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Joby Eyes Regional Service With Liquid Hydrogen-Powered Air Taxi

The company has previously discussed its plans for intracity air taxi routes using its flagship, battery-electric model.

Joby hydrogen electric eVTOL air taxi
Joby flew a hydrogen-electric air taxi, built using components from subsidiary H2FLY, on a debut, 532-mile flight on June 24. [Courtesy: Joby Aviation]
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Key Takeaways:

  • Joby Aviation is expanding its strategy beyond urban air mobility (UAM) to include regional air mobility (RAM) by developing hydrogen-electric vertical takeoff and landing (hVTOL) aircraft.
  • A "first-of-its-kind" hVTOL demonstrator successfully completed a 532-mile flight, demonstrating hydrogen's potential for longer-range, emission-free regional travel with only water as a byproduct.
  • Hydrogen technology is critical for overcoming battery limitations in terms of range and payload, enabling city-to-city flights like San Francisco to San Diego.
  • Joby plans for the hydrogen variant to utilize the same airframe, operational systems, and infrastructure as its battery-electric model, with commercial launch of its battery-electric air taxi still targeted for 2025.
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Electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft company Joby Aviation, which is developing a four-passenger air taxi for intracity trips, will look to fly city-to-city using a hydrogen-powered version of its flagship design.

On June 24, the firm’s “first-of-its-kind” hydrogen-electric, vertical takeoff and landing (hVTOL) demonstrator completed a 532 sm (462 nm) flight—about the distance between San Francisco and San Diego—above Marina, California, home to the Joby’s test facility and pilot production line. The aircraft landed with more than 10 percent of its hydrogen fuel remaining, with water the only byproduct of the flight.

Jack Daleo

Jack is a staff writer covering advanced air mobility, including everything from drones to unmanned aircraft systems to space travel—and a whole lot more. He spent close to two years reporting on drone delivery for FreightWaves, covering the biggest news and developments in the space and connecting with industry executives and experts. Jack is also a basketball aficionado, a frequent traveler and a lover of all things logistics.

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