Small electric aviation vehicles have been getting hyped for … several years. I remember a writer on CleanTechnica who was obsessed with electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft nearly a decade ago. Heck, electric aircraft was even supposed to be the subject of Elon Musk’s first meeting with JB Straubel. (Funny enough considering what we’ve seen from Musk in recent years, Straubel reportedly talked sense into him and helped him to realize the technology wasn’t yet ripe for electric aircraft, and the evolving discussion led them to Tesla.) The problem is that it hasn’t yet made market-competitive, financial sense to produce fancy small electric aircraft. Toyota and Joby Aviation seem to think that’s about to change. The two companies published a press release with the following title earlier today: “Joby Aviation and Toyota Motor Corporation Launch Initial Phase of a Strategic Manufacturing Alliance to Realize Air Mobility for All.” Hmm…. “Joby Aviation, Inc. (NYSE: JOBY) and Toyota Motor Corporation today announced the initial phase of their strategic manufacturing alliance by establishing the Joint Venture to realize air mobility. This will combine Joby’s pioneering work in electric aviation with Toyota’s globally recognized expertise in production systems and operational excellence,” they write. That does sound like it makes sense on the surface. “The Strategic Alliance will initially focus on establishing the groundwork for commercial production, and advancing manufacturing excellence, with particular emphasis on further improving productivity, quality, and cost. Going forward, it will also support the expansion of Joby’s production capacity to support aircraft certification and meet anticipated growth in demand for its electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft.” That doesn’t give us a lot of detail, but the message is clear that they are looking to produce electric aircraft to some degree. “Toyota has been by Joby’s side for nearly a decade, providing invaluable guidance and support as we built the foundation for manufacturing our aircraft,” said JoeBen Bevirt, founder and CEO of Joby Aviation. “Today’s announcement reflects the strength of our relationship and our shared confidence in the opportunity ahead. Together, we share a vision of making aerial mobility an everyday reality, and we look forward to delivering on that promise together.” “Since our founding, we’ve been guided by the philosophy of providing mobility for all. Over time, we’ve continued to expand what mobility can mean. We see air mobility as a natural extension of that philosophy―from the ground into the sky―and as a way to bring new value to people’s lives and to society,” Akio Toyoda, Chairman of Toyota Motor Corporation, commented. “It’s really meaningful for us to take on this challenge together with Joby, a partner that shares the same vision. We believe this strengthened relationship is an important step forward in realizing the future mobility society.” If you say so…. In all seriousness, well, we’ll just have to wait to see where this leads. Michael Barnard has written many pieces explaining the limitations and challenges of eVTOL like Joby and Toyota are working on. Yes, you can make them, but can you make money on them to any significant scale? Toyota owns 51% of Joby Toyota Aero Manufacturing Preparation Company, while Joby owns the remaining 49%.
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