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Joby Aviation, a prime eVTOL air taxi developer in the U.S, has officially received its Part 135 Air Carrier Certificate from the FAA (Federal Aviation administration). This certification allows Joby to conduct commercial operations, once its aircraft is fully certified.

Joby’s announcement of Part 135 Certification, announced on May 26th of 2022, comes in ahead of schedule, as it was originally predicted for the back half of 2022. The certification is especially significant as it legally authorizes Joby as a company to carry fare-paying passengers. According to Joby, attaining this certification required the company to submit over 850 pages of manuals for approval, and required Joby’s initial set of pilots to demonstrate mastery of the company’s procedures and training under FAA observation.

With this announcement, Joby has become the first passenger-grade eVTOL developer in the U.S to recieve its Part 135 Certification. Companies such as Amazon, Walmart, Wing and UPS have received this certification for drone delivery, but those aircraft can only carry small packages for short distances, making Joby’s announcement a historic event.

Joby will still need a Type Certificate and a Production Certificate for its aircraft to begin operations, but is working closely on these goals with both the FAA and NASA.

Said Bonny Simi, Head of Air Operations and People at Joby: “The procedures we’ve prepared lay a foundation for our future eVTOL operations. Over the coming months, we will use our Part 135 certificate to exercise the operations and customer technology platforms that will underpin our multi-modal ridesharing service, while also refining our procedures to ensure seamless journeys for our customers.”

Above: Aerial view of Joby’s eVTOL aircraft

Joby’s eVTOL has already made significant progress in the U.S by receiving Airworthiness Approval from the United States Air Force, and conducting flight tests in the thousands. Joby’s aircraft can take-off and land vertically, is fully electric, can fly up to 150 miles per flight, and can carry four passengers plus a pilot at speeds up to 200 mph.

Why it’s important: The Part 135 Certification was one of three major certifications that Joby needs in order to begin passenger-carrying air taxi operations. Once Joby receives full certification for its aircraft, which requires a Type Certification and a Production Certification, Joby will be fully authorized to begin commercial air taxi services. Joby is targeting Type Certification for 2023, with Production Certification soon to follow.

Source // Joby Aviation

Related:

• Joby Completes 150-mile Flight, Begins Part 135 Certification Process (July 2021)
• Joby Aviation Begins Certification Testing (February 2022)
• Joby, CAE to Partner for eVTOL Aircraft Simulators (March 2022)
• Joby Releases Results from NASA Acoustics Testing (May 2022)
• Amazon Receives FAA Approval for Drone Deliveries (September 2020)
• FAA Approves UPS as Drone Airline for Commercial Deliveries (October 2019)
• Drone Package Delivery in the US: Google’s Wing is First (May 2019)

Joby Aviation has announced that its full-size pre-production aircraft has successfully demonstrated its revolutionary low noise profile, following acoustic testing completed with NASA.

Following analysis of the data obtained over two weeks of testing as part of NASA’s Advanced Air Mobility National Campaign, Joby’s aircraft was shown to have met the revolutionary low noise targets the Company set for itself.

The aircraft registered the equivalent of 45.2 A-weighted decibels (dBA) from an altitude of 1640 feet (500 meters) at 100 knots airspeed, a sound level which Joby believes will barely be perceptible against the ambient environment of cities.

NASA engineers also measured the aircraft’s acoustic profile during planned take-off and landing profiles to be below 65 dBA, a noise level comparable to normal conversation, at a distance of 330 feet (100 meters) from the flight path.

“We’re thrilled to show the world just how quiet our aircraft is by working with NASA to take these measurements,” said JoeBen Bevirt, Founder and CEO of Joby.

“With an aircraft this quiet, we have the opportunity to completely rethink how we live and travel today, helping to make flight an everyday reality in and around cities. It’s a game-changer.”

All measurements were conducted using NASA’s Mobile Acoustics Facility, with more than 50 pressure ground-plate microphones placed in a grid array at Joby’s Electric Flight Base near Big Sur, CA.

To measure the Joby aircraft’s acoustic footprint during overhead flight, it flew over the grid array six times at an airspeed of 100 knots and a low altitude to measure as much of the aircraft’s noise above the background ambience as possible. Data recorded from the field of omni-directional microphones was then processed by NASA into an “acoustic hemisphere,” representing the sound emission in all directions below the aircraft at a 100 ft radius. Joby then applied standard processing techniques for spherical spreading and atmospheric attenuation, resulting in an average free-field overhead flight acoustic reading of 45.2 dBA at 1640 feet (500 meters).

