Capital Region International Airport and BETA Technologies install state’s first electric aircraft charger
Lansing, Michigan (Wednesday, July 30, 2025) — Capital Region International Airport (LAN) and BETA Technologies, an aerospace company based in Vermont that’s producing electric aircraft and charging infrastructure, have installed the first electric aircraft charger in the state of Michigan. Today, government, industry, and community leaders from across Michigan joined BETA and LAN for the commissioning of this charger, a flyover of BETA’s electric ALIA aircraft, and to learn how this technology will increase access and mobility to their communities.
Michigan has a rich history of leadership in transportation and manufacturing. In 2025, in keeping with this tradition, Lieutenant Governor Gilchrist announced more than $6M in funding to scale critical AAM infrastructure through Michigan’s AAM Activation Fund. Today’s commissioning at LAN marks the first of four BETA Charge Cubes to be deployed across the state as a result of this funding. This funding, which is powering several additional AAM projects, is a collaborative effort between MDOT, MEDC, and OFME to support the development of network infrastructure, mobility research hubs, and aircraft technology advancements.
AAM provides a low-cost, safe, efficient alternative to traditional aviation, which will unlock new benefits for communities and stimulate economies across Michigan. This technology will help increase access to medical and emergency services, grow in ecommerce and cargo throughput, and provide more seamless, cost-effective passenger travel for both urban and rural communities alike.
The charger, a BETA Charge Cube, is one of several products in the company’s suite of charge solutions designed for multimodal, interoperable use. It offers UL-Certified and optimized for safety, efficiency, and speed, capable of charging its electric aircraft in under one hour and supporting charge for other types of electric aircraft and electric ground vehicles. BETA designed the Charge Cube for optimal flexibility, with a 50-foot cord that extends its reach, and the ability to work in tandem with the company’s Thermal Management System (TMS) in order to best serve the widest variety of aircraft in ground operation needs.
“Michigan has always been a state defined by mobility innovation, and today we’re taking another step forward,” said Governor Whitmer. “The new electric aircraft charger at the Capital Region International Airport made possible by a collaboration with BETA Technologies and several state departments will help us lead the future of advanced air mobility. The initiative will support good-paying, local jobs, grow our economy, and build on our growing strength as a hub of aviation. Together, let's continue unleashing Michigan innovation to build a brighter future.”
“Michigan is open for business, on the move, and reaching new heights in the future of aviation,” said Lt. Governor Garlin Gilchrist II. “This innovative infrastructure propels us into a new era of sustainable aviation and reinforces our leadership in the future of cars, boats, and planes. By embracing innovations like this one, we are growing Michigan’s economy, creating good-paying jobs, and helping more individuals, families, and businesses ‘make it’ in Michigan.”
The addition of BETA’s charger will make Capital Region International Airport — a competitive international cargo hub and critical point of entry for the state — more accessible and position it well into the future.
“Welcoming the BETA Charge Cube to LAN marks a significant step forward in shaping the future of aviation. This technology demonstrates our commitment to innovation, progress, and positioning Michigan as a leader in the next generation of transportation and mobility,” said Nicole Noll-Williams, president and CEO of the Capital Region Airport Authority, owner and operator of LAN. “We’re proud to be one of the early adopters of this new technology, and this wouldn’t be possible without the strong collaboration and support from our partners at BETA Technologies, MEDC and MDOT. We all share the same goal of putting the infrastructure in place to support the future of aviation.”
This new charge site in Lansing, Michigan is part of a network of infrastructure that BETA is building out across Michigan — and the U.S. more broadly. With the funding granted via the AAM Activation Fund, BETA and its partners in Michigan will install Charge Cubes at Cherry Capital Airport (TVC), West Michigan Regional Airport (BIV) and Willow Run Airport (YIP), creating an accessible network across the state.
