A battery incident involving a futuristic aircraft sparked an evacuation Tuesday and injured three people after a chain reaction began at an Archer Aviation facility.
According to KRON, Archer said the incident at its San Jose site involved 30 Molicel batteries and was caused by “employee error.”
Molicel, the battery manufacturer, defines thermal runaway as “a dangerous chain reaction in lithium batteries” that can cause overheating, failure, fire or even an explosion.
The three injured individuals have been released from care, and officials have lifted all evacuation orders.
Archer said the affected batteries were moved to a remediation station and submerged in a suppression tank. A fire watch team will monitor them until Wednesday morning.
Republic Services, a contractor, will handle the battery disposal and complete any necessary cleanup.
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Despite the incident, Archer Aviation is preparing to become the exclusive air taxi provider for L.A. LIVE, AEG’s four-million-square-foot sports and entertainment district next to Crypto.com Arena. The plan includes a proposed vertiport in downtown Los Angeles.
The company’s Midnight aircraft is an all-electric vertical takeoff and landing vehicle built for urban travel. It is expected to carry fans, athletes, artists and other visitors to and from the downtown district while avoiding Los Angeles’ notoriously crowded roads.
Archer also hopes to serve as the leading air transport provider during the 2028 LA Olympic Games.
“We see this as a one-of-a-kind opportunity to add a flagship downtown location to our planned Los Angeles air taxi network ahead of the LA28 Games,” Archer CEO and founder Adam Goldstein said.
The California Post contacted Archer Aviation for comment.
