- Historic initiative aims to develop statewide electric aircraft network
- Advanced electric aircraft innovator Beta Technologies has close ties to Utah
- Goals include air taxis flying in time for Olympics but freight flights could be aloft in two years
Utah took a huge step toward advancing its ambitious advanced air mobility goals in a “historic” agreement struck Tuesday that lays the groundwork for a system aiming to put electric aircraft in the skies above Utah in the very near future.
The memorandum of understanding between Utah aerospace and defense group 47G and Vermont-based electric aircraft developer Beta Technologies, with support from the Governor’s Office of Economic Opportunity and the Utah Department of Transportation, outlines a plan to create new, airborne options for transporting goods and people around the state, reducing emissions and making Utah a forward player in an emerging tech segment that’s expected to grow into an industry worth hundreds of billions of dollars in the coming years.
But Utah Gov. Spencer Cox noted that not that long ago the idea seemed more like science fiction than science fact.
Cox recounted a conversation with UDOT executive director Carlos Braceras a decade ago during which the state’s transportation head noted the strategy of building ever-wider roadways to accommodate Utah’s growing transportation needs couldn’t go on indefinitely and, eventually, “we have to start thinking about going vertical.”
Cox said the comment made him chuckle and his response at the time was, “Yeah, sure.”
The point, however, was well taken and Cox said it sowed the seeds of thinking that would lead to the state’s current Project Alta plan, an effort spearheaded by 47G to ensure that Utah has its own Jetsons-esque air taxis whisking passengers around by the time the state hosts the Winter Olympics.
“We have an incredible opportunity to welcome the world in 2034,” Cox said. “Over the next nine years, we’re going to see a lot of changes. And when we welcome the world here I can’t wait to show them our advanced air mobility opportunities. I truly believe that when we get there we’ll be transporting people vertically.”
Cox said the effort harkens back to a time decades ago when U.S. companies were the best in the world at building new things. He noted that the Federal Aviation Administration last fall licensed a new category of aircraft — electric-powered vertical takeoff and landing craft — for the first time in 80 years.
“We used to be really good at this stuff back in the ’40s, ’50s and ’60s,” Cox said. “How lucky we are to live in a state that still believes in building.”
Aaron Starks, president and CEO of 47G, said the new agreement vaults Utah to the front of the line when it comes to putting the latest electric aircraft technology to work in the real world.
“Today, with this MOU signing, we’re going where no other state has gone before, to the top of the list in air mobility,” Starks said. “We’re going to electrify airports, we’re going to bring the community together, there will be workforce development opportunities, legislative opportunities that will create policy reform and a regulatory sandbox where companies like Beta Technologies can come and innovate and grow their technology.”
Electric flight plans to ascend in phases
In a Deseret News interview ahead of Tuesday’s signing ceremony, Starks said the agreement lays the groundwork for a phased approach to putting electric aircraft in the skies above Utah, starting with a statewide charging network followed by package/freight delivery flights and, eventually, air taxi traffic.
Starks said charger deployment, which will aim initially for co-locating at municipal and regional airport sites, is likely a 12- to 18-month process and could be followed fairly quickly by the first cargo flights. It’s a timeline that complements 47G’s Project Alta that aims for “establishing a well-functioning, statewide air cargo and transportation system in anticipation of the 2034 Winter Olympic Games.”
Starks said his group has heard repeatedly from FAA officials that Utah’s plan represents the first realistic timeline the federal agency has seen among states working to evolve new, electrified air cargo and passenger service networks.
Starks said Beta Technologies stood out in 47G’s national search for an appropriate air mobility partner, thanks to its advanced aircraft designs and the company’s commitment to concurrent development efforts of new charging technology, which has already been adopted as an industry standard for electrified aircraft.
“Beta was wise upfront by investing in developing charging capabilities that other (original equipment manufacturers) would need to charge their aircraft,” Starks said. “Having aircraft and charging originating from the same company for this start-up network is something we really like.”
Beta among leaders in electric-powered aircraft development
Beta Technologies was founded in 2017 by veteran entrepreneur and Harvard-educated engineer and test pilot Kyle Clark.
The company is working to certify two electric aircraft, the Alia CTOL (conventional takeoff and landing) and the Alia VTOL (vertical takeoff and landing). The aircraft are essentially identical in their basic design with the conventional variant powered by a single, five-blade rear-mounted propeller and the vertical-enabled craft employing the same five-blade, rear-mounted propeller as well as four two-blade horizontal lift rotors. Both aircraft are capable of carrying five passengers and have a maximum cruising speed of 135 knots, about 155 mph.
Beta says its conventional takeoff-landing aircraft is on pace for FAA certification in 2025 with federal certification for the VTOL anticipated in 2026.
Beta’s UL-certified Cube charging system is capable of recharging an aircraft in an hour and is also compatible with recharging ground-based electric vehicles.
In a Deseret News interview, Clark said the MOU signifies a groundbreaking moment and places Utah among the leaders of air mobility development in the U.S.
“What’s so special about this is to have a state leaning into the effort,” Clark said. “It becomes a mutually-aligned deployment ... that includes airports, governance, operations, all those things that are really important to launch this.”
Clark said in addition to zero-emissions operation, Beta aircraft are significantly less expensive to operate with the per-mile cost of freight transport about half that of conventionally powered aircraft. He also noted that Beta enters the MOU with significant ties to Utah as about 28% of Arial components, comprising half of the aircraft’s value, come from Utah-based manufacturers.