“MDOT is committed to advancing new aerial mobility initiatives, supporting emerging technology as it develops across the state, to move both people and goods,” said State Transportation Director Bradley C. Wieferich. “These chargers will help to support the continued rollout of electrified vertical take-off and landing aircraft (eVTOL), as they develop further across the country.”
"This installation marks a major milestone in delivering on our MI Future Mobility Plan and our Make It in Michigan economic development strategy,” said Justine Johnson, Justine Johnson, Michigan’s Chief Mobility Officer with the MEDC. "By investing in next-generation infrastructure like electric aircraft chargers, we’re unlocking new modes of transportation while creating high-tech jobs, advancing sustainability, and ensuring that every region of our state benefits from the mobility economy of the future."
“This time last year, Michigan launched an AAM Activation Fund that awarded grant funding to BETA to install infrastructure,” said Blain Newton, BETA’s Chief Information Officer. “It’s exciting to be here today commissioning the first of our electric aviation chargers BETA is installing across the state. It’s a meaningful step toward advancing AAM and delivering real benefits to Michigan’s communities and economy. As a longtime transportation leader, Michigan continues to set the pace, and we look forward to building on this momentum together.”
Michigan joins BETA’s growing nationwide network, as the company has brought chargers online at 50 site locations from Vermont to Florida to Arkansas — with additional sites in development for public and private use by commercial, military, and medical entities. These sites, which have been installed in partnership with airports, FBOs,
government agencies, and OEMs across the country, will bring electric aviation to both metropolitan areas as well as rural and hard-to-reach communities with limited access to air transportation.
In addition to charging solutions, BETA is building its electric aircraft — ALIA CTOL, a fixed-wing aircraft, and ALIA VTOL, a vertical takeoff and landing aircraft — at its nearly 200,000 square foot production facility in Vermont, USA, ramping up production, certification, and delivery efforts. BETA has a diverse roster of customers and partners including UPS, Air New Zealand, Republic Airways, United Therapeutics, Bristow, Blade, Helijet, Metro Aviation, New Zealand Air Ambulance, and the U.S. Department of Defense. BETA has firm orders and, in some instances scheduled deliveries, with this group of global operators.
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About BETA
BETA Technologies is a Vermont-based aerospace company manufacturing the future of aviation. The company is producing next-generation aircraft, including conventional fixed wing electric airplanes (“ALIA CTOL”) and electric vertical takeoff and landing ("ALIA VTOL"), as well as the technologies that enable them, such as electric propulsion systems, flight controls, and battery packs. In addition, BETA is deploying an infrastructure network across the U.S. to ensure this new class of aircraft has access to reliable charging. To date, the company has installed nearly 50 chargers across the east, west, and gulf coasts. With its low-cost, high reliability, and regional range capabilities, BETA’s products are designed to move goods and people to increase connectivity for rural areas and improve access to healthcare and e-commerce across the U.S. — and beyond. For more information, please visit www.beta.team.
About the Capital Region International Airport
The Capital Region Airport Authority (CRAA) owns and operates the Capital Region International Airport (LAN), Mason Jewett Field Airport (TEW) and Port Lansing – a global logistics center and mid-Michigan’s only U.S. Port of Entry. The Capital Region International Airport is an important asset in the mid-Michigan community, driving $1 billion annually in economic impact with 700 people employed at the airport. The airport welcomes more than 352,000 visitors each year to connect throughout the country and the world. In addition to providing corporate and general aviation, the Capital Region International Airport moves 63.5 million pounds of cargo annually and is one of two airports in the state with a U.S. Customs and Border Protection Federal Inspection Station. Port Lansing, mid-Michigan’s only U.S. Port of Entry and home to Foreign Trade Zone (FTZ) #275 covering eight counties, also features a 48,000-square-foot cargo facility and container freight station, and 425 acres of ready-to-develop land. For more information, go to FlyLansing.com and visit the airport’s Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and X accounts.
FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION CONTACT:
Narine Manukova
517-490-8232
manukovanarine@gmail.com