JOBY AVIATION ON PATH TO DELIVER ELECTRIC AIRCRAFT BY 2024
Joby Aviation is one of the most advanced eVTOL air taxi programmes in the world, having accumulated more than 30,000 miles of test flight on pre-production prototypes and secured over $894 million in investment from Toyota alone. Founded by JoeBen Bevirt and headquartered in Santa Cruz, California, Joby is targeting the launch of a commercial electric air taxi service in the United States, with FAA type certification as the central objective.
The Joby S4 eVTOL Aircraft
Joby's production aircraft carries one pilot and four passengers. Its six-rotor electric propulsion system enables vertical takeoff and landing while delivering a top speed of 200 mph and a range of over 100 miles including energy reserves. The aircraft is designed for zero operating emissions and produces a fraction of the noise of a conventional helicopter, making it viable for urban vertiport operations. Maximum take-off weight is approximately 5,300 lb, and simplified flight controls support an extended autoflight capability.
Full technical specifications are published on the Joby Aviation technology page, with independent analysis available from eVTOL News.
FAA Certification Progress
Joby has pursued FAA type certification through a structured five-stage process. Three stages were already underway when the production prototype was unveiled, and in early 2026 Joby cleared Stage 4, becoming the furthest-advanced eVTOL manufacturer in the FAA's certification pipeline. The final stage involves FAA test pilots flying the aircraft directly, after which a type certificate can be issued.
Alongside type certification, Joby holds a Part 135 air carrier certificate, the regulatory instrument that authorises on-demand commercial air taxi operations once the aircraft itself is certified. A production prototype has also been deployed at Edwards Air Force Base as part of a US Air Force agreement worth up to $131 million, covering military airworthiness certification alongside the civilian programme.
Toyota Partnership and Manufacturing Scale-Up
Toyota's cumulative investment in Joby has reached $894 million, making it one of the largest external commitments any automotive group has made to the eVTOL sector. The partnership is not purely financial: Toyota is working with Joby on manufacturing processes, applying the same lean production principles that underpin Toyota's automotive operations to the construction of eVTOL aircraft.
In late 2025, Joby announced plans to double its US manufacturing capacity to reach a production rate of four aircraft per month by 2027. The production facility is located in Marina, California, near Monterey Bay.
Explore eVTOL and Electric Aircraft at TheArsenale
Joby Aviation exemplifies the generation of electric aircraft that is turning personal air mobility from concept into commercial reality. For those drawn to this frontier, TheArsenale's air vehicles collection includes the autonomous passenger drone from EHang, the hybrid-electric Ascendance Atea aircraft, and the XPENG flying car, all available through the full airplanes and eVTOL range at TheArsenale, where the future of flight meets the present.
Photo: Joby Aviation
