Joby Releases Assessment of Air Taxi's Environmental Impact

The air taxi manufacturer set out to assess emissions from its current and future operations and said it’s the first to do so.

Jack Daleo

Thursday, July 13, 2023 at 02:06 PM ET

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Joby’s preproduction prototype aircraft in flight. [Courtesy: Joby Aviation]

Key Takeaways:

Joby Aviation has released the eVTOL industry's first Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) for air taxis as part of its inaugural Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) report.
The LCA, conducted with NREL, estimates Joby's air taxi will produce 1.5 times less emissions per passenger-mile than an electric car, with inflight energy use and battery manufacturing being the largest emission contributors.
The company detailed its current sustainability efforts, including sourcing 88% of its electricity from renewable sources for California operations and committing to a hydrogen propulsion system for future emission reduction.
Joby's report also highlights the aircraft's quiet operation (as low as 45.2 dBA in cruise), its robust safety management system, and initiatives for workforce development and diversity.

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Fresh off the rollout of its first production model aircraft and an FAA greenlight to begin flight testing, Santa Cruz, California-based electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft manufacturer Joby Aviation has released what it believes is the industry’s first life cycle assessment (LCA) for air taxis.

The LCA is part of Joby’s inaugural environmental, social, and governance (ESG) report, which the company now plans to release annually. The report was led by Claire Boland, the company’s newly appointed sustainability lead who has held sustainability roles for about a decade with companies such as PepsiCo and PVH Corp.