Electric aircraft developer BETA Technologies may have plans to provide its technology to cargo and medical transport to begin, but its longer-term goal is to implement passenger travel in its flagship ALIA eVTOL. Recently, the company shared a look at what that five-passenger vessel will look like before it launches commercial operations in the future.
BETA Technologies is a fully integrated electric aircraft and systems developer based in Vermont that we’ve been following for over three years after the debut of its first electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft – the ALIA-250, which has since been renamed the ALIA VTOL.
The ALIA VTOL has since been joined by an electric conventional takeoff and landing (eCTOL) plane called the ALIA CTOL, which has flown tens of thousands of test miles to date en route to evaluation flights for FAA certification and is targeting full approval for commercial operations by 2025.
With the US Air Force project AFWERX as a partner and long-time collaborator, BETA has continued to develop its sustainable aviation technology, including international flights to Canada and a successful testing deployment with the US Air Force with the ALIA eCTOL.
This past April, BETA shared flight footage of the ALIA eVTOL, which could one day conduct passenger trips, transitioning from vertical takeoff to forward flight while in the air with a pilot onboard.
Unlike many other eVTOL developers, BETA Technologies is not solely focused on passenger travel and intends to begin flight operations for other segments, such as cargo transport. That said, eVTOL passenger flights are still a large part of BETA’s long-term plans, and the company is currently developing the aircraft that will make it possible.
Beta to deploy passenger eVTOL rides after 2025 services
While BETA gears up for commercial operations in other transport sectors, it has offered the public an early look at a passenger variant of its ALIA eVTOL aircraft concept. BETA stated that the passenger version of the ALIA was designed to transport up to five passengers plus a pilot and offers enough cabin volume to accommodate carry-on and TSA-secure luggage.
The sustainable aviation specialist also shared that its passenger eVTOL variant has been optimized for range and volume and will one day be capable of completing intra-city and regional transport trips through the air. BETA founder and CEO Kyle Clark elaborated:
At BETA, we see electric aviation technology as transcending one single mission set. We designed ALIA to be a versatile platform that has tons of capability across sectors, and now we’re starting to step into that vision. With their high dispatch rate and low maintenance and operational energy costs, our electric passenger aircraft will unlock new routes for operators, further increasing the size of the pie.
As you’ll see in the video shared by BETA below, a passenger variant of the ALIA eVTOL is in the works, but it remains a work in progress. The company has been working alongside legacy operators to perfect the aircraft. Additionally, it has been incorporating design feedback from various regional and tourism operators to optimize for comfort, safety, and service.
Before we see passenger flights happen, we should see BETA aircraft performing other services, including transporting goods and equipment via cargo- and medical-focused eVTOL variants. Per BETA’s website:
Our first customer, United Therapeutics, needed to transport life saving medical equipment, organs and tissue, and the support teams required to help save lives. So, we built an aircraft fit to make that happen. UPS saw our aircraft and the potential for cargo space, and we worked to create a cargo option for the market, too.
BETA says those two eVTOL variants are expected to go into service as early as 2025, with passenger aircraft to follow sometime after that. If and when that does happen, the company already has a handful of customers lined up for passenger rides, including Blade, which placed a financially-backed order for up to 20 eVTOLs in 2021.
Additionally, LCI plans to transport guests to the Aria Hotels in Greece using BETA eVTOLs, and Helijet has placed a firm order for four aircraft with an option for four more, to be used for both cargo and passenger mission sets.
As promised, here’s a closer look at the development of BETA’s passenger eVTOL variant: