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Joby Delays Commercial Launch to 2025

by jeremy@globalsky.media
Joby Delays Commercial Launch to 2025

Joby Aviation has delayed the commercial launch of its eVTOL from 2024 to 2025, citing regulatory and internal reasons, Joby’s Chief Executive Officer JoeBen Bevirt announced during the company’s earnings quarterly earnings call on November 2. 

Bevirt noted that new certification standards have had to be written after the FAA modified its requirements for advanced air mobility aircraft earlier this year, and that he expects a draft of the guidelines to be ready in the coming months. 

In May, the Federal Aviation Administration said that it will certify eVTOLs as “powered lift” vehicles, which have to be certified under special class rules. The changes take into account the need to train and certify pilots to safely operate eVTOLs and the overall safety of these new transportation vehicles, adding additional hurdles for AAM companies to clear they can commence operations.

Joby, which is developing an eVTOL capable of seating four passengers plus a pilot, has flown more than 10,000 nautical miles with its pre-production prototype. Its aircraft will be able to fly up to 241 km and at speeds of up to 322 km/h. The company went public on the New York Stock Exchange in August 2021 after merging with a special purpose acquisition company, raising more than US$1 billion. “We continue to generate significant amounts of data on the performance of our aircraft, regularly flying several hours per day across numerous flights,” the company says in its letter to shareholders.

“We are building a next generation aviation company, and this is hard work but it’s going to pay massive dividends as we are working through the certification process, and for many years to come,” Bevirt said during the quarterly earnings call. 

“We also have internal pieces that we are driving on in order to deliver on type certification. Our ambition is to launch commercial passenger service in 2025,” he added.

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