Joby Aviation selects birthplace of flight as home to its first scaled eVTOL production facility
eVTOL developer Joby Aviation continues to make headway in becoming a fully certified scaled aircraft manufacturer in the US. This morning the company shared details of the new place it will call home – which also happens to be where the Wright brothers first took flight 120 years ago. With the state on its side, Joby could begin scaled eVTOL production fairly soon.
Joby Aviation ($JOBY) has been on our radar since 2018 after it garnered big funding from companies like Intel, JetBlue, and Toyota – the latter of which has evolved into a major partner in helping the startup reach scaled eVTOL commercial operations.
After flying over 30,000 miles with its pre-production eVTOL prototype, Joby Aviation rolled its first production prototype off its pilot assembly line this past June. With FAA certification in place to begin test flights with the production prototypes, Joby is now gearing up for full-scale eVTOL production and will require a lot more space than the aforementioned pilot line in California.
Today, the company shared plans to move production across the country to the beautiful midwest, hoping to establish a footprint in Dayton, Ohio – home to the famous Wright brothers.
Joby Aviation is bringing eVTOL production, jobs to Ohio
Today’s press release comes just hours before Joby Aviation will host an event today in Dayton at Hawthorn Hill – the home to Orville Wright – alongside Ohio Governor Mike DeWine and other local officials.
The event is expected to have a ceremonial flypast from a replica Model “B” Flyer – the world’s first production plane. Soon however, Dayton may be home to production of some of the world’s first commercially operated eVTOLs from Joby, which can transport a pilot plus four passengers and reach speeds up to 200 mph. That’s quite an upgrade compared to the 1910 model that started it all.
Speaking of upgrades, Joby Aviation says it plans to use existing nearby buildings in Dayton to begin near-term operations, while it erects the new eVTOL production facility (see rendering above). When complete, it will sit atop 140 acres of land, which was specifically chosen to offer space for growth over time – 2 million square feet of manufacturing space to be specific. The initial facility is expected to produce up to 500 eVTOL aircraft per year and create as many as 2,000 jobs in Ohio.
Due to this, the Buckeye State and JobsOhio have offered incentives and benefits of up to $325 million to support the new facility’s development, complementing Joby’s intentions to invest up to $500 million of its own capital to scale and hopefully expand. Today, Joby also announced it has been invited by the US Department of Energy to submit a Part II Application for financing under the Title XVII Loan Guarantee Program, which provides access to low-interest loans for clean energy projects – further supporting the scaling of the facility. Governor Mike DeWine spoke:
Ohio’s legacy in aviation begins with the Wright Brothers and continues with Joby Aviation as they launch a new era in aviation manufacturing and aerial mobility in Dayton. The aircraft that will roll off Joby Ohio’s production lines will redefine urban transportation and contribute to a fundamental change in the way people and goods travel. We welcome Joby and celebrate the new chapter of air mobility history that will be made in Ohio, the Heart of Aviation.
Construction of Joby’s Dayton facility is expected to commence in 2024, followed by a start of eVTOL production in 2025. Aforementioned partner Toyota is already onboard to help advise Joby in designing and implementing assembly lines for scaled eVTOL production in Ohio, as the latter says it is already looking to begin the local hiring process in the coming months.
If you’d like to tune in to the official event held from Dayton today, it begins at 10 a.m. EDT and can be viewed via livestream here.
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Hyundai is about to launch a new electric SUV in China. With its big debut coming up, Hyundai just dropped a sneak peek, and it looks like it could be the IONIQ 4. Check it out for yourself in the video below.
Is Hyundai teasing the IONIQ 4?
We caught our first glimpse of the new EV model last month after Beijing Hyundai released a few official “spy” photos.
Despite the camouflage, you can see a few design elements, like a light bar across the front, slim LED headlights, and a closed-off grille. At first, it almost looks like a smaller version of the IONIQ 9, Hyundai’s first three-row electric SUV, but with a much sportier, shaped profile.
Beijing Hyundai released a new teaser for the upcoming electric SUV this week. The video shows “a wave of high-end operations” as the vehicle dances across the snow.
The video highlights features like real-time torque control, high-speed cornering, and the SUV’s impressive body control while driving around cones.
Hyundai’s new electric SUV is being called “OE” internally, according to The Korean Car Blog, suggesting it could be an IONIQ model.
All other Hyundai IONIQ EV models were also codenamed with an “E” internally, which is raising speculation that this could be the IONIQ 4.
Like most global OEMs, Hyundai is fighting to compete in an intense Chinese EV market, which is dominated by domestic automakers like BYD.
Hyundai opened its first overseas R&D center last year in China to spearhead its comeback. It will work with local suppliers and tech companies to develop EVs designed for Chinese buyers. The new electric SUV is expected to launch in China later this year, followed by three new energy vehicles, including EVs and EREVs.
Beijing Hyundai will release more information on April 16, with the electric SUV set to “challenge the limit of driving performance.”
What do you think of Hyundai’s new electric SUV? Is this the IONIQ 4? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.
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Charge point provider char.gy has secured a £130 million contract to install 6,000 curbside EV chargers for Brighton and Hove City Council (BHCC) – the UK’s largest installation of its kind.
London-based char.gy has also been awarded a 15-year contract to operate and maintain the charging network.
Installing Level 2 chargers curbside, where most drivers in the UK park, will enable more people to take advantage of cheaper charging rates while juicing up their EVs overnight. (charg.gy’s pay as you go night tariff, between midnight and 7 am, is £0.39/kWh, compared to its £0.59/kWh day tariff.)
John Lewis, chief executive of char.gy, said the project is “a huge moment for the UK and its EV ambitions. This partnership alone will empower thousands of residents to confidently make the switch to electric vehicles, knowing they have easy access to chargers.”
Brighton and Hove City Council is among the first to tap into the government’s Local EV Infrastructure (LEVI) Fund, designed to help English local authorities roll out charging solutions for residents without off-street parking. Future of Roads Minister Lilian Greenwood said making EV charging as accessible as possible is “crucial to making the switch to electric a success.”
The UK now has over 75,000 public EV chargers, according to the Department for Transport—and it looks like the country’s on pace to hit its 2030 target. Back in December, the National Audit Office said the rollout is “on track” to meet the DfT’s estimate that at least 300,000 chargers will be needed by the end of the decade.
Read more: Meet the UK’s largest solar + storage EV charging ‘Superhub’
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