportation network, creating a new option for fast, safe, and quiet transportation in the region,” said Valerie Manning, chief commercial officer of Overair. “We have been working with our partners at Clay Lacy [Aviation] for over a year and are delighted to announce our shared plan. We are confident that this strategic collaboration will leverage our respective strengths.”

Standing up vertiports will be a key component of the partnership, providing Clay Lacy Aviation hubs out of which to fly Butterfly. The vertiports figure to feature heavily in Overair’s concept of operations for AAM services in the region, which will dictate exactly how Butterfly and other air taxis fly.

Overair completed its first full-scale Butterfly prototype in December, joining a handful of manufacturers to have actually built an eVTOL design. The aircraft—designed to fly a pilot and up to five passengers on 100 sm (87 nm) zero-emission trips, cruising at 174 knots—is expected to begin flight testing this year.

“As we continue to make strides developing Butterfly, we’re also focused on partnering with infrastructure leaders to ensure that operations using this new mode of transit can be scaled quickly and efficiently,” said John Criezis, head of mobility operations at Overair.

Overair and Clay Lacy Aviation intend to install electric charging infrastructure across Southern California, starting with the latter’s FBO locations at John Wayne Airport (KSNA) in Orange County and Van Nuys Airport (KVNY) in Los Angeles. 

According to the partners, their intent is to cover the broad needs of all AAM operators rather than a single standard. Overair, for example, is one of many eVTOL manufacturers that signed onto the General Aviation Manufacturers Association’s (GAMA) endorsement of the combined charging system (CCS) standard for electric aviation.

CCS is designed to support all electric vehicles, ground or air. It’s the most widely used global standard for electric ground vehicles but is steadily losing out to Tesla’s North American charging system (NACS) alternative. For air taxis, Joby Aviation is pushing its global electric aviation charging system (GEACS) as the industry standard.

A pair of CCS supporters—Archer Aviation and Beta Technologies—have publicly clashed with Joby over which system should be adopted universally. Clay Lacy Aviation, however, intends to build infrastructure that fits both proposals.

“Clay Lacy Aviation is committed to installing the electrical infrastructure to support all makes and models of electric aircraft, both fixed wing and eVTOL, to encourage the adoption of electric flight,” Cutshall told FLYING. “In planning our new FBO development at John Wayne Airport, we are speaking with multiple OEMs and our local utility provider to ensure that the electric infrastructure we build out can support both CCS and GEACS charging protocols.”

Joby this week agreed to install GEACS chargers in the New York City region, following a partnership with Atlantic Aviation to electrify FBO terminals in New York and Los Angeles. Both Archer and Beta also signed partnerships with Atlantic to add CCS systems at other company locations. Joby will also install a GEACS charger at Clay Lacy Aviation’s John Wayne FBO.

It’s possible that one system will entirely supplant the other as OEMs and operators pick a side—a scenario that appears to be unfolding in the U.S. electric ground vehicle industry. But whether CCS or GEACS wins out, Clay Lacy Aviation intends to be able to serve both.

Overair’s agreement with Clay Lacy Aviation comes on the heels of similar arrangements with Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport (KDFW) and the city of Arlington, Texas, to launch AAM services in the North Texas region. The manufacturer plans to deliver aircraft to customers in India and South Korea, working with local partners to develop infrastructure and operational plans.

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