Air Taxi Structure Passes First FAA Tests

Flying taxi company Joby Aviation has completed static load testing of the tail structure of its eVTOL (electric vertical takeoff and landing) vehicle to gain certification credit from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).

This was the first time Joby tested a major aerostructure of its aircraft for-credit with FAA representatives present at the test in Santa Cruz, California, according to the company.

“Completing for-credit static load testing on a major aircraft structure marks an important step towards certification of the Joby aircraft and we’re very pleased with the results,” said Didier Papadopoulos, president of aircraft OEM at Joby. “Reaching this milestone is the culmination of years of hard work across the engineering, testing, certification, and manufacturing teams at Joby.

“Our vertically integrated approach to aircraft development gives us the capability to design, build and test entire aerostructures in-house, providing Joby with a strong foundation to rapidly and efficiently continue to bring innovative technologies to market.”

The Joby electric flying taxi is designed to carry a pilot and four passengers and travel up to 200 mph. The company plans to operate its EAVs in New York City and Los Angeles along with its partner Delta Air Lines.

Related:Flying Taxi Deal Signed for Dubai as Mideast Takes the Lead

Joby has raised more than $2 billion from Toyota, Delta Air Lines, SK Telecom and Uber and has logged more than 33,00 miles of flight with a full-scale prototype, according to the company.

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While Joby is partnered with Delta, Archer Aviation, the other major air taxi company, has a partnership with United Airlines.

Joby also recently announced it was partnering with executive aviation company Jetex to install charging systems to support Joby eVTOL vehicles.

The system installations would start at Jetex locations throughout the Middle East to support connecting passengers to a network of vertiports across the region and between Emirates.

Joby plans service in Dubai as part of an agreement with Dubai’s Road and Transport Authority, giving Joby exclusive rights for air taxis in Dubai for six years. 

Skyports, the Joby infrastructure partner in Dubai, has already started construction of the first vertiport for Joby at Dubai International Airport.

Joby recently applied to become the first certified air taxi operator in the United Arab Emirates.

Joby recently announced a public offering of common stock expecting to raise $202 million for the electric aerial vehicle (EAV) maker.

Related:Air Taxi Company Applies to Operate in UAE

Joby intends to use the financing to fund its “certification and manufacturing efforts, prepare for commercial operations and for general working capital and other general corporate purposes,” the company stated in a regulatory filing.

The new funding followed a $500 million investment by Toyota, which brought its total investment in the EAV maker to $894 million.

Toyota has been investing in Joby since 2019, starting with Toyota Ventures, in addition to sharing knowledge of the Toyota systems for planning, manufacturing methods and tooling design. 

That initial investment grew to $394 million and Toyota engineers now work side-by-side with Joby staff in California

Joby and Toyota last year signed a long-term agreement for Toyota to supply key powertrain and actuation components for Joby’s EAVs. 

The new investment is scheduled in two parts, one later this year and the second in 2025.

Toyota financing includes plans to establish a manufacturing alliance for the first phase of commercialization.

Meanwhile, German eVTOL (electric vertical takeoff and landing) jet maker Lilium announced it was facing insolvency as two of its subsidiaries apply for self-administered insolvency.

The move was triggered by Lilium being denied a $54 million loan guarantee it was seeking from the government of Bavaria.

Related:Air Taxi Company Seeks $200M From Stock Offering; $5.05 a Share

Joby already has partnership with the UAE through a memorandum of understanding with the Department of Municipalities and Transport Abu Dhabi, the Abu Dhabi Department of Economic Development and the Department of Culture and Tourism, setting Joby up to establish and scale flying taxi services in Abu Dhabi and beyond.