Having completed more than a thousand test flights, Joby Aviation's electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft is a quiet, spacious five-passenger craft that can accommodate a pilot and four passengers, and the manufacturer claims that riding in it is like riding in a luxury SUV, with a range of about 240 kilometers per charge and a top speed of 320 kilometers per hour.

Flying cabs could soon become a reality in the next few years.

According to reports, the U.S. airline Jobi officially applied for a type certificate of conformity for the flying cab to the Civil Aviation Bureau of Japan's Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism on Oct. 18. This is the first time a foreign company's application for a type certificate has been accepted in Japan and is a necessary step for Joby Air to launch its air cab service in the Japanese market.

California-based Joby Air, an electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft manufacturer and commercial flying cab operator plans to launch the flying cab service in 2024. The service will first launch in New York and Los Angeles, followed by other cities. This means future travel will be free of ground traffic jams, and what could be a 50-minute drive could take as little as 10 minutes.

Joby founder and CEO Joben Bevitt said the application if approved, would unlock "the potential of electric flying cabs" and provide a new form of clean and affordable urban transportation across Japan.

Zero Emissions, Zero Waiting, Low Noise

Jobe's all-electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft are designed to fly in and out of cities. Passengers can board the aircraft from the helipad in downtown New York City and reach JFK Airport in just seven minutes. By comparison, it takes 49 minutes by car.

The plane, which has completed more than a thousand test flights, is a quiet, spacious five-passenger craft with room for a pilot and four passengers, and the manufacturer claims that riding in it is like riding in a luxury SUV, with a range of about 240 kilometers per charge and a top speed of 320 kilometers per hour. At least two pilot production prototypes are currently in flight testing.

Notably, the company's eVTOL aircraft flies without burning fossil fuels, combining charging with renewable energy, which would make it a completely zero-emissions flight.

Airborne vehicles will soon be in mass production

Jobe has applied for a "Type Certificate of Conformity," which includes verification of the performance and strength of the aircraft's components. If the aircraft meets the requirements, the manufacturer will be able to begin mass production.

After that, the manufacturer must also apply for a Certificate of Airworthiness, which is the equivalent of a vehicle inspection, where the authorities will check the structure and strength of each aircraft.

Once a company obtains both certificates, the aircraft can be put into commercial use, in a process almost identical to that of a regular passenger aircraft, but involving a unique approval process because Joby's flying cabs are electric. Japan's Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport, and Tourism is working out the details of the approval process, and one official said it could be years before a certificate of compliance is issued.

While Jobe hopes to receive a commercial flight permit in 2024, the Japanese government wants the flying cab to be in operation by 2025.