Data Engineering Intern, Archer

Given the congestion and pollution issues that many cities are facing, it's easy to imagine such transport taking over. It’s also worth noting that although Archer plans to run them with human pilots initially, the company has automation as part of its long-term goals.

Other players exist in this space: EHang, a Chinese firm, flew its first aerial taxi in America in 2020. However, Archer has big backers and customers such as United Airlines (acting both as an investor and launch customer) and manufacturing partner Stellantis with whom it is mass-producing its flagship Midnight eVTOL aircraft.

There's certainly a growing demand for clean transport without sacrificing speed, but many barriers still remain in Archer's way as it must help to initiate a seismic shift in transportation infrastructure and behaviors to reach mass adoption. That being said, it has the funding behind it, raising close to $2 billion in post-IPO funding since 2021.