The same Ohio river valley where the Wright brothers pioneered human flight will soon be manufacturing cutting-edge electric planes that take off and land vertically, under an agreement announced Monday between the state and Joby Aviation Inc.
香蕉视频直播淲hen you香蕉视频直播檙e talking about air taxis, that香蕉视频直播檚 the future,香蕉视频直播� Republican Gov. Mike DeWine told The Associated Press. 香蕉视频直播淲e find this very, very exciting 香蕉视频直播� not only for the direct jobs and indirect jobs it香蕉视频直播檚 going to create, but like , it香蕉视频直播檚 a signal to people that Ohio is looking to the future. This is a big deal for us.香蕉视频直播�
, electric vertical takeoff and landing, or eVTOL aircraft are entering the mainstream, though questions remain about noise levels and charging demands. Still, developers say the planes are nearing the day when they will provide a wide-scale alternative to shuttle individual people or small groups from rooftops and parking garages to their destinations, while avoiding the congested thoroughfares below.
Joby香蕉视频直播檚 decision to locate its first scaled manufacturing facility at a 140-acre (57-hectar) site at Dayton International Airport delivers on two decades of groundwork laid by the state香蕉视频直播檚 leaders, Republican Lt. Gov. Jon Husted said. Importantly, the site is near Wright-Patterson Air Force Base and the headquarters of the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratories.
香蕉视频直播淔or a hundred years, the Dayton area has been a leader in aviation innovation,香蕉视频直播� Husted said. 香蕉视频直播淏ut capturing a large-scale manufacturer of aircraft has always eluded the local economy there. With this announcement, that aspiration has been realized.香蕉视频直播�
The Wright brothers, Orville and Wilbur, lived and worked in Dayton. In 1910, they opened the first U.S. airplane factory there. To connect the historical dots, Joby香蕉视频直播檚 formal announcement Monday will take place at Orville Wright香蕉视频直播檚 home, Hawthorn Hill, and conclude with a ceremonial flypast of a replica of the Wright Model B Flyer.
Joby香蕉视频直播檚 production aircraft is designed to transport a pilot and four passengers at speeds of up to 200 miles (321.87 kilometers) per hour, with a maximum range of 100 miles (160.93 kilometers). Its quiet noise profile is barely audible against the backdrop of most cities, the company said. The plan is to place them in aerial ridesharing networks beginning in 2025.
The efforts of the Santa Cruz, California-based company are supported by partnerships with Toyota, Delta Airlines, Intel and Uber. Joby is a 14-year-old company that went public in 2021 and became the first eVTOL firm to receive U.S. Air Force airworthiness certification.
The $500 million project is supported by up to $325 million in incentives from the state of Ohio, its JobsOhio economic development office and local government. With the funds, Joby plans to build an Ohio facility capable of delivering up to 500 aircraft a year and creating 2,000 jobs. The U.S. Department of Energy has invited Joby to apply for a loan to support development of the facility as a clean energy project.
Joby CEO JoeBen Bevirt told the AP that the company chose Ohio after an extensive and competitive search. Its financial package wasn香蕉视频直播檛 the largest, but the chance to bring the operation to the birthplace of aviation 香蕉视频直播� with a workforce experienced in the field 香蕉视频直播� sealed the deal, he said.
香蕉视频直播淥hio is the No. 1 state when it comes to supplying parts for Boeing and Airbus,香蕉视频直播� Bevirt said. 香蕉视频直播淥hio is No. 3 in the nation on manufacturing jobs 香蕉视频直播� and that depth of manufacturing prowess, that workforce, is critical to us as we look to build this manufacturing facility.
JobsOhio President and CEO J.P. Nauseef noted that its dedication to aviation has carried the Dayton area through serious economic challenges. That included the loss of tens of thousands of auto and auto parts manufacturing jobs in the early 2000s and the loss of ATM maker NCR Corp.香蕉视频直播檚 headquarters to an Atlanta suburb in 2009.
香蕉视频直播淭his marries that heritage and legacy of innovation in aviation with our nuts and bolts of manufacturing,香蕉视频直播� Nauseef said. 香蕉视频直播淚t really marries those two together, and that香蕉视频直播檚 never been married together before 香蕉视频直播� not in this town. For a community the size of Dayton and Springfield, (whose people) take great pride, (and) have had rough, rough decades, it香蕉视频直播檚 a wonderful project.香蕉视频直播�
Bevirt said operations and hiring will begin immediately from existing buildings near the development site, contingent upon clearing the standard legal and regulatory hurdles. The site is large enough to eventually accommodate 2 million square feet (610,000 square meters) of manufacturing space.
Construction on the manufacturing facility is expected to begin in 2024, with production to begin in 2025.
Toyota, a long-term investor, worked with Joby in 2019 to design and to successfully launch its pilot production line in Marina, California. The automaker will continue to advise Joby as it prepares for scaled production of its commercial passenger air taxi, the company said.
The announcement comes as a bipartisan group of Ohio香蕉视频直播檚 congressional representatives has recently 香蕉视频直播� following 香蕉视频直播� to lure the U.S. Air Force香蕉视频直播檚 new U.S. Space Command headquarters or Space Force units to Ohio. There, too, state leaders cite the aerospace legacy of the Wrights, as well as Ohio-born astronauts and .
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This story corrects the description of incentives and company investment as additive. The total project cost is $500 million, including up to $325 million in incentives.
Julie Carr Smyth, The Associated Press
