Joby Aviation, the California-based electric vertical takeoff, and landing startup signed a strategic collaboration agreement with SK Telecom, which is one of the largest telecommunication companies in South Korea. The plan of Joby Aviation is to offer an air taxi service in many places.
T Map Mobility platform will provide subscription-based mobility services like rental cars, parking, ride-hailing, and other transportation-related services. All that to provide better integration between land and air travel, the air taxi service.
Both SKT and Joby are working to get a certification from the South Korean government. The details of where and when they plan to launch the air taxi service are still unknown.
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The companies said that they support the South Korean Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport’s Korean Urban Air Mobility (K-UAM) Roadmap. The Ministry has put a goal of commercializing limited UAM services by 2025. That will lead to reducing traffic congestion in major cities.
It will start with one or two routes in the Seoul metropolitan area. And by the end of the decade, it will get up to 10 air taxi terminals.
“With more than 42 million people living in urban areas, South Korea offers a remarkable opportunity for Joby to make air travel a part of daily life, helping people to save time while reducing their carbon footprint,” Joby’s CEO.
In San Francisco, the company is seeking permission from the FCC for a series of air taxi flights to test the S4, its second-gen pre-production prototype. The S4 has a range of 150 miles and a top speed of 200 miles per hour. In addition to a low noise profile that allows it to fly in built-ups.
