United Parcel Service (UPS) is making further steps to find new ways to help small businesses with sustainable solutions.
Through its subsidiary UPS Flight Forward, the company plans to purchase electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft from startup Beta Technologies. Beta’s aircraft can carry 1,400 pounds of cargo capacity with a range of 250 miles and zero operating emissions.
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“With the capability to take off and land directly on UPS property, eVTOL aircraft are perfect for moving smaller loads that would otherwise fly to and from airports on small feeder aircraft or take even longer by ground,” the company stated.
The courier company has reserved BETA’s recharging station to facilitate faster cargo loading and unloading under an hour. After the batteries’ first lifecycle in the aircraft, they can be fitted to the charging station to recharge the aircraft’s onboard batteries as well as the company’s fleet of electric ground vehicles, it noted.
UPS Flight Forward is scheduled to take delivery of its first ten BETA eVTOL aircraft starting 2024, with the option to purchase up to 150.
