Dogfight over California: The ugly battle between electric air taxi leaders Joby and Archer
This is read by an automated voice.Please report any issues or inconsistencies here.
Two California companies at the front of the global race to bring battery-powered air taxis to the public are trying to trip each other up in court.While Joby Aviation and Archer Aviation are based within an hour of each other in Northern California, they are bitter rivals, each hoping their own small electric vertical take-off and landing aircraft will rule the skies like Ubers shuttling people over cities.
Over the last year, the companies have been entangled in a mix of suits and countersuits, taking jabs at each other’s products and progress.Archer says Joby is hiding its dependence on money and parts from China.
Joby alleges Archer stole its technology.Eric Lentell, chief legal and strategy officer for Archer, said the company is “not worried at all” about the corporate espionage accusations.
Business The hunt is on for flying taxi landing sites.At stake is the first-mover advantage in an electric air taxi market that could eventually include autonomous aircraft.Morgan Stanley has predicted the industry could be worth $1.5 trillion by 2040.
“It’s very normal for companies to get into this tit for tat, especially in a new industry,” said Sergio Cecutta, co-founder of the aerospace consulting firm SMG Consulting and creator of the Advanced Air Mobility Reality Index.San Jose-based Archer and Santa Cruz-based Joby both plan to offer a commercial air-taxi service using electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft, or eVTOL.
Both companies’ aircraft are designed for a pilot and four passengers.The companies are among the survivors of the quest to disrupt aviation using new aircraft designs, electricity and AI.Even as front-runners, they have each taken a hit this year amid worries that they are taking too long and requiring too much investment, even as new challengers are emerging from China and elsewhere.
Business Pivotal is a Palo Alto-based company devel...