Joby Aviation inches closer to getting full government approval for its electric air taxis

Joby Aviation, a leading electric aviation company based in Northern California, announced that it has received its first certification from the FAA. Joby will need a Part 135 Air Carrier Certification to operate an on-demand air taxi service.

Joby was able to award the certification ahead of schedule, with the goal of receiving it in the second half of 2022. Joby can officially conduct commercial air taxi services, but it still needs two more certifications, along with type certification and production certification, before it can legally carry passengers. Production certification is the approval to begin manufacturing the aircraft, while type certification is the approval to begin manufacturing the aircraft.

Joby has an all-electric aircraft with six rotors and five seats. The vehicle can take off vertically, like a helicopter, and then shift into forward flight using tilt rotors. Joby says it can reach a top speed of 200mph, travel 150 miles on a single battery charge, and is 100 times quieter than a conventional aircraft. A full-scale air taxi service is expected to be in operation by 2024.

Joby and other electric vertical takeoff and landing companies hope to eventually win FAA certification, but that process will likely take a long time. It will be at least five years before the FAA grants certification to an e VTOL company, according to some experts.

Joby will add the new aircraft type to its existing air carrier certificate once it gets a type certificate for it.

The news comes after the FAA changed its approach to certifying electric vertical takeoff and landing vehicles. The future of these new types of aircraft is likely to be more uncertain because of the shift.

Image: Joby Aviation

Joby was started in 2009 by inventor JoeBen Bevirt, who operated it in relative obscurity. Joby has raised at least $690 million from a variety of investors, including the venture capital arms of Intel and Toyota. The money helped finance the development of the company's air taxi prototype, which has been conducting test flights at Joby's private airfield in Northern California. Bevirt helps run an incubator outside of Santa Cruz that has been described as a quasi-commune.

Joby went public via a reverse merger with a special purpose acquisition company. The company merged with Reinvent Technology Partners, which is run by two people.