Joby Aviation is one of the Urban Air Mobility companies that has made the most progress with its eVTOL project. Since 2017, the prototype has been undergoing flight testing, having traveled more than 30,000 miles.
Weeks ago, the company completed the first pre-production model, which was passed on to the US Air Force (USAF) for operational testing.
On Sunday, November 12th, another milestone: the first flight of an electric ‘flying taxi’ in New York and also the first time that Joby’s eVTOL flew over an urban environment.
The historic flight departed from the Downtown Heliport in southern Manhattan, which New York’s mayor has promised to transform into a base for eVTOL.
“By electrifying one of the most famous heliports in the world, New York is demonstrating global leadership in the adoption of electric air travel. We’re grateful for the support of the city, and we’re honored to be working with visionary partners like Delta Air Lines to bring our air taxi service to this market,” said JoeBen Bevirt, Founder and CEO of Joby Aviation. “We plan to make quiet, emissions-free flights an affordable, everyday reality for New Yorkers, while significantly reducing the impact of helicopter noise.”
Joby intends to deploy its Urban Air Mobility solution in New York in partnership with Delta Air Lines, as soon as it receives certification from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).
Its electric tilt-rotor aircraft can carry four passengers in addition to the pilot and fly up to 100 miles on a battery charge.
According to Joby’s estimate, a trip from Manhattan to John F. Kennedy Airport (JFK) can take just seven minutes by air versus more than an hour by car.
Joby Aviation’s goal is to put eVTOL into service from 2025.
