Joby Aviation, a US company developing electric air taxis for commercial passenger service, is expanding its site in Marina, California, which will double its aircraft production capacity at that location. The total site now spans approximately 435,500 sq ft and will support the scale-up of commercial operations. Joby has also expanded its flight test programme with the addition of a new aircraft to its growing fleet.

“Reimagining urban mobility takes speed, scale and precision manufacturing. Our expanded manufacturing footprint in both California and Ohio is preparing us to do just that,” says Eric Allison, chief product officer. “We celebrated the opening of the new facility with the flight of our sixth aircraft, which earned airworthiness certification within a week of completion.”

The opening of the new manufacturing space is a big step forward as Joby gets ready to scale production and enter the market. Achieving this comes down to three key strengths:

- Commitment to American innovation: Drawing on top talent at its California and Ohio facilities, Joby designs, builds and tests its aircraft in the US. Using tools like advanced data analytics and 3D printing, Joby produces components that are lighter, stronger and more flexible. With its newly expanded Marina facility, the company plans to add hundreds of full-time jobs to support increased aircraft production.

- Advantage of vertical integration: Joby handles nearly every aspect of its aircraft and air taxi service in-house, from design and manufacturing to pilot training and operations. This vertical integration helps speed development, ensure quality and accelerate testing and certification. It also lets Joby quickly and efficiently adapt its platform for other uses, including its hybrid hydrogen-electric propulsion testing.

- Close collaboration with Toyota: Toyota engineers are deeply integrated with the Joby team, providing counsel to support Joby's work across design, manufacturing and quality. Toyota also helps the Joby team optimise processes, streamline assembly and offer advice related to the development of custom tooling to accelerate production.

Once fully operational, the expanded Marina site is expected to be able to produce up to 24 aircraft per year, which is nearly one every other week. It will also provide key capabilities including its initial FAA production certification, conforming ground and flight testing components, pilot training simulators and aircraft maintenance. This site strengthens Joby's broader manufacturing network, which includes three additional facilities at: Santa Cruz in California, the headquarters driving innovation and system architecture; San Carlos in California, focused on powertrain and electronics; and Dayton, Ohio, a newly renovated facility that will manufacture and test aircraft components for Joby's pilot production line. The Dayton site demonstrates the capabilities required for FAA production certification and supports the company's plans to scale operations. Equipment installation is underway, with production ramping up to eventually build up to 500 aircraft a year at that location.

Strong support from local workforce and community-based organisations, elected officials, city and county leaders, and nonprofit partners was instrumental in bringing the expanded facility to life. In 2023, Joby was awarded a $9.8 million dollar grant from the California Governor's Office of Business and Economic Development (GO-Biz) to accelerate its growth. The company also benefited from a programme through the California State Treasurer's Office, which helped reduce equipment costs by $10 million, supporting Joby's efforts to scale today and build the future of flight for tomorrow.