The first American company: Joby Aviation has delivered the first electric air taxi to the US Air Force.
CTOnews.com, September 27 (Xinhua)-- California startup Joby Aviation announced on Monday that it has delivered its first electric air taxi to the US Air Force, becoming the first company in the United States to deliver all-electric air taxis.
The battery-powered, strangely shaped six-rotor aircraft was delivered to the emerging Technology Integrated Test Unit at Edwards Air Force Base in California, and a total of nine will be delivered under the company's contract. In its press release, the company said its contract with the Pentagon was worth $131 million (CTOnews.com Note: currently about 958 million yuan).
According to the company, the plane was delivered six months ahead of schedule and was developed through the Air Force's Agile Prototyping Program. The program is sponsored by AFWERX, the Air Force's innovation arm, and works with a number of industry participants to develop mature electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) technology. Like the tilt rotor VMI 22 Osprey, Joby's electric aircraft can take off and land vertically like a helicopter, but it can also rotate its propeller to fly like an aircraft.
The company and the Pentagon say the aircraft's dual civilian and military uses could help revolutionize the aviation industry, which relies heavily on gasoline and produces large amounts of carbon emissions. Joby said its aircraft offers a range of 100mph (160.93 km / h), has a top speed of 200mph (321.87 km / h) and can carry four passengers and one pilot.
According to analyst firm GlobalData, the eVTOL market could be worth more than $22 billion by 2030. As part of its cooperation with the Air Force, NASA will also try to use Joby aircraft for other purposes, some of which focus on autopilot and are expected to complete a range of tasks such as cargo and passenger transport.
In addition to the support of the US military, Joby Aviation has also received a lot of financial support from Intel, Delta Airlines, Toyota Motor and other companies. Toyota is currently the largest outside shareholder in Joby Aviation, which has invested about $400 million. Tetsuo Ogawa, chief executive of Toyota North America, joined Joby Aviation's board in June.
