Atoms and Joby Aviation have formed a strategic partnership to acquire and develop vertiport sites across the United States as Joby prepares for early electric air taxi operations.
The companies will initially focus on Florida, New York and Texas, where Joby is preparing early operations under the White House-backed eVTOL Integration Pilot Program, as well as California.
The planned vertiports are designed to serve as multimodal transportation hubs where electric aircraft, autonomous ground vehicles and ridesharing services can connect.
The sites are also expected to include on-site power infrastructure supporting aircraft charging and other operations.
Atoms and Joby said the partnership is intended to address a growing infrastructure requirement as electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft move closer to commercial deployment.
Joby is developing an all-electric air taxi for passenger service and has flown its first FAA-conforming aircraft.
The company has also entered the final stage of FAA type certification, while piloted flights in the San Francisco Bay Area and New York City have demonstrated the aircraft’s operational capabilities.
As Joby advances toward commercial service, the companies expect ground infrastructure to become increasingly important, including locations where aircraft can land, recharge and connect passengers with ground transportation.
Atoms Real Estate will lead development of the vertiport infrastructure.
The business develops smart city infrastructure using internal architecture, engineering, technology and construction capabilities to deliver complex, power-intensive projects.
Under the partnership, Atoms plans to develop the vertiports as broader transportation hubs rather than standalone landing facilities.
The hubs are expected to support passenger transfers, aircraft servicing, charging and connections with autonomous vehicles and ridesharing services.
Atoms was founded by Travis Kalanick and operates across food, mining and transportation through businesses including CloudKitchens, Otter, Picnic, Lab37, ProFood and Pronto.
The company describes its broader focus as building industrial AI systems and smart city infrastructure supporting industries involved in transportation and other essential services.
Joby intends to both operate its own electric air taxi service in cities globally and sell aircraft to other operators and partners.
The partnership reflects the companies’ view that successful deployment of electric air taxis will depend not only on aircraft certification and manufacturing but also on developing the physical infrastructure required to integrate them into existing transportation networks.
KEY QUOTES:
“Smart cities require innovative real estate and infrastructure development. As new transport modes and smart city services become available, designing and deploying a new asset class to support them is critical.”
“We’re focused on serving city stakeholders with inspired, efficient buildouts that deliver great experiences for residents and communities alike.”
Travis Kalanick, Founder and CEO of Atoms
“Thoughtful urban planning can take a decade or more, and making electric flight part of everyday life will require a new generation of transportation hubs connecting aircraft, ground transportation, and communities.”
“Atoms has a vision of building ambitious infrastructure projects that combine technology, operations, and customer experience, making them a natural partner for Joby.”
JoeBen Bevirt, Founder and CEO of Joby Aviation
