Joby Aviation has doubled the size and production capacity of its pilot manufacturing facility in Marina, California, as it races to commercialize eVTOLs (electric vertical takeoff and landing vehicles) by early next year.
The now-435,500-square-foot facility will be able to produce 24 aircraft per year, and “nearly one” every other week once fully operational, according to Joby. The facility will also support federal certification, ground and flight testing, pilot training, and aircraft maintenance.
TechCrunch has asked when Joby expects to produce vehicles at full capacity, as well as for updates on Joby’s first scaled facility in Dayton, Ohio, which would build up to 500 aircraft per year once it’s constructed
Joby has enlisted engineers from its investor Toyota to help build both sites. Toyota in May closed the first, $250 million tranche of a previously announced $500 million investment into Joby.
The news of Joby’s expanded pilot facility comes as the eVTOL company adds a sixth aircraft to its fleet. Joby says the aircraft earned its airworthiness certification within a week of completion.
Joby went public through a SPAC merger in 2021. The company plans to launch commercial operations first in Dubai in early 2026, and in a U.S. city afterwards.
