Toyota Motor Corporation and Joby Aviation hosted an event that focused on air mobility at Toyota’s Higashi-Fuji Technical Center. The gathering featured executives from both companies, including Toyota Group Chairman Akio Toyoda and Joby CEO and founder JoeBen Bevirt, along with Joby’s air taxi, an electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft.
An eVTOL is a type of aircraft designed for short-range, high-frequency operations suitable for the on-demand air taxi market, which is expected to be utilized by commuters, business travelers and tourists in urban areas. Combining elements from helicopters, drones and small aircraft, eVTOLs aim to excel in reliability, environmental performance, quiet operation, operational and maintenance costs, enhanced safety features and more.
As Toyota transforms into a mobility company, it has been able to work with other companies like Joby to find new innovations. The culmination of the efforts of both companies over the last seven years led to Joby’s first air taxi exhibition flight overseas in Japan.
“This is a moment we have been looking forward to for a long time and marks a significant milestone on our journey towards making clean air travel an everyday reality,” Bevirt said. “We share Toyota’s vision for the future of air travel and are honored to have had the opportunity to present a glimpse of that future through our exhibition flight in Japan.”