Battery technology is improving enough for eVTOLS - short for electric vertical takeoffs and landings, the name given to these aircraft that can act like helicopters near the ground but fly like small planes. The bigger question may be whether there is a profitable business in producing them.
JoeBen Bevirt is an evangelist for the new industry and the founder and CEO of Joby Aviation Inc., which delivered its first eVTOL to the Air Force last month. Bevirt insists that his Santa Cruz, California-based company, whose largest shareholder is Toyota (11%), can meet an ambitious target of entering commercial air taxi service in 2025.
Like other eVTOL startups, Joby is losing money - more than $400 million in 20212022. Analysts don't know when, if ever, it will be profitable.
His comments have been edited for length and clarity.
Q. WHY EVTOLS? WE'VE ALREADY GOT HELICOPTERS.
A. This has been my dream since I was a little boy. I wanted a better way for people to be able to get from A to B. In college (in 1993 at the University of California, Davis) I became convinced that electric propulsion was the way to make these aircraft sufficiently quiet, but at that point batteries didn't have the specific energy we needed. I came back to it 15 years ago and founded Joby Aviation once batteries had matured.
Q. YOU FOUNDED JOBY IN 2009. WHAT WERE YOUR GOALS?
A. The first was to build an aircraft that was dramatically safer, was dramatically quieter, and that had operating economics that would make this a viable daily mode of transportation. And we're very, very pleased with the progress we've made on delivering on those metrics.
Q. ARE PEOPLE EVENTUALLY GOING TO OWN THESE AND PARK THEM AT THEIR HOME?
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة October 14, 2023 من Techlife News.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.
بالفعل مشترك ? تسجيل الدخول
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة October 14, 2023 من Techlife News.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.
بالفعل مشترك? تسجيل الدخول
SOUTH KOREA FINES META $15 MILLION FOR ILLEGALLY COLLECTING INFORMATION ON FACEBOOK USERS
South Korea’s privacy watchdog this week fined social media company Meta 21.6 billion won ($15 million) for illegally collecting sensitive personal information from Facebook users, including data about their political views and sexual orientation, and sharing it with thousands of advertisers.
CHINESE ONLINE RETAILER TEMU FACES EUROPEAN UNION INVESTIGATION INTO ROGUE TRADERS AND ILLEGAL GOODS
Chinese online retailer Temu is facing a European Union investigation over suspicions it’s failing to prevent the sale of illegal products, the 27-nation bloc’s executive arm said.
CORNING FACES EU ANTITRUST SCRUTINY OVER GORILLA GLASS DEALS WITH PHONE MAKERS
Corning is facing European Union antitrust scrutiny after the bloc’s watchdog said this week it’s investigating the speciality glass maker’s exclusive deals for its Gorilla Glass used in cellphones.
NEW CEO AT CVS BEGINS TO BUILD HIS TEAM WITH A GOAL OF REVIVING THE STRUGGLING HEALTH CARE GIANT
CVS Health fell short on third-quarter profit, but it posted strong sales and the health care giant shook up leadership under new CEO David Joyner after a rough year that has sent shares plunging.
NINTENDO REPORTS LOWER PROFITS AS DEMAND DROPS FOR ITS AGING SWITCH CONSOLE
Nintendo, the Japanese video game maker behind the Super Mario franchise, said Tuesday that its profit fell 60% in the first half of the fiscal year, as demand waned for its Switch console, now in its eighth year since going on sale.
AS THE DATA CENTER INDUSTRY BOOMS, AN ENGLISH VILLAGE BECOMES A BATTLEGROUND
Originally built to store crops from peasant farmers, the Tithe Barn on the edge of the English village of Abbots Langley was converted into homes that preserve its centuries of history.
THE BEST SMALL SUVS FOR CITY DRIVING
SUVs are popular in part due to their elevated ride height, commanding view of the road, and roomy interiors.
GOOGLE MAPS ADDS AI FEATURES TO HELP USERS EXPLORE AND NAVIGATE THE WORLD AROUND THEM
Google Maps is heading down a new road steered by artificial intelligence.
TESLA SHARES SOAR 14% AS TRUMP WIN SETS STAGE FOR ELON MUSK'S ELECTRIC VEHICLE COMPANY
Shares of Tesla soared following an election that will send Donald Trump back to the White House, an outcome that has been strongly backed by CEO Elon Musk in the closing months of the race.
APPLE BREAKS OUT OF RECENT SALES SLUMP AS IT GEARS UP TO MAKE ITS LEAP INTO THE AI CRAZE
Apple snapped out of a recent iPhone sales slump during its summer quarter, an early sign that its recent efforts to revive demand for its marquee product with an infusion of artificial intelligence are paying off.
