US aviation firm Joby has successfully conducted the first international test flight of its zero-emissions air taxi. The exhibition flight took place in front of stakeholders at partner-firm Toyota’s facility, the Higashi-Fuji Technical Center in Shizuoka.
Flying the Mount Fuji skies
Toyota, which has just announced a further $500 million investment in the California-based 2009 start-up, hosted the test flight against a backdrop of a misty Mount Fuji. Marking almost seven years of collaboration with Joby, the five-seater prototype air taxi demonstrated its low acoustic credentials and emissions-free operation in the skies around Japan’s tallest peak.
Joby is no stranger to iconic exhibition flights, having flown thousands of them, including from Manhattan’s Downtown Manhattan Heliport in New York City. But the Shizuoka flight was its first international outing.
“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 honored to have had the opportunity to present a glimpse of that future through our flight in Japan.”
Green transportation that could alter sense of “distance and time”
Designed to carry a pilot and four passengers at speeds of up to 321 km/h, the air taxi promises “high-speed mobility with zero operating emissions and a fraction of the noise produced by helicopters,” Joby notes. “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.”
Hailing the changes that air taxi transportation could bring, 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.”
Toyota Motor Corporation’s total investment in Joby now stands at $894 million. Under a long-term agreement signed in 2023, Toyota will work alongside Joby “to supply key powertrain and actuation components for the production of Joby’s aircraft.” Future plans include a “manufacturing alliance” to support commercialisation of the new air taxi.
