Advanced Air Mobility News

Joby Building “Certifiable” Flight Electronics In-house

Joby Building “Certifiable” Flight Electronics In-house

Joby Aviation said that it is building “best-in-class, certifiable” flight electronics in-house for use in its eVTOLs. 

The company added that the devices are “lighter and simpler” than other flight electronics currently available. 

“By designing all of our flight electronics in-house, we’ve been able to build best-in-class, certifiable devices that are lighter and simpler than anything on the market for our purposes,” the company said in a post on Twitter. 

In a video posted on YouTube, Nate Martin, Joby’s Electrical Engineering Lead, explained that the latest network switch the firm has developed is significantly smaller and lighter than the model created three years ago. He added the network switch removes two kilograms of weight across the eVTOL and comes with additional functionality, “eliminating the need for an entirely separate device”.

Addressing why Joby opted to create its own flight electronics, Martin said the third-party systems available didn’t address the company’s requirements or had functions that were not necessary. 

“By taking an in-house approach to design, we’ve been able to build a lightweight, high-performance electric aircraft that will bring the world closer together and change the way we experience flight,” he said in the video. 

Earlier in May, Joby received USD$180 million in funding from British investment management firm Baillie Gifford. The Santa Cruz-based eVTOL developer also reported a net loss of USD$113 million in the first quarter of 2023. 


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