Flying cars are a thing, though it’s hard to imagine a world where they become anything slightly resembling mainstream. That hasn’t stopped Toyota from pouring funds into Joby Aviation, a company focused on making eVTOL (vertical takeoff and landing) air taxis, making it one of a few automakers deeply invested in the space.
Toyota said it would invest $500 million into Joby Aviation with a goal of supporting its certification efforts and manufacturing. Toyota’s COO, Tesuo Ogawa, said, “With this additional investment, we are excited to see Joby certify their aircraft and shift to commercial production. Toyota said it would issue the funds in two distributions, with the first this year and the next in 2025, pushing its investment in the company to $894 million.
While Stellantis, Hyundai, Mercedes-Benz, and Geely have invested in the space, flying cars, taxis, and other vehicles represent a significant challenge to safety and logistics. Road users have to deal with distracted drivers, people in Nissans, and several other hazards, but there’s at least solid ground under their tires.
Air taxis obviously don’t have that benefit, but a crowded airspace likely presents a more significant problem. Training people to operate the vehicles is one thing, but managing skies packed with news and police helicopters, small aircraft, and air taxis could be a big challenge. Commercial aircraft fly at much higher altitudes and likely would not be part of the problem.
[Images: Joby Aviation]
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