To accelerate the development of driverless fleets for use on land, sea, and in the air, the Smart and Autonomous Vehicle Industries (SAVI) cluster, which was unveiled in October in the presence of His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, will draw businesses from all over the world.

The zone would house production facilities, hangars, test areas, research and development (R&D) labs, testing and certification facilities, and sizable workshops, according to a statement.

According to the announcement, several foreign businesses have already disclosed plans to launch operations in Abu Dhabi, each offering their experience in applications for the air, land, and water.

According to projections, the SAVI project will boost the economy of the nation by up to AED120 billion (USD 32.67 billion) and generate up to 50,000 new jobs.

According to Jasim Al Zaabi, chairman of the Abu Dhabi Department of Economic Development (ADDED), “SAVI is a game changer as a catalyst for Abu Dhabi’s diversification. It will unleash exceptional economic growth and provide new opportunities for talent, entrepreneurs, and investors.”

The new zone will also hasten the uptake of green mobility services and move the nation and the world at large closer to a future with no emissions.

Grand View Research projects that by 2030, there will be a need for more than 3.1 million autonomous vehicles and that the industry will grow at a CAGR of 53.6% between 2022 and 2030.

According to McKinsey & Company, autonomous driving has the potential to generate USD 300 billion to USD 400 billion in revenues for the auto sector alone by 2035.

Meanwhile, the Abu Dhabi Investment Office (ADIO) and US-based Archer Aviation have entered into an agreement with plans to commence air taxi operations in the UAE Capital and across the country in 2026.

Abu Dhabi will be the first international launch partner for Archer, a leader in electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft. As per the reports, ADIO will support Archer with incentives for establishing its first international headquarters and manufacturing facilities in the Smart and Autonomous Vehicle Industry (Savi) Cluster in Abu Dhabi.

Saif Mohammed Al Suwaidi, Director General of the General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA), told the Khaleej Times about the federal body completing its inspection of the Archer’s eVTOL aircraft, before giving the approval for the deal.

“The GCAA recently visited Archer Aviation’s global headquarters in California to inspect its Midnight aircraft and learn about their certification progress with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). Our goal is to approve Archer’s air taxi to fly in the UAE as soon as it is certified by the FAA, and we are very excited to collaborate with them to bring electric air taxis to the country,” the official remarked further.

Badr Al-Olama, Acting Director General of the Abu Dhabi Investment Office, commented, “We are thrilled to work with Archer to host their first international operations in Abu Dhabi. Bringing electric aviation to the UAE will help unlock congestion with zero emissions and, in turn, bring millions in foreign direct investment and thousands of jobs to the region over the next decade.”

Archer is aiming to transform urban travel by replacing 60 to 90-minute commutes by car with an estimated 10 to 20-minute environment-friendly electric air taxi flights. The venture, which has raised over USD 1.1 billion of funding till October 2023, is expected to showcase its Midnight aircraft to the UAE for the first time at the Dubai Airshow, as well as the Conference on Aviation and Alternative Fuels (CAAF) hosted by the GCAA in November.

Archer’s Midnight is a four-passenger aircraft designed to perform rapid back-to-back flights with minimal charge time between flights. The company is also working with numerous industry partners across the UAE to support its plans to commercialise eVTOL operations in the region by 2026.

Archer signed MoUs with Falcon Aviation, which will operate its air taxis across Dubai and Abu Dhabi, as well as GAL-AMMROC, which will provide MRO support for Archer’s eVTOL aircraft.

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Leading Korean mobile operator and AI platform SK Telecom has also made a significant investment of USD 100 million to acquire approximately a 2% stake in Joby Aviation.

In today’s episode of International Finance’s ‘Start-up of the Week’, we will discuss in detail Joby Aviation and its eVTOL dreams.

Joby’s Electric Aerial Ridesharing

Joby’s flagship electric aircraft, powered by six electric motors, has emerged as an ideal candidate for aerial ridesharing in urban areas. The aircraft will also come with a ‘Zero Emissions’ control mechanism. Joby’s eVTOL will be operated by one pilot, whereas four passengers will be accommodated per ride. The top speed of the air taxi will be 200 MPH.

“With more than 1,000 test flights completed over the last 10 years, our aircraft has been designed to meet the uncompromising safety standards set by the FAA and other global aviation regulators. We’re now engaged in a multi-year testing program with the FAA to certify our vehicle for commercial operations,” Joby Aviation stated.

Joby’s eVTOL roadmap

The aircraft has the capability of taking off and landing like a helicopter. It will tilt its six rotors horizontally, before flying like an airplane. The eVTOL will be able to cover a distance up to 150 miles on a single charge, while cruising in the air almost silently.

