Joby Aviation to build eVTOL factory in Ohio
The California-based eVTOL start-up Joby Aviation, backed by Toyota as its largest shareholder, has announced the construction of its first large-scale production facility at Dayton International Airport in the US state of Ohio, which will be able to manufacture up to 500 eVTOLs per year. Construction is scheduled to begin in 2024, with commissioning in 2025.
As part of the factory planning, Joby Aviation will invest up to 500 million US dollars in the production facility and create up to 2,000 jobs. Joby Aviation chose a site steeped in history for its first major manufacturing facility: The aviation pioneers, the Wright brothers, lived and worked in Dayton and opened the first aircraft factory in the USA there in 1910.
Joby Aviation has recently been building up to commercialise its electric Take Off and Landing craft, and received an FAA certification for the vehicles at the end of June. Toyota has also been more actively involved in the startup for a few months, as signed a long term supply agreement for electric drive systems in April. Toyota had initially invested in the California-based aviation company in 2020 with a sum of $400 million.
“We’re building the future of aviation right where it all started, in Dayton, Ohio,” said JoeBen Bevirt, Founder and CEO of Joby. “The Wright Brothers harnessed revolutionary technology of their time to open up the skies, and we intend to do the same — this time, bringing quiet and emissions-free flight that we hope will have an equally profound impact on our world.”
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