info@businessghana.com
Toyota spokesperson Jan might soon be looking skyward during commercials thanks to the Japan-based company's partnership with California's Joby Aviation.
In early November, leaders from both businesses celebrated a successful test flight of a four-passenger all-electric air taxi, marking the first international showcase for Joby, according to a press release.
The spectacle featured Mount Fuji as a backdrop and was part of Toyota's $500 million commitment to help Joby certify and commercially produce the multi-propeller aircraft, which can travel 200 miles per hour, noted in the news release.
"Our first overseas flight marks a significant milestone on our journey toward making clean air travel an everyday reality," Joby CEO JoeBen Bevirt said in the release.
Joby has been making headlines in the U.S. with flying machines already coming off production lines. At a couple hundred miles an hour, the Joby flyers could travel from downtown New York City to John F. Kennedy International Airport in seven minutes if deployed, per Joby.
For Toyota, the aerial project is the fruition of decades of aircraft interest for the storied car brand. The company has made helicopter prototypes and aircraft components over the years. Now, the brand is looking to harness battery power for electric vertical takeoff and landing craft, or eVTOLs, according to a Toyota statement.
"Air mobility has the potential to change our sense of distance and time, and open a future with the new option of air mobility that will further enrich the lives of many people," Toyota Motor Corporation executive vice president Hiroki Nakajima said in the release.
The test flight was a benchmark moment in the nearly seven-year partnership. The collaboration has experts from both companies working together to improve the aircraft.
Electric air travel is gaining momentum in the government sector, as well. The U.S. Air Force is working on a similar-looking craft that can carry 500 pounds of cargo. What's more, Toyota has been making electric gains of its own in the auto division. The company is reportedly working on an EV battery that can deliver an astounding 745-mile range on a 10-minute charge.
Battery-operated planes and cars can contribute to cleaner air when replacing fuel-burning alternatives. Our World in Data reports that air travel spews about 2.5% of global carbon dioxide pollution, contributing "around 4% to global warming to date."
The air pollution can be a potent lung-troubler, complicating asthma and other health conditions, according to medical experts.
While high-tech news often dominates clean-energy headlines, anyone can make an impact with common contraptions found in most garages: bicycles. You can save $150 or more a year, cut air pollution, and improve your health by biking to work 10 days a month, as one example.
As for air travel, the Joby/Toyota collaboration seems poised for growth. Toyota has already invested nearly $900 million into the work. The next phase is a "manufacturing alliance" geared to get commercialization off the ground using the latest funding round, per the Joby press release.
"Toyota is committed to deepening our collaboration with Joby and we will continue to work together to realize our shared dreams," Nakajima said in the report.
Join our free newsletter for weekly updates on the latest innovations improving our lives and shaping our future, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.
