California-based Joby Aviation has received the US Federal Aviation Administration permit for flight testing its electric taxi. The firm said the US FAA had given a Special Airworthiness Certificate that allows the flight testing of its production prototype without passengers.
The firm’s Marina, California pilot production plant, rolled out its first eVTOL (electric vertical takeoff and landing vehicle). The aircraft is the firm’s first production prototype. It will be delivered to Edwards Air Force Base after the initial testing is completed, the firm said. The delivery is a part of Joby’s contract with the US Air Force worth $131 million. It will deliver the first two electric aircraft in March 2024.
Joby plans to begin commercial passenger operations in 2025. Its business model is reportedly similar to rideshare apps and not like other eVOTL aircraft makers who plan to sell their products to airlines and logistics firms, among others. Joby will ultimately compete with developers like Archer Aviation and Vertical Aerospace aiming to revamp urban transportation.
As per a TechCrunch report, Joby has already flown over 30,000 miles on pre-production prototype aircraft since 2019. The FAA certification shows that the agency approves of the firm’s aircraft design and component parts and that its design falls under its standards for airworthiness and noise.
The report also said Joby has three out of five necessary stages of the type of certification process underway, as per Bevirt. The final type of certification would be the production certificate, allowing Joby to mass produce eVOTLs under FAA-approved designs.
It already received its Part 135 air carrier certification, which allowed it to begin on-demand commercial air taxi operations, in May last year.
Toyota North America’s CEO Tetsu Ogawa will join Joby’s board on Saturday. The carmaker is Joby’s largest external shareholder, with an investment of around $400 million in the aircraft maker.
