Joby Aviation is an aerospace company that aims to develop and commercialize an electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft to create fast, quiet and affordable air transport services. Although the idea of ​​cheap and reliable urban air travel has been promised to us at the start of every decade since the 1950s, Joby looks like it might actually deliver on that promise – especially with a hefty cash infusion from Toyota.

The automaker just invested $394 million in Joby’s Series C funding.

“Air transportation is a long-term goal for Toyota, and as we continue our work in the automotive business, this agreement raises our eyes to the sky,” said Toyota Motor Corporation President and CEO Akio Toyoda.

"As we take on the challenge of air transportation together with Joby, an innovator in the emerging eVTOL space, we are harnessing the potential to revolutionize future transportation and life."

Toyota expects that eVTOLs will "revolutionize mobility" in urban areas by helping to reduce congestion while alleviating some of the environmental burdens created by other vehicles. eVTOLs are also touted as a solution to the lack of transport in sparsely populated areas, although it is unclear who would pay for them.

Uber already has a helicopter taxi service that operates in airports (in fact, they now plan to use some of Joby's planes), but there's a reason there aren't many of the same services in cities.

It's difficult to get regulatory approval for transporting customers between skyscrapers and office buildings by helicopter. And creating another small private transportation system also does not solve the problem created by the growing urban population that requires large-scale public transportation, not helicopter taxis. The infrastructure needed to make cities suitable for their use is also prohibitively expensive, and when faced with the option of subsidizing a helicopter that serves a handful of wealthy customers or a train station, most city planners – and politicians – will choose the latter.

Riding in Joby's eVTOL will no doubt be extremely enjoyable, but it won't be affordable. So while the vehicle looks slick – and Toyota's money will likely be well spent – ​​Joby should probably call it what it is: an electric helicopter.