Joby’s Electric Air Taxi Makes European Debut

Joby Aviation is displaying its electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) air taxi at the Farnborough International Airshow this week, where it is making its first European appearance.

After more than a decade in development, the first production model of Joby's four-passenger urban air mobility vehicle, which has six tilting rotors for lift and thrust, rolled out in June last year.

Joby air taxis now have covered over 33,000 miles during tests over the past decade, and the company has conducted more than 100 flights with pilots on board. 

According to Joby, the aircraft will fly to a range of at least 100 miles on a single charge and generate noise levels around 100 times lower than those of a conventional helicopter.

The aircraft is the first eVTOL to have gotten its certification plans accepted by the FAA, and it now is working toward full approval, with type certification expected next year. Further local approvals are under discussion in the UK and Japan, to follow soon after U.S. certification.

In November Joby performed the first flight by an eVTOL in New York City, and in September it claimed the first delivery of an eVTOL to a customer—in this case the U.S. Air Force at Edwards Air Force Base in California. The delivery was part the USAF’s Afwerx Agility Prime transformative vertical lift development effort, and further aircraft are due for delivery to the service from early production. The company is also working closely with major transportation companies such as Delta Air Lines, Toyota, and Uber.
Joby sees Europe as a potential major market for eVTOL urban air mobility applications. In the UK, the London region is a natural target, and the company also has planned a potential network for the north of England and the north Midlands. That would link destinations such as Liverpool, Manchester, Leeds, Hull, Sheffield, Stoke, Derby, and Nottingham, providing a rapid air taxi service in a region with limited connectivity. A zero-emission journey from Manchester Airport to Leeds could be accomplished in 15 minutes, instead of the average of 90 minutes by road.