Joby’s first production prototype rolled off the company’s assembly line in Marina, California, in June 2023. The facility has been built in partnership with Toyota. Toyota has been the air taxi venture’s largest investor with a USD 394 million stake. Toyota North America CEO Tetsuo Ogawa too has joined Joby’s board of directors.

The latest information is that Joby has got the FAA’s special airworthiness certificate, which will help the venture to perform the flight tests of its production model aircraft. From 2017 onwards, Joby has been testing its full-scale eVTOL prototypes. In May 2022, the company received the FAA’s ‘Part 135 Air Carrier Certificate’ for commercial operations. Joby has also teamed up with the American aviation behemoth Delta Air Lines to offer travel to and from airports.

If someone browses Joby’s website, he/she will find an exhibited scenario, where a journey from downtown New York City to the JFK airport in a Joby air taxi will take just seven minutes, 42 minutes shorter than a car trip.

Talking about Joby’s 2023 prospects, the company, which has also stitched up a strategic partnership with ride-hailing major Uber, must clear the full FAA type and production certification, which will take some 18 months from now on, as per the reports. Joby’s first customer, provided the air taxi venture completes all the required FAA certifications, will be the US Air Force, as part of the latter’s USD 131 million contracts under the ‘Agility Prime Program’.

The biggest advantage of the eVTOLs is that they take off and land vertically, thus eliminating the need for runway infrastructure. However, such a cost-effective business model has been a tough one to be implemented. In 2022, the Kittyhawk aircraft project got shut down. So, Joby Aviation has already got a decisive lead, when it comes to turning the dream of having commercial air taxi operations into a reality.

Joby is reportedly planning an operational ecosystem, where the people will download the Joby app, request a trip, and head over to one of the company’s many ‘skyports’, which is a lounge-styled vestibule next to a landing pad. From ‘skysports’, these individuals will get picked up by air taxis.

Charting Joby’s growth journey

Joby’s team of over 1500 passionate professionals is at the cusp of registering the historical feat of being the world’s first commercial air taxi operator, if things go as per the plans.

When the start-up began its journey in 2009, a small team of seven engineers started shaping Joby’s dreams in a Santa Cruz workshop. Technologies like electric motors, flight software, and lithium-ion batteries; everything got designed and developed from scratch in the facility. The company got its first break in 2012, when it was selected to collaborate with NASA on ground-breaking electric flight projects like the X-57 and LEAPTech.

In 2017, Joby Aviation’s first full-scale demonstrator took to the skies. In 2019, the pre-production prototype started a rigorous flight testing program.

“As well as becoming a strategic investor in Joby, Toyota has deployed dozens of engineers to work shoulder-to-shoulder with our team, lending their expertise on factory layout, manufacturing process development and high-volume production,” the venture commented, while describing its ties with the Japanese automobile giant.

Joby became the first eVTOL company to receive airworthiness approval from the US Air Force in 2020.

“We deepened our partnership with Uber, agreeing to integrate our aerial ridesharing service into the Uber app, and vice versa, across all U.S. launch markets. Uber increased their investment in Joby and we acquired the Elevate division, bringing their software tools and commercial launch expertise in-house,” Joby Aviation commented further.

“In 2020, we signed our Stage 4 G-1 certification basis with the FAA, having received an initial Stage 2 G-1 from the agency in 2019. This document lays out a clear path to certifying our aircraft for commercial flights,” it stated further.

During the same year, Joby got listed on the New York Stock Exchange, as its pre-production prototype flew over 5,300 miles, including a flight of 154.6 miles on a single charge.

“We also built a second pre-production prototype, completed our first FAA production conformity inspection and officially began our journey to become the first certified eVTOL airline. We received our Part 135 Air Carrier Certificate, which allows Joby to operate a commercial air taxi service,” the company commented, while narrating its growth journey.

The path ahead

Joby’s plan of having its commercial taxi service by 2025 has been on track so far. Be it prototype testing or earning the FAA and US Air Force certifications, things have been smooth for the venture. Now it has to cross the final barrier, a full FAA-type and production certification test in the next 18 months, to make sure that its air taxi dreams get fulfilled by 2025.

The future smart cities will revolve around the idea of having transportation, which, apart from cutting down their carbon footprint significantly, will ensure that the travelling time between the destinations will be reduced drastically. The nascent industry called the eVTOL has emerged as a viable solution to the challenge. With strategic tie-ups and a realistic approach to this challenge, Joby looks all set to revolutionise 21st century urban transportation.

Image Credits: Joby’s Aviation

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