AviTrader sponsorship ad

Joby Aviation showcases hydrogen-electric air taxi capabilities

On June 24, 2024, Joby’s hydrogen-electric technology demonstrator aircraft completed a 523-mile flight above Marina, California
On June 24, 2024, Joby’s hydrogen-electric technology demonstrator aircraft completed a 523-mile flight above Marina, California © Joby Aviation

Joby Aviation, a next-generation aviation company, has successfully flown a first-of-its-kind hydrogen-electric air taxi demonstrator 523 miles, with water as the only by-product. The aircraft, which takes off and lands vertically, builds on Joby’s successful battery-electric air taxi development programme and demonstrates the potential for hydrogen to unlock emissions-free regional journeys that don’t require a runway.

The landmark test flight, believed to be the first forward flight of a vertical take-off and landing aircraft powered by liquid hydrogen, was completed last month using a converted Joby pre-production prototype battery-electric aircraft fitted with a liquid hydrogen fuel tank and fuel cell system. It landed with 10% of its hydrogen fuel load remaining.

Joby’s hydrogen-electric demonstrator is part of the company’s future technology programme and is the result of several years of collaboration between a small team at Joby and H2FLY, Joby’s wholly owned subsidiary based in Stuttgart, Germany. The converted aircraft previously completed more than 25,000 miles of testing as a battery-electric aircraft at Joby’s base in Marina, CA.

Using the same airframe and overall architecture as Joby’s core battery-electric aircraft, this demonstrator features a liquid hydrogen fuel tank, designed and built by Joby, which stores up to 40 kilograms of liquid hydrogen, alongside a reduced mass of batteries. Hydrogen is fed into a fuel cell system, designed and built by H2FLY, to produce electricity, water and heat. The electricity produced by the hydrogen fuel cell powers the six electric motors on the Joby aircraft, with the batteries providing additional power primarily during take-off and landing.

Joby’s H2FLY team used similar technology to complete another record-breaking flight in September 2023, when they flew the world’s first piloted flight of a conventional liquid hydrogen-electric aircraft using their fuel cell technology.

As part of Joby’s wider commitment to leading the way in the development of new aviation technologies, it recently acquired Xwing Inc., an industry leader in the development of autonomous technology for aviation. Xwing has been flying autonomous aircraft since 2020, with 250 fully autonomous flights and more than 500 auto-landings completed to date, using the Superpilot software it developed in-house.

Joby plans to start commercial operations as soon as 2025, using its battery-electric air taxi. The company is listed on the New York Stock Exchange and has raised more than US$2 billion of funding to date, including investments from Toyota, Delta Air Lines, SK Telecom, Uber and Baillie Gifford.