Joby also conducted more than 20 take-off and landing tests above the grid array, using a variety of acceleration rates and climb angles to allow NASA to capture acoustics representative of likely operational procedures. This data will be used to adjust flight software and take-off and landing procedures for further low-noise optimization.

From day one, the Joby aircraft was designed with acoustics in mind, with the number of propellers and blades, blade shape and radius, tip speeds, and disk loading of the aircraft all selected to minimize its acoustics footprint and improve the character of the sound produced. Each of the six propellers can also individually adjust its tilt, rotational speed, and blade pitch to avoid blade-vortex interactions that contribute to the acoustic footprint of traditional helicopters.

More details regarding procedures and measurements will be released by both Joby and NASA in technical papers to be presented at industry conferences this summer.

Why it matters: A key roadblock to the wide acceptance of eVTOL technologies will be lower acoustic impact on urban environments than traditional substitutes. Until now, noise performance figures have been mostly marketing gimmicks, lacking real tests. With this series of NASA testing, Joby has proved it has a craft capable of blending into the noise characteristics of an urban environment without disrupting life below.

All Nippon Airways (ANA) and Joby have announced they are forming a partnership that will see Japan’s largest airline join with Joby to bring aerial ridesharing services to Japan. Toyota Motor Corporation (Toyota) also joined the partnership, with the intention of exploring opportunities such as connections with ground-based transportation.

ANA and Joby are set to collaborate on all aspects of establishing this new form of transportation in Japan, including the development of infrastructure, pilot training, flight operations, air traffic management, public acceptance, and regulatory requirements. Integration with ground transportation will also be considered, with Toyota supporting this effort. The parties will also collaboratively conduct discussions with relevant private companies as well as local and national governments.

The three partners are all existing members of Japan’s Public-Private Conference for the Future Air Mobility Revolution, which was established by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Investment and the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism to accelerate the adoption of aerial ridesharing in the country.

Commenting on the partnership and the opportunity presented by the Japanese market, JoeBen Bevirt, founder and CEO of Joby, said: “Joby exists to help people save time while reducing their carbon footprint. Japan offers us a spectacular opportunity to do just that with 92% of the population living in urban areas and Tokyo registering as one of the top 20 most congested cities in the world.”

He continued: “We’re humbled to be working with ANA, an airline that has deservedly been awarded SKYTRAX’s 5-Star rating nine years in a row, and we look forward to working closely with them to bring our aerial ridesharing service to reality in Japan.”

Joby Aviation has spent more than a decade developing the technology behind its aircraft, has completed more than 1,000 test flights, and is the first and only eVTOL company to sign a G-1 (stage 4) Certification Basis for their aircraft with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).

Speaking about the opportunity presented by the introduction of aerial ridesharing in Japan, Koji Shibata, Representative Director and Executive Vice President at ANA HD, said: “ANA has 70 years of experience delivering safe and reliable flights to customers across the world. We’re proud to bring that operational experience to the table as part of this partnership and to be at the forefront of introducing this revolutionary form of transport to Japan.”

“Our customers value efficiency very highly, so being able to provide them with the option to travel rapidly – and sustainably – from an international airport to a downtown location is very appealing.”

The concept of aerial ridesharing has been gaining momentum in Japan as the country accelerates its efforts to prepare for the 2025 World Expo to be held in the western capital of Osaka. Osaka is the third most populous city in Japan and the largest component of the Keihanshin metropolitan area, consisting of more than 18 million residents.

While Joby’s aerial ridesharing service will be operated directly by the company and offered to passengers via its app or the Uber app in U.S markets, this announcement reflects Joby’s strategy to partner with local air transportation companies committed to delivering exceptional customer service and operational excellence in other countries. Additionally, Joby expects to work with local ground mobility partners to deliver seamless, end-to-end journeys for customers.

Why it matters: Airlines across the world are partnering with eVTOL manufacturers, and the agreement between ANA and Joby is the latest example of this movement. Joby brings to the table its wealth of experience in working alongside ride-sharing apps like Uber, as well as its notable eVTOL aircraft. Joby’s pre-existing investment relationship with Toyota and Toyota’s participation in this partnership is also exciting, for the potential of integrating Joby’s ride-sharing capabilities with ground-based transportation.

Joby has announced today it has begun conformity testing with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the first step of many towards achieving a type certificate, and a significant milestone for the program. Joby’s first series of conformity tests, observed and documented by an on-site FAA Designated Engineering Representative (DER), were completed this week at Toray Advanced Composites USA’s facility in Morgan Hill, CA.

