Joby Aviation announced today its plans to locate its first scaled aircraft production facility in Dayton, Ohio, home to Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, and the headquarters of the US Air Force Research Laboratories.
Joby plans to build a facility capable of delivering up to 500 aircraft per year and supporting up to 2,000 jobs. The 140-acre site provides enough land to build up to two million square feet of manufacturing space.
Construction is expected to start in 2024 and to come online in 2025. The State of Ohio, JobsOhio and local political subdivisions have offered incentives and benefits of up to $325 million to support the development of the facility, while Joby plans to invest up to $500 million as it scales operations at the site.
Joby is also announcing today that it has been invited by the US Department of Energy to submit a Part II Application for financing under the Title XVII Loan Guarantee Program, which provides access to low-interest loans for clean energy projects and would support the scaling of the facility.
Joby’s long-term investor, Toyota, who worked with Joby on the design and successful launch of the company’s Pilot Production Line in Marina, California, plans to continue to advise Joby as it prepares for scaled production of its commercial passenger air taxi in Ohio.
Joby founder and CEO JoeBen Bevirt said: “The US continues to lead the way with unprecedented levels of support across all areas and levels of government. We are grateful to Governor Mike DeWine, Lieutenant Governor Jon Husted, Senator Sherrod Brown, Senator JD Vance, Representative Mike Turner, and the team at JobsOhio for their support.”
Joby plans to start hiring in the coming months, with early roles expected to focus on the machining of parts that will initially be incorporated into Joby’s California low-volume production line. Joby’s production aircraft is designed to transport a pilot and four passengers at speeds of up to 200 mph, with a maximum range of 100 miles and a quiet noise profile that is barely audible against the backdrop of cities. The company plans to build on partnerships it has developed with Delta and Uber. Joby’s headquarters, research and development, and pilot production facility will remain in California.
Governor Mike DeWine continued: “We welcome Joby and celebrate the new chapter of air mobility history that will be made in Ohio, the Heart of Aviation.”
Lieutenant Governor Jon Husted added: “Today’s announcement was earned through 20 years of strategic planning in the Dayton region, leading us to be in the best possible position for a company like Joby to expand their operations from California to Ohio. For over 100 years, that innovation has not been successfully translated into the manufacturing of aircraft and jobs that come with it. Today, that elusive aspiration becomes reality.”
Senator Sherrod Brown concluded: “Joby Aviation understands Ohio’s proud history of leadership in aerospace innovation and that is why I fought to ensure that they invested here.”