Share this Article
Tuesday September 30, 2025
Flexjet has ordered 300 Phantom 3500 jets © Otto Aviation
Otto Aerospace has confirmed its first fleet customer. Flexjet will serve as launch partner for the new Phantom 3500, an advanced business jet designed from the ground up for efficiency and sustainability. The Phantom 3500 is a clean-sheet creation. It applies... Read More »
Tuesday September 30, 2025
Honeywell and ITP Aero have inaugurated Europe’s first F124 engine service centre in Madrid
Honeywell and ITP Aero have officially opened Europe’s first maintenance, repair, and overhaul service centre for the Honeywell F124-GA-200 engine. The landmark facility is located at ITP Aero’s site in Ajalvir, Madrid. The launch was marked with a ribbon-... Read More »
Tuesday September 30, 2025
Minister of Civil Aviation Kinjarapu Rammohan Naidu, Christian Scherer, CEO, Commercial Aircraft, Airbus, Campbell Wilson, MD & CEO, Air India, inaugurate the joint venture facility
Air India and Airbus have opened a new pilot training centre at the Air India Aviation Training Academy in Gurugram, Haryana. The facility will train more than 5,000 pilots over the next ten years. It will support the rapid expansion of commercial aviation in ... Read More »
Tuesday September 30, 2025
PLAY Airlines has ceased operations © PLAY Airlines
PLAY Airlines has stopped flying after announcing the immediate closure of its business on Monday, September 29. The Icelandic low-cost carrier said performance had failed to match expectations. Recent months brought poor ticket sales, leaving the airline unab... Read More »
Tuesday September 30, 2025
Steve Sinquefield will retire after holding the position of Chief Legal Officer for more than ten years
StandardAero has confirmed the retirement of Steve Sinquefield, its Chief Legal Officer for more than a decade. Sinquefield will step down at the end of 2025, bringing to a close a distinguished 40-year career in aviation law. To ensure continuity, Michael L. ... Read More »
Tuesday September 30, 2025
Werner Aero has opened a new facility in Tucson, Arizona © Werner Aero
Werner Aero has announced a major expansion of its warehousing capabilities with the opening of a new 30,000 ft² facility in Tucson, Arizona. This investment lifts the company’s total warehouse space to 75,000 ft², giving it greater capacity to serve airli... Read More »
Monday September 29, 2025
The Lufthansa Group
At its Capital Markets Day in Munich, the Lufthansa Group unveiled a sweeping strategic overhaul, setting out ambitious financial targets and announcing deep job cuts as part of a push towards sharper efficiency and higher shareholder returns. The airline grou... Read More »
Monday September 29, 2025
The Board of Directors of Brussels Airlines has approved the addition of five brand-new Airbus A320neo aircraft to the fleet
Brussels Airlines will add five new Airbus A320neo aircraft to its fleet. This move brings the total number of A320neo aircraft to 13. It reflects the airline’s drive to cut emissions, improve passenger comfort and grow sustainably. The airline currently fli... Read More »
Monday September 29, 2025
Andy Schneider and Jason Berry
Alaska Air Group has unveiled major leadership changes. The moves highlight its focus on operational excellence and its people-first culture. Chief Operating Officer Constance von Muehlen will retire after nearly 15 years with Alaska Airlines. She joined in 20... Read More »
Monday September 29, 2025
BeauTech Power Systems, a global frontrunner in aircraft engine leasing, has expanded its partnership with British Airways CityFlyer (CityFlyer). The new agreement secures support for the airline’s Embraer E190 fleet through access to 14 CF34-10E engines. Th... Read More »
Monday September 29, 2025
Air Atlanta will adopt Flydocs’ Digital Records Management solution across its fleet of 17 aircraft
Flydocs has signed a five-year agreement with Air Atlanta Icelandic (Air Atlanta). The Iceland-based charter and ACMI airline will now adopt Flydocs’ Digital Records Management solution across its fleet of 17 aircraft. The partnership gives Air Atlanta Icela... Read More »
Monday September 29, 2025
CH-53K helicopter © Sikorsky
Sikorsky, part of Lockheed Martin, has secured a US$10.855 billion contract from the US Navy to build up to 99 CH-53K King Stallion helicopters for the US Marine Corps, the largest order so far for the aircraft. The five-year agreement, running from 2029 to 20... Read More »
Friday September 26, 2025
Shutterstock
AAR Corp. has acquired American Distributors Holding Co., LLC (ADI) for US$146 million in an all-cash transaction funded through its revolving credit facility. The acquisition immediately strengthens AAR’s Parts Supply segment by expanding its distribution a... Read More »
Friday September 26, 2025
IATA's study reveals that sufficient SAF feedstock exists to enable the airline industry to reach net-zero carbon emissions by 2050
The International Air Transport Association (IATA), in partnership with Worley Consulting, has published a study confirming that sufficient sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) feedstock exists to enable the airline industry to reach net-zero carbon emissions by 20... Read More »
Friday September 26, 2025
Royal Thai Air Force’s H225M © Royal Thai Air Force
Airbus Helicopters has signed a contract with the Royal Thai Air Force (RTAF) for two H225 multi-role helicopters, a purchase that will broaden the service’s capacity in search and rescue (SAR) and emergency medical services (EMS). The agreement reflects the... Read More »
Friday September 26, 2025
Norwegian has exercised an option to purchase 30 additional Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft
Norwegian has expanded its long-term fleet plan by exercising an option to purchase 30 additional Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft, bringing its total firm order to 80. As part of the agreement, Norwegian and Boeing have also revised delivery dates, with the final ai... Read More »
Friday September 26, 2025
Satair Chengdu has completed the first A319 airframe acquisition with CALC© Satair
Satair Chengdu, an Airbus Services company, has completed the acquisition of an A319 airframe from China Asset Leasing Company (CALC Tianjin), a wholly owned subsidiary of China Aircraft Leasing Group. The agreement marks the first asset purchase for Satair Ch... Read More »
Friday September 26, 2025
Turkish Airlines orders up to 75 Boeing 787 Dreamliners and commits to more 737 MAX jets
Boeing and Turkish Airlines have confirmed a firm order for up to 75 Boeing 787 Dreamliners, the flag carrier’s largest-ever purchase of wide-body aircraft from the U.S. manufacturer. The order consists of 35 787-9s, 15 of the larger 787-10 variant, and opti... Read More »
Thursday September 25, 2025
Qantas' first Airbus A321XLR takes to the skies
Qantas marked a major milestone on September 25, with the launch of its first two Airbus A321XLR aircraft, which entered service on their inaugural commercial flights. The aircraft, named ‘Great Ocean Road’ (VH-OGA) and ‘Outback Way’ (VH-OGB), commence... Read More »
Thursday September 25, 2025
Travelport and Air Canada have signed a new content distribution agreement
Air Canada has provided an early look at its third-quarter 2025 performance, signalling a significant hit from August’s cabin-crew strike and trimming full-year guidance as a result. For the quarter ending September 30, 2025, the airline now anticipates oper... Read More »
ajw avitrader

2026 MEDIA KIT

VP Sales & Business Development Americas
Tamar Jorssen
tamar.jorssen@avitrader.com
Phone: +1 (778) 213 8543
VP International Sales & Marketing
Malte Tamm
malte.tamm@avitrader.com
Phone: +49 (0)162 8263049

Subscribe to the most widely accepted news source in the aviation industry!


Free Daily, Weekly and MRO Publications delivered to your Inbox!
News Alerts, Editorials, Marketplace, Executive Interviews +more

Select publications:

*we respect your privacy and AviTrader will not share your email address to any 3rd Parties.