![Joby Aviation flies eVTOL in New York City for the first time, ahead of air taxi operations [Video]](https://i0.wp.com/electrek.co/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2023/11/new-york-air-taxi-joby-aviation-Manhattan.jpg?resize=1200,628&quality=82&strip=all&ssl=1)
Joby Aviation flies eVTOL in New York City for the first time, ahead of air taxi operations [Video]
Joby Aviation – one of the leading eVTOL developers right now, has taken to the skies of New York City for the first time ever, teasing a not-so-distance future in which it intends to begin commercial air taxi operations in the urban area and beyond. Getting to the airport may just get a lot easier… and quieter.
If you have any interest in the quickly growing world of electric Vertical Takeoff and Landing (eVTOL) aircraft, Joby Aviation ($JOBY) should be on your list as a company to keep tabs on.
We at Electrek have been covering the aviation company’s milestones almost monthly the past year, as it continues to elevate toward scaled aircraft production and potentially the holy grail all its competitors also seek – certified commercial air taxi operations.
Joby began building its production-intent eVTOL prototypes in California this past summer after garnering certification from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to begin test flights. That milestone, including a pilot onboard, was achieved in early October, alongside testing with the US Air Force as part of a $131 million contract.
Zero-emissions aircraft competitor BETA Technologies also has a contract with the US Air Force and recently flew its ALIA eCTOL from its home in Vermont down to a base in Florida, navigating through Class B airspace above Boston and New York City for the first time ever.
Joby Aviation has done the Big Apple one better, flying its eVTOL around Manhattan to demonstrate a potential route that could save New Yorkers hours on their trips to and from the airport. Check out the video below.
New York sees eVTOL flight ahead of air taxi operations
On Sunday November 12, Joby Aviation’s eVTOL took off from the Downtown Manhattan Heliport and performed an exhibition flight amongst the city’s iconic skyline. Following yesterday’s flight, New York City Mayor, Eric Adams, announced the city’s intention to electrify the heliport in anticipation of full-blown commercial air taxi operations led by Joby in 2025. Joby founder and CEO JoeBen Bivert spoke:
By electrifying one of the most famous heliports in the world, New York is demonstrating global leadership in the adoption of electric air travel. We’re grateful for the support of the city, and we’re honored to be working with visionary partners like Delta Air Lines to bring our air taxi service to this market. We plan to make quiet, emissions-free flight an affordable, everyday reality for New Yorkers, while significantly reducing the impact of helicopter noise.
Together with previously announced partner Delta Airlines, Joby Aviation intends to bring quieter, cleaner, air taxi travel to New York City, beginning with roundtrip travel between Manhattan and JFK Airport. As you’ll see in Joby’s video below, its four-passenger eVTOL could eventually save customers loads of time as it can travel from the heliport to JFK in an estimated seven minutes, compared to over an hour by car. Delta’s SVP of sustainability performance and strategic partnerships, Gail Grimmett also spoke:
Delivering exceptional experiences for our customers is why Delta has invested over $7B in New York City, especially at our LaGuardia and JFK hubs. Today’s announcement demonstrates the great progress that’s been made toward launching clean, quiet and convenient air taxi services for Delta customers traveling to and from New York, and is a testament to our innovative partners at Joby and the support of Mayor Eric Adams in advancing new and sustainable technologies.
Joby and Delta state they are already working closely with the Port Authority of New York and the New York City Economic Development Corporation (EDC) to prepare initial eVTOL air taxi operations, including the development of infrastructure at both JFK and LaGuardia Airports.
Joby Aviation will join the Mayoral press conference alongside the NYC EDC this morning to announce the air taxi program and once again demonstrate a zero-emissions eVTOL flight. You can watch that livestream here.
Below is a recent video from Joby as well, outlining what a potential New York City air taxi trip from Manhattan to JFK may look like in 2025.
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A dozen Tesla vehicles burned at a store in Toulouse, France. Arson is suspected amid global protests and vandalism attacks against Tesla and Elon Musk.
Last night, a dozen Tesla vehicles burned down at Tesla’s retail and service location in Plaisance-du-Touch near Toulouse, France.
Firefighters arrived on the scene at around 4 a.m. and contained the fire to the vehicles. Eight of them were completely destroyed, and four were greatly damaged. The damages are estimated at over 700,000 euros.
According to the local news (translated from French), the police suspected arson as a hole was found in a fence, and threats had been made over the last few weeks. The Tesla location remained closed all day.
Tesla is currently being protested by anti-fascist groups around the world, especially in the US, where many are targeting Tesla to protest against Elon Musk’s involvement in the US government.