The purpose of the tests was to demonstrate the material strength of composites similar to those used on Joby’s aircraft. The resultant data will form the foundation for future testing of structural components of the aircraft as Joby progresses through the type certification process.

“After years of development and company testing, we’re excited to formally begin the process of conformity testing,” said JoeBen Bevirt, founder and CEO of Joby. “We began engaging with the FAA in 2015 to lay the groundwork for certification of our aircraft, and today we move closer to bringing fast, clean and convenient aerial ridesharing to the world.”

In pursuit of an FAA type certificate, Joby will have to demonstrate their compliance with FAA regulations following completion and receive approval of requirements definitions and compliance planning. During this phase, Joby will complete thousands of inspections and tests to demonstrate the airworthiness and safety of its aircraft before receiving a type certificate from the FAA.

In November, Joby completed its first FAA part conformity inspection as expected, confirming that the batch of test coupons used in the “for credit” testing conformed to the attributes and specifications of their associated design data as intended for the aircraft’s type certification.

The coupons, constructed using a toughened epoxy and state-of-the-art carbon fiber, result in a material that is lighter and stronger than existing aerospace-grade composite, which is ideal for a high-performance eVTOL aircraft.

“Entering this stage of testing demonstrates that we’re capable of manufacturing composite parts in accordance with their design, our quality system is capable of producing conforming composite parts for the aircraft, and that we have the requisite traceability and design verification processes in place to progress toward our type and production certifications,” said Lina Spross, quality and supply chain lead at Joby.

In 2020, Joby became the first and only eVTOL company to sign a G-1 (stage 4) certification basis with the FAA, having received an initial (stage 2) signed G-1 from the FAA in 2019. In parallel with this work, the company continues to make progress with the FAA on defining the means of compliance that will apply to its aircraft as it progresses with certification efforts.

Why it matters: Conducting certification testing with the FAA is a significant accomplishment for Joby Aviation; not only because it is a key hurdle in commercializing an aerospace product, but also because it means the FAA recognizes the maturity of the design and manufacturing practices used by Joby. Currently, Joby is a leader in this phase, meaning it has an excellent competitive advantage toward being first to market with its aircraft. As a certification plan is agreed upon and finalized, expect to see larger scale tests of systems and flight profiles.

On February 6th, SK Telecom, a prominent South Korean telecommunications company, and Joby Aviation announced they will work together to introduce emissions-free aerial ridesharing services to cities and communities across South Korea.

SKT’s CEO Ryu Young-sang and Joby’s founder and CEO JoeBen Bevirt signed a strategic collaboration agreement at Joby’s manufacturing facility in Marina, California. The agreement will see the two companies work closely on introducing this revolutionary form of transportation in support of the South Korean Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, and Transport’s “K-UAM” (Korean Urban Air Mobility) Roadmap, first announced in 2020. This roadmap is similar to Japan’s Aerial Mobility Roadmap, covered by TransportUP in June of 2021.

With a maximum range of 150 miles (241 kilometers), a top speed of 200 mph (321 km/h), and a low noise profile that will allow it to access built-up areas, Joby’s piloted aircraft is designed to make convenient, emissions-free air travel an everyday reality.

SKT has been promoting the development of urban air mobility by leveraging its expertise in telecommunications, autonomous driving, precise positioning, and security to become a leading company in connected intelligence. As a member of the “UAM Team Korea”, SKT is also working together with other major Korean companies to enhance the nation’s competitiveness in the field.

The partners intend to leverage SK’s T Map mobility platform, Korea’s largest mobility platform, and UT ride hailing service to provide multi-modal journeys to customers seamlessly integrating both ground and air travel. UT was established as a joint venture between SKT and Uber in 2021, bringing together SK’s T Map platform and Uber’s ride sharing technology. Joby and Uber have been collaborating since 2019.

Joby has already completed more than 1,000 test flights and has become the first, and only, eVTOL company to sign a G-1 (stage 4) Certification Basis for their aircraft with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).

While Joby’s aerial ridesharing service will be operated directly by the company and offered to passengers via the Joby app or the Uber app in core U.S. markets, this announcement reflects Joby’s strategy to partner with local companies committed to delivering exceptional customer service and operational excellence to launch its service in select markets outside the U.S.

