Toyota takes Joby Aviation air taxi to Japanese skies

The Japanese company Toyota expects significant benefits from new air mobility – electric vertical take-off and landing aircraft, or, more simply, air taxis. A half-hour air taxi flight over Japan with its complex landscapes will replace a two-hour car ride, which will be in demand in many cases. And if you need to get to a neighboring island, an air taxi will be an invaluable solution.

Image source: Joby Aviation

«We are here today to celebrate Joby’s successful demonstration flight earlier this week, their first eVTOL air taxi flight outside the United States. The dream that Joby and Toyota envisioned for air mobility is finally close to coming true,” Toyota CTO Hiroki Nakajima said at an event in Shizuoka, Japan.

For Toyota, working with Joby Aviation is not just a fleeting collaboration. In previous years, the Japanese automaker has invested $394 million in Joby Aviation. Toyota has provided Joby with another $250 million this year and will invest an additional $250 million in 2025. “Toyota has invested in Joby on multiple occasions, but more importantly, it has worked alongside us in our facilities. She helped us develop tools, advised us on plant layouts, and even supplied parts that go into the electric aircraft,” Joby Aviation management proudly stated at the event.

According to a company representative, Joby intends to begin commercial passenger air taxi services as early as next year and is working with global partners in Japan, including Uber, Delta Air Lines and ANA. The company has already submitted an application for certification of electric aircraft to the national civil aviation regulator of Japan – JCAB (Japan Civil Aviation Bureau).

Joby remains one of the most promising flying taxi businesses, ranking fourth in AAM’s August 2024 Reality Index, a ranking tool for assessing the progress of industry players. First place went to Volocopter, second to Chinese EHang, and third to Beta Technologies. Boeing’s Wisk took eighth place.

However, the ratings are largely arbitrary. The German company Lilium, which declared itself bankrupt, was previously considered one of the most successful in this area. At the same time, the Chinese EHang, which ranks second, has conducted many demonstration flights and is already delivering batches of air taxis to customers. However, the Chinese air taxi looks quite simple, if not unsightly, while the American and European models look much more impressive, although so far they have nothing more to boast about.