In Depth with JoeBen Bevirt Illuminates the Joby Vision

In the quest to free vertical flight, the engineer makes good on a childhood dream.

Julie Boatman

Tuesday, January 16, 2024 at 07:12 AM ET

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JoeBen Bevirt spoke with FLYING at the Paris Air Show 2023. [Credit: Stephen Yeates]

Key Takeaways:

Joby Aviation was founded by JoeBen Bevirt, driven by a childhood dream of creating a quiet, electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft for efficient, low-impact personal transportation.
The development of Joby's eVTOL aircraft became feasible due to significant advancements in lithium-ion battery technology, which Bevirt tracked for decades, finally reaching sufficient energy density.
The company employs a vertically integrated engineering approach, controlling all aspects from materials to software, to ensure optimal performance and safety, and has achieved a major milestone with the production of its first conforming aircraft while fostering a strong relationship with the FAA.

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In the folds of the Santa Cruz Mountains in California, a boy grew up dreaming of a different kind of flight—one that wouldn’t be constrained by the traditional means of lifting off and landing in challenging places, just like the remote enclave his parents called home in the 1970s and ’80s. Yes, helicopters would, in theory, take him where he wanted to go, but the noise produced by a typical combustion engine and rotor blades shattered the quiet he wished to preserve.

This dream provoked a vision for JoeBen Bevirt—one he has singularly pursued ever since.