In France, there were a few protests planned, but some extremist groups are calling for widespread arson against Tesla stores:
I won’t share the link to the article since it gives step-by-step instructions on how to burn down Tesla stores without getting caught, but the manifesto explains that they are going after Tesla as a “symbol of capitalism,” although they also list a dozen other reasons including the fact that they think it’s “doable and cheap.”
Electrek’s Take
This is getting nuts. It’s not only dangerous, but it’s also not super effective in achieving the goal they claim to want to achieve.
Have they never heard of insurance? Tesla is having issues selling cars right now. You are burning unsold inventory that they can then claim to their insurance.
Sure, it disrupts their operations for a short period of time, but it’s not worth it.
Their manifesto does say to avoid violence and not to target vehicles owned by individuals – though it doesn’t sound like a strict rule for them, but I think these people are likely going to end up in jail for having achieved nothing.
The protests and boycotts are going strong. You don’t need to burn cars to make yourself heard.
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Environment
Ford F-150 Lightning sales have been falling for months: What’s going on with the EV pickup?
Is Ford’s electric pickup in trouble? Sales have been down for months, and February showed no relief. What’s going on with the Ford F-150 Lightning?
Ford F-150 Lightning sales drop again in February 2025
Ford’s US sales dropped by 9% last month. Although electrified vehicles, including EVs and hybrids, both notched double-digit growth, sales of Ford’s gas-powered (ICE) models, which accounted for over 85% of deliveries, fell nearly 13%.
Hybrids saw higher demand with sales up 27.5% to 15,357, while EV sales increased 15% to 7,326. The Mustang Mach-E was a bright spot with 3,312 models sold in February, up 13% from the prior year.
With 6,841 Mach-Es sold through the first three months of 2025, Ford’s electric crossover SUV remains a top-selling EV in the US.
Ford’s electric pickup didn’t fare as well. F-150 Lightning Sales were down nearly 15% last month with only 2,199 units sold. Through March, Ford has sold 15% fewer Lightning models than it did at this time last year.
Sales of the electric pickup have been slipping for months now. In the final three months of 2024, F-150 Lightning sales were down 10%.
The Lightning, alongside Rivian’s R1T, are no longer the only electric pickups on the market. Ford is facing new competition with the Tesla Cybertruck, Chevy Silverado EV, and GMC Sierra EV, arriving.
According to Cox Automotive, the Tesla Cybertruck slipped past the Lightning to become the fifth best-selling EV in the US last year with nearly 39,000 units sold. Ford’s Lightning was sixth with just over 33,500 models sold.
Ford extended its “Power Promise” promo earlier this year to boost demand, giving EV buyers a Level 2 home charger and other benefits, but Lightning sales are still down.
The American automaker cut Lightning production at its Rouge Electric Vehicle Center last year, citing slower-than-expected demand. A new report from Automotive News claims Ford is now ending a pilot program to stock and distribute EVs through regional hubs after it failed to catch on. It was designed to speed up deliveries.
Although Ford plans to launch a smaller midsize electric pickup, it won’t arrive until at least two more years. With new competition, like the Ram 1500 REV and Volkswagen Scout pickup, hitting the market over the next few years, Ford may find it even harder to attract buyers.
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Costco’s Auto Program recently introduced some new member-only incentives, and the 2025 Volvo EX90 BEV is now on its list.
Volvo is offering Costco Executive Members $2,000 off the 2025 EX90. Costco Gold Star and Business members are eligible for $1,500 off. The incentives are available on all versions of the Volvo EX90 for members who purchase or lease from February 24 to April 30, 2025. It’s the only non-GM EV that’s that’s eligible for an incentive through the EV program.
The offer is compatible with A-Plan pricing for employees, as well as Affinity Pricing for teachers and first responders. Costco members will have had to have been members as of February 23 and be the primary members on the Costco account to qualify.
However, CarsDirect gave the heads up on how buyers can get up to $10,000 off the EX90’s MSRP. As we stated, if you’re a Costco Executive Member, that’s $2,000 off. Then, add the $7,500 EV Lease Allowance and a $500 loyalty discount on leases if you currently own or lease a Volvo or have owned or leased a Volvo within the past six months.
With the destination fee included, the base EX90 MSRP starts at $81,290, so that brings it down to $71,290, a more than 12% discount, a pretty good deal.
The 2025 AWD Volvo EX90, which can seat seven passengers comfortably, has a range of up to 310 miles and is NACS-compatible. It has a 510 hp engine, 110 kWh battery capacity, and can go from 0-60 mph in 4.7 seconds.
Read more: Review: Volvo EX90 is a smooth AWD 7-seat luxury kid-hauler
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