CalCompetes grant supports Joby facility expansion, job growth

A $9.8 million California Competes grant has been awarded to Joby Aviation (Santa Cruz, Calif., U.S.) by the Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development (GO-Biz) to support the company’s continued statewide expansion of its electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft developments.

The grant will assist in financing a significant expansion of Joby’s facilities in Marina, California — supporting higher manufacturing volumes and initial training for pilots and aircraft maintainers — as well as continued hiring at the company’s other offices located in San Carlos and Santa Cruz, California. As part of the agreement, Joby has committed to invest $41.3 million and create 690 additional full-time jobs in the state by 2027.

The CalCompetes grant enables Joby to accelerate early manufacturing in California to support the company’s ongoing type certification program with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) as well as for initial commercial operations, expected to begin in 2025.

While Joby plans to manufacture aircraft in support of initial operations from its California-based facilities, the company announced in September that it will locate its first scaled manufacturing plant in Dayton, Ohio, the birthplace of aviation. Joby plans to build a facility in Dayton capable of delivering up to 500 aircraft per year, supporting up to 2,000 clean manufacturing jobs.

Earlier this month, Joby performed its first exhibition flights outside of California, flying an electric air taxi in New York City as part of an event held by the city’s leadership announcing their intent to electrify the iconic Downtown Manhattan Heliport to enable clean, quiet air travel.

Joby currently has more than 160 open positions in California. Interested candidates can find more information and submit an application on the company’s careers page.

For related information, read “Joby delivers eVTOL aircraft to Edwards Air Force Base ahead of schedule.”