Why it’s important: This recent announcement furthers eVTOL developmental plans for Asia, following companies such as EHang that have attempted to jumpstart an early acquisition of a sizeable portion of the Asian market by making serious inroads toward aerial mobility marketshare dominance in their home nation of China. With Joby’s collaboration agreement with SKT Telecomm in South Korea, considerable resource sharing will occur that should enable both groups to leverage one another’s experience in aerial mobility operations and operations within South Korea for ride-sharing based comms infrastructure, and IT infrastructure required for running on-demand mobility operations.

Joby Aviation, the Santa-Cruz based leader in aerial mobility, has announced that it has received airworthiness certification for its second pre-production prototype, having achieved this on its first aircraft in late 2020.

This second aircraft was pushed through the certification pipeline in order to accelerate Joby’s pre-production flight testing timeline during 2022. The new aircraft received both an FAA Special Airworthiness Certificate and US Air Force Airworthiness Approval within just six days of one another.

Joby’s second pre-production prototype at the company’s hangar in Marina, California. Photo Credit: Joby Aviation

Starting in early 2021, Joby began sweeping the U.S industry for aerial mobility, announcing hundreds of millions of dollars in investments, showing off footage of its first prototype in flight, and announcing the U.S’s first airworthiness certification given to an eVTOL. At the same time, Joby Aviation acquired Uber Elevate, which was Uber’s initiative to launch eVTOL air taxi services within the U.S. As a result, Joby has announced certain plans to begin creating major air taxi networks within the U.S in collaboration with Uber, other infrastructure companies, and local governmental organizations.

The first pre-production prototype, given airworthiness certification in early 2021, generated 65 terabytes of test data. In total, it flew more than 5,300 miles, including what is believed to be the longest flight of an eVTOL aircraft to date at 154.6 miles on a single charge.

According to Joby, the addition of the second prototype will significantly accelerate Joby’s capacity for flight testing in 2022, further supporting the company’s ambition to fully certify its aircraft with the Federal Aviation Administration (“FAA”) in time to launch commercial operations in 2024. The new aircraft is expected to begin flying later this month and will be put into service as part of Joby’s Agility Prime contract with the US Air Force.

Said JoeBen Bevirt, founder and CEO of Joby, “Our 2021 flight test program delivered a wealth of information and experience to support our program. With two aircraft flying at the same time, we’ll be able to increase the speed of our learnings as planned, while continuing to fulfill the requirements of our Agility Prime contract. We’re grateful to the US Air Force for our ongoing relationship and support and to the FAA for continuing to foster innovation in the aviation industry.”

Like the first pre-production aircraft, the new prototype will be able to carry four passengers plus a pilot, with a top speed of 200mph and a flight range of 150 miles.

Why it’s important: The announcement of this second prototype is significant because it shows that Joby is able to consistently produce aircraft that can achieve certification from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). While other aircraft such as BETA Technologies’ ALIA have also received FAA and U.S Air Force airworthiness certification, Joby Aviation continues to lead the industry with the certification of a second prototype.

Related Articles:

• Joby Aviation Acquires Uber Elevate, Receives Airworthiness Approval from U.S Air Force (December 2020)
• Joby Completes 150-mile Flight, Begins Part 135 Certification Process (July 2021)
• Beta Technologies is Approved for Air Force Manned Flight Tests (May 2021)

Joby’s electric air taxi, which has recently swept the market through multiple large fundraising rounds, a successful IPO, and an acquisition of Uber Elevate amongst others, has now announced that they have become the first company to fly an all-electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft as part of NASA’s Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) National Campaign.

Joby’s full-scale, all-electric prototype preparing for flight above the company’s Electric Flight Base in California.

The NASA Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) National Campaign, which began as the ‘UAM Grand Challenge‘ was designed a few years ago to challenge the top growing companies in vertical urban flight through tests in performance that could set standards for the emerging industry as a whole.

Recently, Joby became the first company to actually fly its aircraft as part of the challenge, which is also designed to establish public confidence in these electric aircraft by putting them through multiple flight test scenarios. As part of the two-week test campaign at Joby’s Electric Flight Base near Big Sur, California, NASA and Joby will join forces to study the acoustic signature of the all-electric Joby aircraft, which the company intends to operate as part of a commercial passenger service beginning in 2024.

In the coming tests, NASA engineers will deploy their Mobile Acoustics Facility and more than 50 pressure ground-plate microphones in a grid array that allows for multi-directional measurement of the Joby aircraft’s sound emissions. Using this data, NASA and Joby will generate noise hemispheres for the aircraft that capture the intensity and the character of the sound emitted in comparison to helicopters, drones, and other aircraft. These readings, in combination with the noise profile of urban communities, can be used to verify how well proposed aircraft operations would blend into existing background noise.

