Beta Technologies Unveils First Electric Passenger Aircraft

Beta Technologies announced a new model of its electric aircraft on Monday—the passenger version of ALIA, equipped with vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) capabilities and a fixed wing.

Electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft do not require runways, unlike conventional airplanes.

The Vermont-based startup, which has raised over $860 million from investors like Amazon's The Climate Pledge, approaches the development of electric aviation more cautiously than many competitors. Unlike Joby Aviation and Archer Aviation, Beta does not intend to operate its own urban air taxi network. Instead, the company focuses on manufacturing and selling aircraft and charging solutions to various clients.

So far, Beta has signed contracts with customers in defense, cargo delivery, and medical logistics sectors, including United Therapeutics, UPS, Air New Zealand, and the U.S. Air Force, planning to enter these markets by 2025. Clients like Archer rely on Beta’s charging infrastructure, which includes 34 operational charging stations, with over 50 more in development.

“Passenger transportation has always been part of our plan,” said Beta’s founder and CEO Kyle Clark in an interview with TechCrunch. “We designed the aircraft with an emphasis on safety and passenger comfort. It made sense to first focus on medical and cargo transport before moving on to passenger services,” he added.

Currently, Beta has yet to create a full passenger transport prototype, but the concept is based on existing models. Clark states this allows for an optimized path to certification, production, and commercialization.

According to him, key differences in the passenger version include increased window space for viewing and an interior featuring five seats, a pilot's cabin, a luggage compartment, and additional amenities for passengers, such as light switches and ventilation controls.

All aircraft versions are capable of carrying approximately 1,400 pounds, and in some cases, they are already successfully performing such tasks. Beta has conducted cargo missions for military clients, and Clark claims the startup has more flight hours than any other player in the industry.

“I assert we will have dozens, if not hundreds, of cargo aircraft with tens of thousands of flight hours, which will build the essential trust in the safety of our product before we start transporting passengers,” Clark said.

He estimates that Beta's aircraft will receive certification from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) within 13 to 14 months. Recently, Beta obtained a "market exploration ticket," allowing the startup to fly with potential clients to test and evaluate the aircraft.

This strategy has already yielded results in the passenger transport sector. On-demand aviation startup Blade placed a financially backed order for 20 eVTOLs from Beta in 2021. Other clients include aviation company LCI, which will use Beta's aircraft to transport guests to Aria hotels in Greece, and Helijet, which placed a firm order for four eVTOLs with an option for additional units.

Beta is gearing up to fulfill these and other orders in the coming years. The company has already constructed its first aircraft at a prototype facility, and in January, Beta opened its manufacturing plant in South Burlington. Clark noted that the FAA is closely monitoring production, which means it is not developing "too fast," but he expects to produce hundreds of aircraft over the next year and a half. In four years, production capacity is expected to reach 300 aircraft annually.

Clark envisions a future where electric aviation significantly lowers the cost of regional flights, allowing people to reach commercial airports in just a few minutes without substantial expenses.

He pointed out that high prices for short regional flights are largely due to fuel costs for jet engines and high maintenance expenses for those aircraft.

“When you shift from turbine or jet aircraft to electric, you can effectively reduce transportation costs by half,” Clark concluded. “This opens up a multitude of new opportunities for passenger transport.”