The latest situation of flying cars: US flying car business taking off from SPAC listing-North American drone consultant Ryoji Koike-Development competition for "flying cars" that overcomes the Korona-ka Western development race that spreads from aircraft development to operation models In 2023, a flying car will take off in Japan!What is the specific plan?

Joby Aims to Become World's First Certified Aircraft

On February 24, 2009, Joby Aviation, a leader in eVTOL development competition, announced that it would accept a proposal to acquire SPAC company RTP (Reinvent Technology Partners) and list it on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE). The IPO will raise $ 1.6 billion (about 170 billion yen).

SPAC is a company that does not have a business and has applied for listing for the purpose of "acquiring a good private company in the future". Therefore, it is called "listing on an empty box" or "listing on a blank check with an address". Of course, it is possible to decide in advance what kind of company to target for acquisition, but it is not possible to negotiate with specific companies in advance. From the perspective of investor protection, SPAC is obliged to return funds and dissolve if it cannot be acquired within two years, and to respond to repurchase requests from investors who disagree with the acquisition company once it is decided.

Joby plans to start the air taxi business in 2024, with a corporate valuation of $ 6.6 billion. So far, it has raised about $ 910 million from institutional investors and companies, including Toyota Motor Corporation.

The company, which has repeated more than 1,000 test flights at a test site in California, has been selected as one of the next-generation aircraft support programs "Agility Prime ^{* 1} " promoted by the US Air Force. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is also working on aircraft certification (airworthiness and airframe certification) for its Joby S4, which is expected to be officially approved as early as this year. If realized, the Joby S4 (5-seater, maximum speed 200 mph, range 150 mph) will be the world's first officially recognized aircraft eVTOL (Electric Vertical Takeoff and Landing Aircraft).

The company, which already has more than 700 employees, is expanding its horizons from aircraft certification to manufacturing certification. It has already set up a 55,000-square-foot assembly plant in Marina, California, and is expected to have strong demand for funds for construction, material procurement, and sales. The large-scale financing by listing on SPAC can be said to be the first step to secure such vigorous business expansion funds.

* 1: The Agility Prime program is funded by the US military and provides technical assistance and advice using air force facilities. Under the program, Joby has begun a test flight at an Air Force facility.