Said Davis Hackenberg, NASA AAM mission integration manager, “NASA is proud to continue our relationship with Joby by gathering highly valuable aircraft safety and noise data that will contribute towards an aviation future that includes Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) operations. Data from industry leaders like Joby is critical for NASA’s research activities and future standardization of emerging aircraft configurations.”

Said JoeBen Bevirt, Founder and CEO of Joby Aviation, “From day one, we prioritized building an aircraft that not only has an extremely low noise profile, but blends seamlessly into the natural environment. We have always believed that a minimal acoustic footprint is key to making aviation a convenient part of everyday movement without compromising quality of life, and we’re excited to fly with NASA, our long-time partners in electric flight, to demonstrate the acoustic profile of our aircraft.”

Why it’s important: The beginning of flight tests signals that NASA’s Advanced Air Mobility campaign is moving forward as planned several years ago. Along the way, NASA has worked closely with Joby and other eVTOL companies to prepare them for these tests. Joby has already designed its aircraft with ultra-low noise emissions, and through the campaign’s flight tests, the company will get a chance to officialize and publicize the degree to which their electric air taxis can blend into urban background noise.

Joby Aviation, an upcoming leader in the world of electric aerial mobility, has successfully completed a 150-mile continuous flight on a single charge.

The flight was completed at Joby’s Electric Flight Base in Big Sur, CA earlier this month as part of the company’s ongoing flight test campaign. The aircraft, piloted from the ground by Joby’s Chief Test Pilot, Justin Paines, took off vertically before transitioning to forward flight.

The 154-mile flight, which took place over 11 laps of a predefined circuit, took 1 hour and 17 minutes to complete, setting a record for the world’s longest eVTOL test flight. Even more notably, the flight was performed with the company’s full-sized prototype, meaning that the aircraft that completed this flight will eventually be the same aircraft utilized by fare-paying passengers.

Founder and CEO JoeBen Bevirt commented, “We’ve achieved something that many thought impossible with today’s battery technology. By doing so we’ve taken the first step towards making convenient, emissions-free air travel between places like San Francisco and Lake Tahoe, Houston and Austin, or Los Angeles and San Diego an everyday reality.”

Additionally, as Joby gears up its aircraft, it is also preparing for its full entry into commercial service as an official air transport provider. The company has recently begun the Part FAA Part 135 air carrier certification process, entering the first stage by submitting airline operating manuals. Once that documentation is approved, the FAA will visit Joby locations to observe training sessions and witness flight operations before issuing its final approval.

Achieving the Part 135 certification, which Joby expects to do by 2022, will legally allow Joby to operate its new aircraft as air taxi in communities and cities throughout the United States. Alongside a Type Certificate and Production Certificate, this is one of three regulatory approvals critical to the planned launch of Joby’s all-electric aerial ridesharing service in 2024.

Why it’s important: As 2021 progresses, top companies like Joby are taking greater and greater strides towards commercial certification and passenger operations launch. Many companies, including Joby, predict that their aircraft will enter commercial service by 2024, and, according to Joby, they are on track to meet that deadline. Other companies to watch for taking these steps include Vertical Aerospace, Beta Technologies, Wisk, Volocopter, Lilium, and EHang.

Source // Joby Aviation

Related:

• Joby’s New Board of Directors and SPAC Offering Details
• Joby Aviation Announces Infrastructure Partnership With Largest Mobility Hub Operator in North America
• Joby Aviation Acquires Uber Elevate, Receives Airworthiness Approval from U.S Military

Joby Aero announced on July 23rd the composition of its Board of Directors in anticipation of the company’s merger with Reinvent Technology Partners, a special purpose acquisition company that is reported to take a “venture capital at scale” approach to partnering with bold leaders and companies. Upon the closing of the transaction, the combined company will trade as JOBY on the NYSE. In conjunction with the transaction, notable members were also named to the board, including Reid Hoffman, LinkedIn Co-Founder and the Co-Lead Director of Reinvent Technology Partners (RTP). Hoffman currently sits on the boards of companies such as Microsoft and Aurora. 

Next, Halimah DeLaine Prado, General Counsel, Google. Halimah has spent 15 years at Google, working on some of the most complex and important legal issues of the digital age, including a variety of projects at Google X. Prior to her current position, Halimah was a Vice President of Legal, managing a global team providing counsel across Google’s products, including Ads, Search, Cloud, Hardware, Platforms & Ecosystems, and YouTube.

