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According to Joby Aviation, eVTOL Air Taxi Service Will Soon Take Flight

Joby Aviation news on some kind of screen

Joby Aviation was founded in 2009, and ever since, its founder has pursued a different kind of public transportation. Joby’s eVTOL (electric vertical take-off and land) aircraft are touted as more sustainable, quieter, and even fun. But questions remain as to whether these flying electric taxis will actually be feasible when push comes to shove. The technology driving eVTOLs is certainly admirable. But at the same time, these aircraft come with a sizable price tag. Plus, there are many certification and infrastructure hurdles that must be overcome. Despite all of this, Joby Aviation news continues to predict a 2025 launch date.

some Joby Aviation news about air taxis
The latest Joby Aviation news is that they’ll soon be putting airtaxis in the skies.

(Bold has been a believer in Joby for a while–check out this earlier story here.)

There is reason to believe these Joby Aviation news reports. For one, Joby is already working with the U.S. Air Force and the Department of Defense. The company is also fairly advanced in their testing with piloted eVTOL aircraft. But these steps alone aren’t convincing some investors that flying aircraft taxis will soon be ready for the masses. It’s not so much that these vehicles won’t serve a purpose in society. It’s simply that they doubt their affordability and practicality as an Uber-like replacement. This is where the debate stands today, and it’s worth exploring a bit further to see which side has greater merit.

The Latest Joby Aviation News

Within the last year, Joby Aviation has made some significant progress. One of its major achievements is delivering its aircraft to the U.S. Air Force for its own testing. At Edwards Air Force Base, potential pilots on these aircrafts are being brough up to speed on their maneuverability. Pilots are then trained and tested on their ability to perform vertical take-off, transition to forward flight, and other skills. Of course, the Air Force has no intention of using these as flying electric taxis. These eVTOLs will have other uses from a military perspective that completely differ from the company’s eventual mass transit use.

At the same time, Joby Aviation news reports its own advances in testing. Recently, the company expanded its testing parameters in California to included piloted aircraft. To date, four such pilots have performed on-board test procedures that entail a list of maneuvers using the eVTOL. This has been a major step forward for Joby since it required certifications and approvals by the FAA. This is why Joby is optimistic about its timetable for flying electric taxis by 2025. Assuming things go as planned, Joby believes this remains a feasible launch date. There remains much work to do beyond pilot training including infrastructure development and environmental testing. But as far as Joby is concerned, everything is going as planned.

some flying yellow taxis
Someday soon, the skies may be filled with taxis.

(Will cities be ready for air taxis when the time comes? Read this Bold story and find out.)

The Critics’ and Doubters’ View

Not everyone is totally impressed with Joby Aviation’s progress. That’s not to say they don’t anticipate these aircraft serving a purpose in the future. They simply doubt their feasibility as flying electric taxis. While Joby Aviation news suggests these aircraft will be more affordable compared to helicopters, serious skepticism exists. Joby suggests fuel savings and reduced maintenance costs will place it ahead of helicopter and other forms of air travel. However, it remains to be seen whether battery-related expenses and the cost of the aircraft itself are not price-prohibitive. These are theoretical debates at this point depending on what numbers you plug into the equation. Until Joby is closer to its actual launch, this is an argument that won’t be settled.

In recent weeks, Kerrisdale Capital reported Joby Aviation news that dealt a blow to the company’s valuation. It expressed serious concerns over Joby’s ability to be profitable anytime in the near future. In fact, their analysts suggested it would be several years before flying electric taxis would exist. And even when they did, they would not be the mass transportation service that Joby Aviation suggests. After this report, Joby’s share value fell 13%, assisted by concurrent concerns affecting all startups and venture capital access today. While Joby suggests costs will be about $5 per mile at launch, these analysts doubt such affordability. And they also believe attaining final certifications will take much longer than Joby thinks.

Joby Aviation’s Business Model

flying electric taxis taking flight
Are you ready for flying electric taxis? Joby Aviation hopes so.

As expected in such an innovative technological field, Joby Aviation has competition. In fact, there are several companies also pursuing eVTOL technologies. These companies include Archer Aviation, Volocopter, and Vertical Aerospace. Each of these companies are predicting a launch of their eVTOLs by 2026. However, they are not receiving the same amount of criticism as that being reported in Joby Aviation news. Why? Because these companies have a completely different approach to their aircraft, which doesn’t focus solely on flying electric taxis. This is where Joby differs from others, and it’s also why there is greater skepticism about the company’s success.

Since Joby was founded, the goal was to produce flying electric taxis for people to use every day. The goal was to create a safe, silent, and affordable option for people that would eventually replace other forms of transportation. Naturally, this is a much grander objective that simply developing eVTOL aircraft to sell. Joby’s competitors have primarily taken this approach with plans to sell their products to airlines and logistics companies. This is a much easier path to profitability, but it’s not Joby Aviation’s primary vision. The company still believes flying electric taxis could become a major ride-sharing option for consumers. And according to Joby Aviation news, it still believes this will happen in 2025.

A Critical Year for Joby Aviation

In the last quarter, Joby Aviation news reported larger than expected losses for the company. According to the CEO, these losses were a result of high certification costs and manufacturing operations. These losses could therefore simply reflect needed investments to create the foundation for success. But the failure to meet the mark could also indicate Joby’s forecasts and predictions aren’t quite as sound as they suggest. Either way, this upcoming year will provide many answers that will help solve the current debate. By the end of 2024, we should know whether or not flying electric taxis will complement our current ride-sharing market.

 

The Clean Energy paradox is that it’s too expensive for developing nations!

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