Earlier this week, Toyota Motor Corporation and Joby Aviation announced the successful completion of Joby's inaugural international demonstration flight at Toyota's Higashi-Fuji Technical Center in Shizuoka, Japan.
The flight carried out with Mount Fuji in view, served as a chance to showcase the minimal noise impact of Joby's zero-emission aircraft and commemorate almost seven years of partnership between the two companies. Throughout this period, Toyota has assisted Joby by sharing valuable knowledge from its vast automotive manufacturing and technology experience. Currently, Toyota engineers collaborate closely with the Joby team in California. In 2023, the two companies entered into a long-term agreement for Toyota to provide essential powertrain and actuation components for Joby's aircraft production.
"Our first overseas flight marks a significant milestone on our journey towards making clean air travel an everyday reality,” said JoeBen Bevirt, Founder and CEO of Joby. “We share Toyota’s vision for the future of mobility and are honoured to have had the opportunity to present a glimpse of that future through our flight in Japan.”
Various stakeholders convened at the testing facility for a gathering commemorating the exhibition flight and significant milestone. Among the attendees were Akio Toyoda, Chairman of Toyota Motor Corporation, and delegates from Japan’s Civil Aviation Bureau.
At the event, Hiroki Nakajima, executive vice president and chief technology officer of Toyota Motor Corporation, said: “Air mobility has the potential to change our ‘sense of distance and time,’ and open a future with the new option of air mobility that will further enrich the lives of many people. Toyota is committed to deepening our collaboration with Joby and we will continue to work together to realize our shared dreams,”
Joby’s electric air taxi is designed to carry a pilot and four passengers at speeds of up to 200 mph, offering high-speed mobility with zero operating emissions and a fraction of the noise produced by helicopters. This new mobility service aims to reduce traffic congestion, minimize environmental impact, and provide transportation solutions for urban and rural regions, demonstrating the potential to address various transportation challenges in Japan and around the world. Joby was founded in 2009 and has since completed thousands of test flights, including exhibition flights from the iconic Downtown Manhattan Heliport in New York City.
The news comes weeks after Toyota committed to invest an additional $500 million in Joby, to support the certification and commercial production of the Company’s electric air taxi. The additional funds will bring Toyota Motor Corporation’s total investment in Joby to $894 million and include plans to establish a manufacturing alliance to support the first phase of commercialization. The investment will be made in two equal tranches and is subject to standard regulatory approvals and certain other conditions, the finalization of collaborative and commercial agreements and, concerning the second tranche, the finalization of terms related to a strategic alliance focused on commercial manufacturing and certain other conditions.
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