Toyota-backed Joby Aviation Conducts First International Flight Of Its ‘Electric Air Taxi’ In Japan

Toyota Motor-backed Joby Aviation conducts first international flight of its 4-passenger ‘electric Air Taxi’ in Japan.

Joby’s Vertical Take-off and Landing (eVTOL) taxi is designed to carry a pilot and four passengers at speeds of up to 200 mph.

Flight comes weeks after Toyota pledged additional $500m to support certification, commercial production of Joby’s electric air taxi.

California-based Joby Aviation and its strategic partner Toyota Motor Corporation on November 2 2024 demonstrated their electric Vertical Take-off and Landing (eVTOL) vehicle at Toyota’s Higashi-Fuji Technical Center in Japan.

In attendance at the first international exhibition flight of Joby’s four-passenger electric air taxi were Akio Toyoda, the chairman of the Toyota Group, and Joby CEO and founder, JoeBen Bevirt.

“This is a moment we have been looking forward to for a long time and 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 air travel and are honored to have had the opportunity to present a glimpse of that future through our exhibition flight in Japan.”

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.

“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,” said Hiroki Nakajima, the executive vice president of Toyota Motor Corporation.

“Toyota is committed to deepening our collaboration with Joby and we will continue to work together to realize our shared dreams.”

The flight celebrated nearly seven years of collaboration between the Toyota and Joby Aviation, during which the Japanese automaker has supported Joby with $894 million.

It comes weeks after Toyota pledged an additional investment of US$500 million to support the certification and commercial production of Joby’s electric air taxi.

• See Also : Toyota Unveils 4Runner TRD Surf Concept, A 2-door 4Runner With A Removable Roof For SEMA Show