Electric Aviation Takes Flight: Where Joby and Archer Stand in 2026

The Air Taxi Revolution Approaches Certification

Taha Abbasi has been tracking the electrification of transportation across every domain — ground, sea, and now air. The electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) industry is approaching a critical milestone in 2026, with both Joby Aviation and Archer Aviation moving through the final stages of FAA type certification for their air taxi aircraft.

If certified, these aircraft will represent the first commercially operated electric air taxis in the United States, opening a new era in urban transportation that combines the convenience of ride-hailing with the speed of aviation.

Joby’s Path to Market

Joby Aviation, backed by Toyota and operating with a Part 135 air carrier certificate, has completed thousands of test flights and is the furthest along in the FAA certification process. The company’s five-seat eVTOL aircraft has a range of approximately 150 miles and a top speed of 200 mph — fast enough to turn a 90-minute ground commute into a 15-minute flight.

As Taha Abbasi observes, Joby’s partnership with Toyota brings manufacturing expertise that pure aerospace startups lack. Building aircraft at automotive scale requires different manufacturing processes, quality systems, and supply chains than traditional aviation — and Toyota knows how to do it.

Archer’s Competitive Approach

Archer Aviation is taking a slightly different approach, focusing on shorter-range urban missions with its Midnight aircraft. The company has secured partnerships with United Airlines and is building a manufacturing facility in Georgia designed for high-volume production from day one.

Taha Abbasi notes that Archer’s strategy — designing for manufacturing from the start rather than adapting a prototype — mirrors what Tesla did with electric cars. It is a bet that the bottleneck will be production capacity, not demand, and that whoever scales manufacturing first wins.

The Infrastructure Challenge

Electric air taxis need landing pads (vertiports) in urban areas, charging infrastructure, air traffic management systems, and public acceptance. These infrastructure challenges are arguably harder to solve than the aircraft themselves. Cities like Los Angeles, New York, and Miami are actively planning vertiport networks, but construction and permitting take years.

What This Means for Urban Transportation

Electric air taxis will not replace cars or trains for most trips. They are a premium option for time-sensitive travel — airport transfers, cross-city commutes, and emergency medical transport. But as Taha Abbasi notes, premium technologies have a way of becoming mainstream as costs decrease. Uber started as a luxury car service and ended up replacing taxis worldwide.

The eVTOL industry represents a $1 trillion potential market by 2040. As Taha Abbasi sees it, the companies that achieve certification first and scale manufacturing fastest will capture outsized value in this emerging market. Joby and Archer are the frontrunners, but the race is far from over.

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About the Author: Taha Abbasi is a technology executive, CTO, and applied frontier tech builder. Read more on Grokpedia | YouTube: The Brown Cowboy | tahaabbasi.com