Joby Aviation, a California-based company developing all-electric aircraft for aerial ridesharing, recently announced that it has sufficient cash to fund its initial commercial operations. The company also recently announced the certification of its second pre-production prototype to accelerate flight testing. Its first pre-production prototype has completed what is believed to be the longest flight of an electrical vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft to date - it flew 154 miles on a single charge. This first aircraft was lost after a crash on 16 February whilst pushing its high-speed flight envelope. However, Joby still expects to start operations of its quiet, all-electric aircraft with a pilot and four passengers in 2024, creating possibly the first eVTOL airline. Joby is not the only company in this space. It is joined by Wisk, which is owned by Kitty Hawk and Boeing, and which was established by Google Co-Founder Larry Page. Wisk differs from Joby in that it plans for autonomous flight. The company has yet to an- nounce a service date, but Boeing has recently re-affirmed its commitment to this programme, with additional funding of US$450m. The other lead player in the USA is Archer Aviation, whose two-seat autonomous aircraft completed its first hover in December last year.
展开▼
