Robotaxis aren’t the only way the basic concept of paying someone to drive you a short distance has been given a high-tech modification. There is also the issue of air taxis. Air taxis are small vehicles that take you anywhere locally and, as a popular fictional scientist said, “no roads needed.”
This week, Toyota committed to investing an additional $500 million in Joby Aviation, bringing its total investment in the electric air taxi company to $894 million. The two companies have been working together for almost seven years, and JoeBen Bevirt, founder and CEO of Joby Aviation, had good things to say about the partnership when announcing this new capability.
“Toyota’s shared knowledge and support has been instrumental in Joby’s success, and we look forward to deepening our relationship as we realize our shared vision for the future of air travel,” Bebert said in a statement. .
This latest funding follows an agreement between the two companies in which Toyota agreed to develop the powertrain technology used in the Joby air taxi. As Autoweek’s Jay Ramey noted, this also follows Joby Aviation’s first successful metropolitan test in New York City in November 2023. One Joby Air Taxi is currently on display at Grand Central Station.
As Jeff Wise observed in New York, electric VTOL technology has gone from theoretical to concrete in recent years, but legal questions remain over its widespread adoption. Wise, who has covered this part of the industry for years, noted that ultralight vehicle regulations include relatively strict fuel requirements that some manufacturers are circumventing.
Although the New York article’s focus is on personal aircraft rather than air taxis, it opens the door to questions about how widespread flying cars will be rather than just specialized markets.
something more similar
This article was published in the InsideHook newsletter. Sign up now.
