Alia
Beta Technologies surged to the second-highest slot in the AAM Reality Index, boosted by its production readiness, strong balance sheet and clear path to market for its CX300 electric conventional-takeoff-and-landing (eCTOL) aircraft.
The latest edition of the AAM Reality Index, published by SMG Consulting on Aug. 22, lifts Vermont-based Beta to a score of 8.6 out of 10, up from 8.1 at the previous update in June, placing it within striking distance of longtime front-runner Joby Aviation, which has a score of 8.7.
Tied with Beta in second-place is Germany’s Volocopter, while Archer Aviation and EHang are tied for third place with scores of 8.1.
Asked about the logic behind the upgrade, SMG Founder and CEO Sergio Cecutta largely attributes the move upward to Beta’s mature production capabilities and facilities, which he says appear to be “more advanced” than for many other advanced air mobility startups.
He also says the company’s decision to certify an eCTOL aircraft before its planned Alia 250 electric vertical-takeoff-and-landing (eVTOL) version provides an easier path to type certification compared to many other top contenders on the Reality Index.
“The fact that Beta went for a fixed-wing has taken away a lot of the issues that plague the eVTOLs,” Cecutta says. “They don’t have to worry about powered-lift rules because it’s just a Part 23 airplane. If you were just talking about their eVTOL, they may be a bit further behind the others, but when you look at electric aviation as a whole, they might be the first company in the U.S. to certify an electric aircraft.”
Besides Beta, another mover in the latest index was Wisk Aero, which climbed to 7.8 from 7.5 to assume the No. 6 spot, which Cecutta attributes to Boeing assuming full ownership. This gives Wisk a level of financial security that will allow it to continue developing its autonomous platform for years to come.
“Now that Wisk is completely funded by Boeing, they don’t need to rely on the markets anymore, which is a big deal,” he says. “They don’t need to ask anyone for money to go where they need to go. The others can raise as much money as they want, but they don’t have a company that actually makes billions in cash every year behind them.”
Chinese eVTOL startup Aerofugia also rose in the latest index, to 7.1 from 6.7, also largely due to the company’s relatively mature production facilities.
“We were able to talk to Aerofugia and get a better understanding of their production capabilities,” Cecutta explains. “Like many of these other Chinese companies, they actually already have a large facility in place, so they don’t need to build anything, they just have to ramp up production and they will get to more than 100 [units] per year.”
Despite the recent crash of its VX4 demonstrator during uncrewed flight testing, UK startup Vertical Aerospace also ticked up—to 7 from 6.8—reflecting that it had made the first untethered flight of its full-scale demonstrator prior to the incident. “The fact that the prototype crashed still doesn’t take away from the fact that they did fly and hover a full-scale prototype,” Cecutta says.
Finally, Swiss startup Dufour Aerospace rose to 5.8 from 5.2 after it completed the initial transition flight tests with the first prototype of its Aero2 eVTOL.
The top 10 companies in the latest edition of the AAM Reality Index are: Joby Aviation (8.7), Beta Technologies (8.6), Volocopter (8.6), Archer Aviation (8.1), EHang (8.1), Wisk Aero (7.8), Elroy Air (7.4), AutoFlight (7.2), Eve Air Mobility (7.2) and Textron’s Pipistrel (7.2).
