Toyota Successfully Tested Its First Flying Car Flight In Japan

Toyota and Joby's eVTOL trials. (Doc. Global Toyota)

JAKARTA Toyota Motor Corp announced the success of its first domestic flight test for its flying car'. It is known, the term flying car which is widely developed by world automotive manufacturers and a number of startups are currently known as vertical takeoff and landing aircraft (EVTOL), combining characteristics of helicopters, drones, and small aircraft.

Thus, this eVTOL is designed for short-distance and high-frequency operations suitable for the on-demand air taxi market, which is expected to be used by passengers, business travelers, and tourists in urban areas. EVTOL also aims to excel in reliability, environmental performance (zero operating emissions), silent operation, operational and maintenance costs, enhanced safety features, and more.

In Toyota Global's release, quoted Monday, November 4, Toyota's interest in air mobility has actually started in 1943 when Toyota founder Kiichiro Toyoda created a helicopter prototype.

While citing Yomiuri's newspaper, to fulfill this ambition to date Toyota has invested around $900 million in US-based startups, Joby Aviation, and Toyota have also supported development by sending dozens of executives and engineers to make it happen.

"We have the same vision as Toyota for the future of air travel and are honored to have had the opportunity to present a glimpse of the future through our flight in Japan," said Joby Founder and CEO JoeBen Bevirt.

The first flight test in Japan was carried out at the end of last October at the Higashi-Fuji Toyota Technical Center in Susono, Shizuoka Prefecture. The test vehicle was shown to the media crew at the research facility on Saturday, November 2, to be precise on the day of the announcement of flight success.

The Japanese auto giant also has ambitions to start commercial operations for the air vehicle in the Middle East and other areas in early 2025. In addition, Toyota also plans to conduct a flight demonstration at the Osaka-Kansai Expo.

This eVTOL has a length of about 6 meters and a width of 12 meters, with a total capacity for five people, including crew and passengers. When flying at a height of 500 meters, noise levels are reported to be only 45 liters, which is lower than ordinary cars (70 men) or human conversations (60 pieces of conversation).

Currently, Toyota is in the process of obtaining the type of certification required for commercial operations from aviation authorities in the United States, Japan, Europe, and other countries.

During Saturday's event, Toyota chairman Akio Toyoda held one of the propellers used on the plane, saying, "With this technology, traveling from Tokyo's center to Higashi-Fuji will only take 25 minutes, changing everyday life."