U.S. flying car startup applies for certification in Japan

U.S. airtaxi rm Joby Aviation Inc. has applied for certi cation by the Japanese government as the ying car startup pushes ahead with plans to mass produce its all-electric aircra .

Backed by Toyota Motor Corp. and other companies, Joby has developed a ve-seat vertical take-o and landing aircra , with a maximum range of about 240 kilometers and a maximum speed of about 320 kph.

At a press conference on Oct. 18, Joby o cial Justin Lang said the company wants to launch a service linking major cities as soon as possible as Japan is an attractive market in which more than 90% of the population lives in urban areas.

Joby announced a business tie-up with ANA Holdings Inc. in February, with the Japanese carrier providing the U.S. rm with ight management technology and pilot training.

In addition to o ering technical support for mass production, Toyota will help with ground services, providing transportation to and from airtaxi ports.

Joby has applied for so-called type certi cation, which involves a veri cation of the performance and strength of aircra parts. If the aircra meets the requirements, the manufacturer will be able to begin mass production.

A er that, the manufacturer will also have to apply for “airworthiness certi cation,” which is equivalent to a vehicle inspection and involves checking the structure and strength of each aircra .

e aircra can be put into practical use once the company has received both certi cates, for which the procedures are almost identical to those for passenger planes, but will involve screening criteria unique to electric aircra in Joby’s case.

e Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism Ministry is working out the details of the screening procedures. A ministry o cial said it is likely to be several years before the certi cation is issued.

On Oct. 18, Japanese and U.S. aviation authorities agreed to advance cooperation on ying cars. ey plan to hold working-level discussions to exchange information and share know-how in a bid to swi ly respond to private-sector e orts.

“Closer cooperation with the United States, which has advanced knowledge in the eld, will accelerate the development of the environment for the operation of ying cars in Japan,” Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism Minister Tetsuo Saito said.

Joby is the second ying vehicle manufacturer to apply for type certi cation a er SkyDrive Inc., an Aichi Prefecture-based startup, which applied in October last year.

e Japanese government wants to have ying cars in operation by 2025.

e competition for development is intensifying around the world. e market is expected to be worth ¥223 trillion in 2040 from ¥1.1 trillion in 2020, according to Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC. (Oct. 25)