eVTOLs Soar: US Gov Push, Archer’s $850M Funding, Eve’s $250M Contract & More

Over the last few years, the eVTOL (electric vertical take-off and landing) aircraft market has grown exponentially.

What once felt like a pipe dream to own a car that could fly is slowly becoming a reality, albeit not all such vehicles look like traditional cars. Still, some aviation companies are trying to design their eVTOLs to resemble such cars.

CES 2025 saw Xpeng mount a small folding eVTOL in the trunk of a specially designed minivan.

Either way, the sector is seeing an increase in interest and investment.

At the same time, some eVTOL makers (or rather aspiring ones) are facing difficulties—Lilium, a renowned German eVTOL company, faced bankruptcy and eventually collapsed.

Only recently did the fallen company’s employees finally gain access to its Oberpfaffenhofen facility to retrieve their personal possessions, a move that came around three months after its doors shut. At the same time, German authorities recognized that they were eligible to receive a previously withheld unemployment benefit.

On the other hand, numerous other eVTOL companies are doing well—raising funding, striking deals, and expanding their operations.
 

Archer Aviation

Recently, Archer Aviation revealed that it raised an additional $850 million following the White House’s announcement last week of an Executive Order by President Donald Trump to implement an eVTOL Integration Pilot Program in the United States.

The program comes as the U.S. government looks to push the deployment of electric air taxis, measures against hostile drones, and the development of supersonic commercial aircraft.

“This Executive Order is a seminal moment for Archer and the eVTOL industry. We now have the strongest balance sheet in the sector and the resources we need to execute both here in the U.S. and abroad. Archer’s future couldn’t be any brighter,” said Adam Goldstein, CEO and Founder of Archer.

As such, Archer plans to closely coordinate with the government as it prepares to serve as the Official Air Taxi Provider of the Olympic Games and Team USA at the LA 28 Olympic Games.

The funding comes from the sale of 85,000,000 shares of Archer’s Class A common stock at a price of $10 per share. The move saw the company’s stock drop by around 15% on Friday.

It follows a previous funding round where the company raised $300 million, which included funds and accounts managed by BlackRock and other leading institutional investors.

The new capital affords Archer a pro forma liquidity position of approximately $2 billion.


Amid all this, Archer announced it has begun the next phase of its Midnight eVTOL’s flight test program, showcasing piloted flight, where it reached speeds of up to 125 mph and an altitude of over 1,500 feet above ground level.

More recently, the air taxi maker said it signed an agreement with PT. IKN (Industri Ketahanan Nasional), an Indonesian company focused on building national resilience through innovation, to deploy an initial fleet of Midnight aircraft in the country.

The agreement makes Indonesia the third country to deploy Archer’s Midnight under its “Launch Edition” program, which includes up to 50 Midnight aircraft valued at up to $250 million and aims to establish local operational capabilities and launch commercial air taxi services in the country as soon as possible.

The first partner for Archer’s Midnight “Launch Edition” program was Abu Dhabi Aviation (ADA), with Ethiopian Airlines—Africa’s Largest Carrier—becoming the second, in a program valued at up to $30 million.
 

Eve Air Mobility

Eve Air Mobility is a popular name on the eVTOL block.

Recently, the aircraft manufacturer announced that it had signed its first binding framework agreement with Revo, an advanced urban air mobility (UAM) operator headquartered in São Paulo, Brazil, and its parent company, Helicopters International SA (OHI).

“This binding agreement with Revo and OHI is a pivotal step for Eve, demonstrating growing market confidence in our technology and operational model,” said Johann Bordais, CEO of Eve Air Mobility. “By moving from concept to implementation, we are not only advancing our commercial roadmap but also helping to shape a robust and sustainable UAM ecosystem, setting a global benchmark for eVTOL deployment.”

The deal will see Revo purchase up to 50 Eve eVTOLs through a contract worth $250 million, which also includes associated entry into service and aftermarket services. The move will see Revo become the launch operator for Eve’s eVTOLs in São Paulo.

Delivery of the eVTOLs is planned for Q4 2027.

“Our decision to partner with Eve Air Mobility was clear, rooted in their mature design, comprehensive support ecosystem, and Embraer’s unparalleled aerospace heritage,” said Revo CEO Joao Welsh. “These eVTOL aircraft will be the cornerstone of our ambitious plan to revolutionize Revo’s high touch mobility service, offering a safe sustainable, and scalable business that will connect communities and redefine convenience.”


Eve has already completed numerous component and systems tests and will now begin with vehicle integration and ground tests, with flight tests expected to begin this summer. 

The company also spoke about design updates to its eVTOL, guide by the goal of enhancing safety, optimization, passenger experience, operational efficiency, and ease of transport, and includes refinements such as wheeled landing gear option, optimized cabin interior, lifters and pusher, aerodynamic wing design, and an intuitive cockpit, among others.

Furthermore, Eve revealed that it has been selected in a public call by FINEP, Brazil’s Funding Authority for Studies and Projects, to receive a grant of up to $15.8 million under its “Technologies for More Sustainable Aviation” category. Here, the total project investment amount is up to $33.8 million when combining the FINEP grant with Eve’s required company contribution.
 

Vertical Aerospace

Vertical Aerospace, a global aerospace and technology company pioneering electric aviation, announced that it was expanding its strategic partnership with Bristow Group, the leading global provider of innovative and sustainable vertical flight solutions, to bring advanced air mobility (AAM) into commercial operation.

The deal will see Bristow purchase 50 of Vertical’s VX4 eVTOLs, with an option to purchase 50 more.

Together, the two will develop a scalable, capital-light eVTOL operations platform aimed at reducing the barriers involved in adopting such aircraft by providing Vertical’s customers with complete solutions that won’t require them to build operational infrastructure from scratch.

This "ready-to-fly" model comes with access to certified aircraft, trained pilots, maintenance, and insurance—enabling VX4 customers to focus on customer experience, sales, and network integration.


“This strategic partnership is about execution and mirrors what already successfully works in aviation today,” said Stuart Simpson, CEO of Vertical Aerospace. “It will lower barriers to market entry and accelerate the adoption of eVTOL services worldwide. Together, we’re making it easy for customers to adopt electric flight, allowing them to focus on what they are best at – customer service, loyalty and sales.”

“We are excited about expanding our relationship with Vertical and helping move the future of advanced air mobility forward. Bristow has over 75 years of providing critical safety, operational, certification, and logistics expertise, and this agreement outlines a framework to help scale these new aircraft globally, offering customers a seamless path from concept to revenue,” said Chris Bradshaw, President and CEO of Bristow Group.
 

3D Printed VTOL

Ahead of this, an engineer—Tsung Xu—revealed that he 3D-printed a winged VTOL drone capable of flying for 130 continuous miles or approximately 3 hours, having designed and developed it from scratch himself.

It’s also one of the longest-range and endurance 3D-printed VTOLs in the world.

What’s even more impressive is that he did this without any prior knowledge of aerodynamic modeling, 3D printing, or CAD, and took only 90 days to develop it. Before this, Xu had built and flown only one VTOL before.


While this is an impressive achievement, it does raise questions about the safety of such drones, seeing as anyone will be able to develop such vehicles and use them for nefarious purposes.

Do you think the development of eVTOLs, VTOLs, and drones should be scrutinized by authorities? Do you think the use of 3D printers should be permitted for such uses?

Let us know in the comments below!