Aviation start-up Joby has achieved a world first by flying a next-generation aircraft 842 kilometres (523 miles) with no emissions other than water.
Redefining regional travel?
The California-headquartered company flew its S4 eVTOL (vertical take-off and landing) prototype craft, powered by a bespoke liquid hydrogen fuel tank and fuel cell system. It landed with 10% of its hydrogen fuel load to spare. According to JoeBen Bevirt, Joby’s founder and CEO, the test flight demonstrates the craft’s potential for transforming emissions-free, mid-distance transport, without the need to build runways.
“Traveling by air is central to human progress, but we need to find ways to make it cleaner. With our battery-electric air taxi set to fundamentally change the way we move around cities, we’re excited to now be building a technology stack that could redefine regional travel using hydrogen-electric aircraft,” Bevirt said in a press statement following the test flight in June 2024. “That world is closer than ever, and the progress we’ve made towards certifying the battery-electric version of our aircraft gives us a great head start as we look ahead to making hydrogen-electric flight a reality.”
Imagine being able to fly from San Francisco to San Diego, Boston to Baltimore, or Nashville to New Orleans without the need to go to an airport and with no emissions except water.
JoeBen Bevirt, Joby Aviation Founder and CEO
“Pioneering work”
Joby subsidiary H2FLY had already bagged a world first in September 2023 when they carried out the first piloted flight of a standard liquid hydrogen-electric aircraft. Over 40,000 km (25,000 miles) of test flying were conducted at Joby’s premises in Marina, California, before a German team based in Stuttgart converted the craft with a Joby-designed liquid hydrogen fuel tank, which can hold up to 40 kilograms of liquid hydrogen. The hydrogen fuel cell powers six electric motors, alongside a reduced battery set to provide additional power during take-off and landing.
The company is making waves in the sector, drawing accolades from a range of industry and political stakeholders. Dee Dee Myers, Senior Advisor to California Governor Gavin Newsom and Director of the Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development has hailed Joby as “a stellar example of why California continues to lead the world in clean technology and high-tech manufacturing.” Myers has praised the firm’s “pioneering work to decarbonize aviation, by advancing battery and now hydrogen fuel cell technology” which she says is “helping to fight climate change and create a clean energy future that will improve the lives of all Californians.”
In addition, Jacob Wilson, (Acting) Branch Chief of the US Air Force AFWERX Agility Prime “vertical lift” project, has confirmed Joby’s work “aligns with the program’s goals to advance transformative vertical lift technologies and broader Department of Defense operational energy goals of energy substitution and diversification, and energy demand reduction.”
Joby plans to bring its battery-electric air taxi to market in 2025. Funding rounds have already brought in over $2 billion in from investors including Toyota, Delta Air Lines, and Uber.
