Toyota investing $500M in Joby Aviation... thoughts on the future of air taxis?

Looks like Toyota is investing another $500 million into Joby Aviation to help with certifying and producing electric air taxis. This is their second big investment, bringing their total to nearly $900 million. They’ve been collaborating for a while now, with Toyota sharing their manufacturing know-how to help Joby with production. Anyone else excited about the idea of air taxis or think it’s still a long way off?

I think this could be huge! Electric air taxis would completely change the way we get around, especially in big cities.

Kellan said:
I think this could be huge! Electric air taxis would completely change the way we get around, especially in big cities.

Yeah, if it actually happens. I wonder how long it’ll take for these things to be safe and affordable enough for everyday use.

@Violet
Good point. There’s still a lot to figure out, especially with safety and regulations. But Toyota’s involvement makes it feel more legit to me.

I’m interested to see how this plays out, but I feel like air taxis are more of a rich person’s thing. It’ll be a long time before the average person can use one.

Beryl said:
I’m interested to see how this plays out, but I feel like air taxis are more of a rich person’s thing. It’ll be a long time before the average person can use one.

I agree. It might start out as something for VIPs or business execs who need to avoid traffic. But maybe it’ll eventually become more accessible as the tech improves and prices drop.

@Fin
Exactly. Plus, there’s a lot of infrastructure needed for this to work on a big scale. Airports, charging stations… it’s a whole new system.

Toyota getting more involved in this makes sense. They’ve been pushing for more electric and hybrid vehicles for years, so why not air taxis too?

Colby said:
Toyota getting more involved in this makes sense. They’ve been pushing for more electric and hybrid vehicles for years, so why not air taxis too?

Totally. They already have the experience with electric tech and large-scale production, so Joby probably benefits a lot from Toyota’s support.

@Yule
Yep, plus Toyota’s reputation for reliability could help convince people that air taxis are safe to use.

Has anyone seen these air taxis in action yet? I feel like it’s all hype until we actually see them flying around.

ToyotaTalker said:
Has anyone seen these air taxis in action yet? I feel like it’s all hype until we actually see them flying around.

They’re still in the testing phase, but I think Joby has done a few demo flights. It’s definitely real, but it might be a while before it’s mainstream.

@Cort
Makes sense. I’ll believe it when I see them flying over my city! :joy:

Honestly, the idea of flying taxis seems like it’s from a sci-fi movie. It’ll be cool if they pull it off, but I’m still a little skeptical.

Bran said:
Honestly, the idea of flying taxis seems like it’s from a sci-fi movie. It’ll be cool if they pull it off, but I’m still a little skeptical.

Haha, totally! I feel the same way. But who knows? Maybe in 10 years we’ll all be hailing air taxis instead of Ubers.

@Kellan
Fingers crossed! I just hope they don’t cost a fortune to use.