• 20 Dec 2019 02:57 PM
• 0

Uber and Joby Aviation announce aerial ridesharing partnership

Uber Press Release:
Uber and Joby Aviation announce aerial ridesharing partnership

Uber and Joby have signed an agreement targeting air taxi deployment by 2023

[SAN FRANCISCO, California, December 20, 2019] - Joby Aviation and Uber have signed a multi-year commercial partnership to launch a fast, reliable, clean and affordable urban air taxi service in select markets. Joby Aviation will supply and operate the electric air taxis, and Uber will provide airspace support services, skyport infrastructure, connections to ground transportation, and customer interfaces through an aerial rideshare network. With this agreement, Joby Aviation becomes the first partner in Uber’s Elevate initiative with a committed timetable to deploy air taxi services by 2023.

Joby Aviation expects to be among the first air taxi developers to commercialize all-electric vertical take-off and landing vehicles (eVTOLs) for passenger use. Joby Aviation’s best-in-class technology, financial backing and strategic relationships makes the California based aerospace company well positioned to compete in the emerging electric air taxi industry. Compared to conventional aircraft, these new all-electric vehicles are intended to be dramatically quieter, safer, more affordable, and more environmentally-friendly.

As part of its broader Elevate aviation initiative, Uber is developing Uber Air to enable short distance urban flights, connected by multi-modal ground transportation services via the Uber platform in numerous cities worldwide. As part of this initiative, fleets of small, piloted electric aircraft will provide four-person ridesharing flights in densely populated urban areas.

JoeBen Bevirt, Joby Aviation’s CEO said: “We’re excited to partner with Uber. By bringing our next-generation aircraft and urban flight operations to Uber’s on-demand ground mobility network, we aim to get people to their destinations five-times faster than driving, reduce urban congestion and accelerate the shift to sustainable modes of transit.”

Eric Allison, Head of Elevate said: “Every day we are getting closer to a future of transportation where people can push a button and get an affordable flight. Joby is a real technology leader whose vehicles aim to be designed to enable a safe, quiet, and affordable service for Uber Air riders. With this partnership, we are excited to take the next step in bringing our on-demand aerial ridesharing service to life.”

About Joby Aviation
Joby Aviation is a California based aerospace company that is developing and commercializing all-electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft to enable the deployment of fast, quiet and affordable air-taxi services. The company's mission is to get people to their destinations five-times faster than driving, reduce urban congestion and accelerate the shift to sustainable modes of transit. Joby Aviation was founded in 2009 to pioneer the development of eVTOL aircraft and has offices in Santa Cruz, San Carlos and Marina, CA.

About Uber Elevate
Uber plans to make its Elevate aerial ridesharing service commercially available to riders by 2023, with operations in a number of launch markets. To make Uber Air a reality, Uber has entered into partnerships with several highly experienced aircraft manufacturers who are developing electric VTOL vehicles including: Joby Aviation, Aurora Flight Sciences (a Boeing Company), Embraer, Bell, Pipistrel, Karem Aircraft, and Jaunt Air Mobility. In 2017, Uber signed a Space Act Agreement with NASA for the development of new Unmanned Traffic Management concepts and Unmanned Aerial Systems that will enable safe and efficient operations at low altitudes. To help create skyports for the Uber Air network, Uber has also entered into real estate partnerships with Macquarie Capital, Oaktree’s Transportation Infrastructure Fund, Related Companies, and Hillwood Properties. Uber’s analysis projects that an electric vehicle will travel at a speed up to 200mph and that, after several years in a market, an Uber Elevate ride will cost the same as an UberX trip of the same distance.