Electric air taxis buzzing over Manhattan are moving from sci-fi fantasy to something much closer to reality.
Along the Manhattan waterfront on Friday, a small crowd gathered to watch what would have seemed implausible just a few years ago: a piloted electric flying car lifting off and cruising down the Hudson.
The new flying contraptions by US-based Joby Aviation — which has a market value of about $9 billion — have six propellers on top and promise to cut travel time from downtown Manhattan to metro airports like JFK and LaGuardia from more than an hour to fewer than 10 minutes.
And unlike traditional helicopters that run on fossil fuels, these eVTOLs, or “electric vertical takeoff and landing” aircraft, are, as the name suggests, electric and zero-emission. They take off like a helicopter — but are much quieter — and can tilt their rotors forward to fly forward fast, similar to a propeller-driven aircraft.
I have seen Joby’s eTVOL at a number of airshows and events over the years, watching them develop into the product they aim to soon certify — but I’ve never seen one in flight. This was one of a handful of demo point-to-point flights over NYC this week; Joby’s first-ever was on Monday.
Highly-experienced Joby test pilot James “Buddy” Denham flew the eVTOL — which carries up to four passengers and one pilot — down the Hudson River to the 34th East St heliport from New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport. I was a spectator, not onboard.
After seeing it in a full-flight demonstration, I’m almost convinced the future of aviation is here.
Though key hurdles remain, namely certification by the Federal Aviation Administration, the funding for new charging infrastructure, and whether New Yorkers — and the public as a whole, since Joby wants its eVTOLs flying all over the US — will embrace the Jetsons-like aircraft overhead.
In the air, the aircraft proved it is significantly quieter than a helicopter — about 45 decibels, or less than half that of its noisy sister craft. When the eVTOL took off for its return to New York-JFK airport, it lifted off vertically before shifting its rotors 90 degrees into forward flight over the water.
During its takeoff, a chase helicopter capturing video and monitoring the craft flew past, its louder engines rumbling. Although not the primary purpose, it was a great example of the noise difference.
The six tilting propellers, powered by electric batteries, rotate more slowly than traditional helicopter blades and can independently adjust their tilt, pitch, and rotation, contributing to the eVTOL’s low noise, safety, and controllability.
Rob Wiesenthal, the founder and CEO of Blade — the company that sold its passenger transport business to Joby in August 2025 for up to $125 million — told me at the event that the recharge time would be just five to 10 minutes, making turnarounds quick and efficient.
Joby is one of a handful of startups and legacy manufacturers trying to capitalize on a race to design air taxis that will soon be seen across the skylines of US cities.
Other US companies, like Archer Aviation and Beta Technologies, are also using high-profile demos to show how their aircraft could shuttle passengers through traffic-clogged corridors.
Joby plans to market and sell its flights through a partnership with Delta — essentially, travelers deplane from their jetliner near Manhattan or Los Angeles and transfer to the eVTOL to fly into the city. Delta would handle the bookings and customer interface, Joby would operate the flights.
“Showing the Joby aircraft in the wild with the noise of fire engines and the New York City noisescape, it fades into the background,” Wiesenthal said. “That’s something that’s never happened before, not to mention the appreciation for this new aircraft type that was built from the ground up.”
He added that as fuel costs and availability remain unpredictable amid the oil crisis triggered by the war against Iran, electric air taxis could have an edge over helicopters that burn expensive jet fuel.
Wiesenthal pegged Joby’s eVTOL fares at roughly the price of an Uber Black — though on a per-seat basis, not per ride. He didn’t give an exact number, but the Uber Black price around 2 pm Friday between JFK and the heliport is just under $150.
Blade’s helicopter transfers (which operate under Joby), by comparison, are about $250 on the same route at the same time. These can be as low as $195, depending on the day and route. Joby is partnered with Uber, with the hope of eventually deploying a rideshare app using air taxis instead of cars.
Joby’s demonstration flight is part of a broader push by the US Department of Transportation to accelerate the rollout of electric air taxis in major cities.
The electric air taxis can use a city’s existing heliports. A network of chargers and vertiports has been or is planned to be constructed across Joby’s planned network, which also includes Florida and California.
Its acquisition of Blade’s passenger arm also gave it access to existing heliports and air shuttle operations knowledge needed to support the eVTOL business.
Wiesenthal said he expects to get regular air taxi service up and running in New York City by the end of 2026; its eVTOL is roughly two-thirds through the certification process, though it could still face delays in the evolving aviation industry.
Its competitors are on similar timelines, but the rollout depends on how well these companies can prove to regulators the reliability, safety, and functionality of the new technology.
“This administration has accelerated the advancement of advanced air mobility like no other,” Wiesenthal said. “[Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy] wants to beat China; it’s leaning into these aircraft, so the ability to embrace this new technology is so important.”
Read the full article here
