Electric aircraft maker Joby Aviation (JOBY.N) will invest up to $500 million to build a new facility in Dayton, Ohio, where it will mass produce air taxis, it said on Monday.
The 140-acre site at Dayton International Airport is set to be the first serial production location for the company, as opposed to the prototypes built at its pilot production line in California.
Joby intends to begin hiring “immediately” to stand up manufacturing of aircraft components at existing buildings at the Dayton site, Bevirt said.
Construction of the new production facility will begin in 2024, with operations to start in 2025.
Joby’s business model more closely resembles rideshare apps, where customers can request a ride on an air taxi owned and operated by the company.
While Joby has been flying full-scale aircraft since 2017, it unveiled its first production-representative prototype in June, which can fit four passengers and a pilot.
Bevirt said the company is “ramping up the testing team aggressively” to conduct the thousands of tests and evaluations necessary to attain FAA certification.
Read More Here: Joby Aviation to build air taxi production plant in Ohio
