Ep 148: JoeBen Bevirt, Founder & CEO of Joby Aviation — Flying Cars Have Arrived

Last year, JoeBen Bevirt joined the show (blog.joelonsdale.com/p/ep-114-flying-cars-are-…) to discuss the vision behind Joby Aviation and bringing air taxis to life. Now, he's back to talk execution and getting to market this year! What states will be first to offer Joby rides — and when? How is Joby ramping up manufacturing to meet the moment? And how is AI making Joby’s top scientists over 10X more productive and accelerating decades of advancement into the next few years?" As Founder and CEO of Joby Aviation (jobyaviation.com), JoeBen has spent more than a decade building Joby into the leader in electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft, and we begin with its unique design: 100 times quieter than a helicopter and dramatically safer to operate with layered redundancy across six propulsion stations, dual motors, and dual battery packs. Next, we talk about the significance of Joby's partnership with Toyota, how they're ramping up manufacturing, and why they're massively expanding their Ohio facilities. Then, JoeBen lays out their regulatory progress, from achieving their first FAA-conforming aircraft to the White House's historic pilot program that will bring air taxis to 12 states starting this year, including Texas!Additionally, we explore the coming age of autonomy, why Joby is partnering with NVIDIA to build out its autonomous flight stack, and how AI is transforming everything from aerodynamics research to back-office tasks. You'll also learn about Joby's breakthrough hydrogen-electric program — unlocking long-range commercial and defense applications — and why staying ahead of China is critical for American leadership in this next age of flight. Finally, JoeBen shares his grand vision for an electric era of aviation and a future without traffic — something we can all get behind.
00:00 Episode Intro
01:50 What sets Joby aircraft apart
04:50 Key partnerships with Toyota & NVIDIA
06:50 Closing in on FAA Certification
08:00 Air Taxis coming to 12 states this year!
13:35 Autonomous flight is the future
20:00 Hydrogen aircraft for the Pentagon
24:10 Why AI is a game changer
28:15 Expansion in Ohio and Global Competition with China
34:40 Addressing critics / future vision
35:50 Making air travel ubiquitous

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