Finally, Laura Wright, former CFO, Southwest Airlines, is reported to be joining the board. Laura has significant experience managing airline finances and operations, having helped to establish Southwest as one of the top US airlines across a 25 year tenure at the company. Her experience of leading an airline through a period of high growth will be particularly relevant to Joby as it seeks to establish and rapidly grow an aerial ridesharing service beginning in 2024.

Commenting on the recent appointments, JoeBen Bevirt, Founder and CEO of Joby, said, “We are incredibly humbled to have been able to assemble such a remarkable and diverse group of world-class leaders to guide and support Joby as we plan to enter the public market.”

Earlier this week, RTP announced that an Extraordinary General Meeting of Shareholders has been scheduled for August 5, 2021 to vote on the approval and adoption of RTP’s business combination with Joby.

Why it’s important: Joby Aviation is adding lauded members of a variety of companies to their Board of Directors, enabling the company to continue their growth and expansion plans to deploy on demand aerial mobility services by 2024 at scale.

Joby Aviation (“Joby”), a California-based company developing all-electric aircraft for commercial passenger service, announced it has partnered with REEF Technology (“REEF”) and Neighborhood Property Group (“NPG”) to develop takeoff and landing sites for its aerial ridesharing service, launching in 2024.

REEF is the country’s largest parking garage operator focused on transforming these underutilized assets into multi-use mobility hubs. REEF’s assets include more than 5,000 sites across North America and Europe and reach more than 70 percent of the American public.

NPG is a real estate acquisition company affiliated with REEF for the targeted acquisition of mobility hubs across the United States.

Joby Aviation’s Prototype S4 aircraft. Image // Joby

Through the partnership, Joby gains access to an unparalleled range of rooftop locations across all key metropolitan areas in the US, as well as a mechanism to fund the acquisition and development of new skyport sites. The companies will focus initially on Los Angeles, Miami, and the New York and San Francisco Bay Area metropolitan areas.

“This is a landmark deal on Joby’s path to building a transformational ridesharing service in our skies,” said JoeBen Bevirt, founder and CEO at Joby Aviation. “NPG and REEF have an unbeatable network of sites across the US and we’re excited to be working with them to identify sites that will become the backbone of our future service.

“Parking structures are ideal locations for us as they allow us to deliver our customers as close to their destination as possible, while minimizing any local impact and reducing the need for building new infrastructure.”

Philippe Saint-Just, co-founder of REEF, said: “With our focus on transforming urban spaces into community hubs that enable the future of mobility, aerial ridesharing is a compelling opportunity for us to decarbonize travel and make better use of structures such as parking garages. 

A conceptualization of a vertiport that would be constructed as part of the new agreement.

Under the agreement, Joby will enjoy a period of exclusivity during which it can secure long-term rooftop leases on skyport sites within NPG and REEF’s network of parking garages.

Joby intends to offer a passenger service, accessible via an app, that offers riders a faster, emissions-free way to move distances of 5-150 miles in congested metropolitan areas at an accessible price point.

In December 2020, Joby announced the acquisition of Uber Elevate, integrating the team’s data, modeling, and insight into site selection.

As part of the deal, Uber and Joby also agreed to integrate their services into each other’s apps, helping to create a seamless customer experience where an Uber car would bring riders to a skyport just in time for their flight and, if necessary, another car would complete the journey to their final destination.

In addition to working with NPG and REEF to identify parking structure locations, Joby’s aerial ridesharing network will tap into more than 5,000 existing heliports and regional airports across the US.

Related: In February, Joby announced it had entered into a business combination agreement with Reinvent Technology Partners, a special purpose acquisition company, which will see the combined company listed on the New York Stock Exchange. The transaction will provide Joby with approximately $1.6 billion in gross proceeds and will see the combined company valued at $6.6 billion post-money equity value.

Why it’s important: With an aircraft that is expected to be more than 100 times quieter than a conventional helicopter, Joby sees a significant opportunity to capitalize on underutilized parking garages as vertical takeoff and landing sites. Garages are particularly well-suited to hosting skyports, as they are typically located near popular destinations, have adequate space to host customers, flight operations, and aircraft charging. Additionally, they do not require structural reinforcement to support air taxi services, and provide obstruction-free approach and departure paths that minimize noise to the surrounding community.

Source // Joby Press release