Joby Aviation has signed an agreement with Clay Lacy Aviation to install Southern California’s first electric air taxi charger at John Wayne Airport (SNA).
Electrical infrastructure is set to be installed to support Joby’s Global Electric Aviation Charging System (GEACS) at SNA, which is currently already in use at Joby’s own flight test centre in Marina, as well as Edwards Air Force Base.
The installation is part of a 100 million USD redevelopment of Clay Lacy’s fixed-based operator (FBO) terminal at the airport, with an approximate completion date of mid-2025.
JoeBen Bevirt, founder and CEO of Joby, said:Today’s announcement marks a key moment on the path to delivering our air taxi service in the Greater Los Angeles area.
We’re taking concrete steps to ensure the right infrastructure is in place to support our future service and we’re grateful to be working with an industry pioneer like Clay Lacy Aviation to lead the way on bringing sustainable aviation to Southern California.
The charging technology we have developed is optimized to support our whole industry, from air taxis delivering short range city flights to more conventional electric aircraft flying longer distances. Joby made the specifications for the universal charging interface freely available to the wider industry in November 2023, to help accelerate the transition to clean flight. We’re therefore very pleased to see it being adopted in this key market.
The GEACS’ charging interface supports the operation of all electric aircraft currently under development, including its own electric air taxi, which completed its first-ever flight in New York City in 2023.
