Estimated read time: 4-5 minutes
- Utah's 47G signed a deal with Beta Technologies to introduce advanced air taxis in Utah.
- Initial flights will focus on cargo, with passenger services expected in the future.
- The initiative aims to enhance mobility, reduce commute times and improve air quality.
SALT LAKE CITY — Utah Gov. Spencer Cox remembers meeting with Utah transportation officials to discuss the future of travel in Utah.
Utah Department of Transportation Director Carlos Braceras insisted there would have to be a cap as to how wide roads could be, pointing to the importance of mass transit alternatives to cut down commute times. He also believed it might be time to grow vertically by tapping into advanced air mobility, a series of drone-like electric aircraft to transport people and cargo.
"I kind of chuckled like, 'Sure,'" Cox said, reflecting on that meeting.
However, that meeting served as a tipping point when it came to Utah's interest in the technology. State leaders turned to the Utah Governor's Office of Economic Opportunity and 47G, previously known as Utah Aerospace and Defense, as they mapped out a future in advanced air mobility.
Now, the future of air travel has taken a major step toward becoming a reality.
47G signed a memorandum of understanding Tuesday with Beta Technologies, a Vermont-based electric aircraft and charging manufacturer in a landmark deal that opens the door for electric flight in Utah. Flights will start with cargo deliveries, beginning over the next few years, before moving to air taxis for passenger travel.
"We are going to where no other state has gone before: to the top of the list in air mobility. ... This is an exciting and very historic moment," said Aaron Starks, president and CEO of 47G, shortly before signing the contract.
Beta first launched in 2017 and has since grown to over 600 employees, as the company has secured deals with military and private entities. Kyle Clark, the company's CEO and founder, completed a test flight last year to show its potential in passenger travel, as well.
Clark said models can hold three or four cargo pallets, operating at costs that are about half per mile as other aircraft methods. The aircraft models can also seat six to eight people when configured for passenger travel. He completed a test flight last year, explaining that it takes off and lands like a helicopter, while it's silent during trips as a rear propeller powers flights.
While current models are battery-powered, future models may include hybrid and hydrogen and other alternate energies. Autonomous flights are another option that is a work in progress, according to the company.
Cargo flight planning will start by reviewing infrastructure within the state's municipal and regional airports over the next 12 to 18 months in partnership with UDOT, Starks said. Salt Lake City, Provo and Ogden are "high" on the list of areas to debut advanced air mobility, while pilots could be trained at institutions like Utah State University, Southern Utah University and Utah Valley University.
47G helped launch "Project Alta" last year, which established a goal to create an advanced air mobility system in the state. Five other companies — Zipline, Hexcel, Electric Power Systems, Albany Engineered Composites and Intergalactic — have also worked on growing the market in Utah.
While Beta test flights continue in Vermont, Clark expects that those will be expanded out to Utah "shortly."
"We're really excited to get out here and start connecting the airports together," he said. "We're building a foundational technology. It's an entirely new field of aerospace."
Passenger flights would begin sometime after cargo, possibly connecting Logan and Salt Lake City within 20 minutes, or Salt Lake City and Moab within 40 minutes. Ryan Starks, executive director of the Utah Governor's Office of Economic Opportunity, said the technology offers the potential to expand mobility options across the state that can reduce commute times without compromising air quality.
It's a major innovation — one the biggest in decades — that could be ready in time for when Salt Lake City hosts the 2034 Winter Olympics and Paralympics, Cox adds.
"I truly believe when we get there we'll be transporting people vertically, which will make it easier for us to move from Point A to Point B," he said. "We'll be able to do it more efficiently, we'll be able to save money, we'll be able to do it incredibly safely and we won't have to keep building roads wider and wider. ... The future is bright."
