Joby signs supply agreement with Toyota

Kazuhiro Sato (left) and Jordin Gischler (right) present a completed tilt actuator, manufactured at Joby’s San Carlos production facility with key parts supplied by Toyota.

Photo: Joby Aviation

Joby Aviation revealed it signed a long-term agreement with Toyota Motor Corporation to supply powertrain and actuation components for its aircraft production. Joby is a company developing all-electric aircraft for commercial passenger use, already completing the second stage of testing to certify its aircraft.

This new agreement is building on the partnership between Joby and Toyota, which has led to past products that have supported the production and assembly of Joby aircraft, like the design of Joby’s pilot production line in Marina, California. Toyota acts as Joby’s largest external shareholder after investing about $400 million in the company.

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“Our partnership with Toyota continues to be an integral part of Joby’s success, from assisting in the design of our pilot production line in Marina, California, to supplying key components for our aircraft,” Founder and CEO of Joby JoeBen Bevirt said.

“I’m grateful for Toyota’s unwavering dedication to Joby as we work together to deliver a new form of fast, quiet and emissions-free mobility for cities and communities around the world,” Bevirt said. “Their expertise and knowledge has helped put us on track to deliver, at scale, an aircraft that we believe is truly best-in-class.”

The components have been designed by Joby and will be manufactured by Toyota and delivered to Joby’s powertrain and electronics manufacturing facility in San Carlos, California. The finished assemblies are then shipped to the pilot production line in Marina for integration. The Marina facilities were designed with Toyota’s help, intended to showcase scalable tooling and processes at low volumes ahead of full-scale aircraft production.

Toyota is Joby’s largest external shareholder, having invested around $400 million in the company. Our pilot production facility in Marina was designed with Toyota’s help, leveraging their unrivaled experience in delivering reliable, high-quality cars at high volume.

— Joby Aviation (@jobyaviation) April 27, 2023

“We are very pleased to have reached this milestone with our key partner,” said Keiji Yamamoto, President of Toyota Motor Corporation Connected Company. “Our mutual goal is mass production of eVTOL and helping Joby apply the best practices of the Toyota Production System in meeting high quality, reliability, safety, and strict cost standards.”

 “We are excited about the potential for further collaboration as we seek to realize Mobility for All with a seamlessly integrated air-to-ground mobility network,” Yamamoto said.

Joby is also working with Aero Asahi, a Toyota subsidiary, on an air taxi shuttle service for Toyota-related passengers in Japan. Joby recently announced it had formally applied to the Japan Civil Aviation Bureau (JCAB) to validate its planned FAA aircraft type certification.