Archer Aviation, BETA, and Macquarie Capital have joined forces to launch America's Consortium for Electric Skyways (ACES). This initiative aims to develop and deploy electric skyway infrastructure across Texas, targeting up to 250 air taxi sites at major airports and urban areas within the next ten years.
The current focus of ACES is to enhance interoperable charging stations for electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft at key Texas facilities, including airports and fixed-base operators supporting general aviation.
The consortium plans to establish a shared infrastructure model that allows multiple operators to utilize the same chargers. This strategy promotes a unified network, encouraging collaboration among infrastructure providers, original equipment manufacturers, and investors, thus avoiding proprietary and competing systems.
The Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT), working in partnership with the FAA's eVTOL Integration Pilot Program (eIPP), is actively conducting pilots to promote the safe adoption of advanced air mobility vehicles into the national airspace. ACES will work with TxDOT to identify optimal locations for eVTOL operations and to develop the necessary infrastructure. Regional test flights are planned to connect major cities within the Texas Triangle (Dallas/Fort Worth, Austin, San Antonio, and Houston) and rural communities, supporting the deployment of air taxi services. Several OEMs, including BETA and Archer, are scheduled to conduct electric air taxi test flights in Texas shortly.
"Texas is positioning itself as a leader in next-generation aviation technology," stated Adam Goldstein, CEO of Archer. "Our goal is to place interoperable chargers where eIPP flights will occur, using open standards accessible across the industry. This foundation will enable passenger air taxi flights across the Texas Triangle during the final phase of the Texas eIPP pilot."
Furthermore, Kyle Clark, CEO of BETA Technologies, emphasized the importance of infrastructure readiness, stating, "Aircraft are only practical if the necessary infrastructure exists. ACES aims to deliver interoperable, reliable charging stations where they are needed most, demonstrating the potential for shared charging infrastructure supporting real-world operations today."
