Last year, United Parcel Service (UPS) pre-ordered 10,000 zero-emissions electric delivery vans from EV startup Arrival to lower the company’s carbon footprint and reduce overall emissions. UPS is now upping its game and has signed a deal to buy up to 150 eVTOL aircraft from Vermont’s Beta Technologies. The delivery company expects to begin using the plane for time-sensitive zero-emissions deliveries in 2024; taking off and landing will take place on-site at UPS depots.
Beta’s Alia aircraft is inspired by the shape of the Arctic tern – an Alaskan bush plane that was produced in small numbers between the 1970s and 1980s. The Alia-250c is a transitioning fixed-wing aircraft with four big, drag-minimizing VTOL props attached on bars extending forward and backward from the wings. The rear also includes a single pusher prop for efficient wing cruising.
The aircraft fully charges in only 50 minutes; it claims a massive 250 nautical mile (288-mile/463-km) range and a cruise speed of around 170 mph (270 km/h). However, this range figure seems optimistic given present battery technology.
The first ten BETA aircraft are expected to arrive in 2024, assuming certification proceeds accordingly, with a further option to purchase up to 150 aircraft.
Kyle Clark, BETA founder, and CEO added:
We’re combining simple, elegant design and advanced technology to create a reliable aircraft with zero operational emissions that will revolutionize how cargo moves. By utilizing vertical takeoffs and landings, we can turn relatively small spaces at existing UPS facilities into a micro air feeder network without the noise or operating emissions of traditional aircraft.
UPS plans to construct VTOL pads for these aircraft at specific depots for an ideal electric aviation system, with charging stations to top them up. It will use them either on a series of short routes or a single, long one per charge. “UPS’s use of the aircraft will benefit healthcare providers, thousands of small and medium-sized businesses, and other companies in smaller communities,” the company said in a press release.
Once the battery packs have outlived their safe lifespan in the aircraft, they will be recycled as buffers into the charging stations or UPS’s fleet of electric ground vehicles.
Juan Perez, the Chief Information and Engineering Officer at UPS, said:
This is all about innovation with a focus on returns for our business, our customers, and the environment. These new aircraft will create operational efficiencies in our business, open possibilities for new services, and serve as a foundation for future solutions to reduce the emissions profile of our air and ground operation.
Following FAA regulations for experimental aircraft to fly beyond its home-based airport, BETA had to complete loads of tests to ensure that the plane has a reliable and predictable behavior. In March, BETA progressed to the next phase of flight testing, completing an interstate flight between its testing ground in Plattsburgh, New York, and Beta headquarters in Burlington, Vermont. In the same week, the aircraft attained a new personal best in range while also reaching 8,000 feet in altitude.
Beta’s eVTOL aircraft currently has an onboard pilot to facilitate near-term certification, but the company hopes its aircraft will eventually fly autonomously as technologies and regulations are established. Watch Beta’s Alia aircraft in action during a flight test in the video below:
