Joby Aviation has broken ground on the expansion of its pilot production ine in Marina, California. The expansion will more than double Joby's manufacturing footprint at the Marina Municipal airport and is expected to begin operations next year.

During a ceremony held to celebrate the groundbreaking, Joby also showcased its second production prototype aircraft which recently rolled off the pilot production line. The aircraft is expected to join the first production prototype at Edwards Air Force Base later this year. Two additional aircraft are in final assembly.

The expanded facility is designed to support a target production rate of 25 aircraft per year and will also house a range of key operations facilities, including an expanded pilot training and flight simulation centre as well as aircraft maintenance facilities that are designed to support the scaling of Joby's commercial operations.

"This facility will play a foundational role in our future success and it is a privilege to once again be growing our footprint and our workforce in California. I am grateful to the local community and our many supporters who have advocated on our behalf to reach this point and to Toyota for everything they continue to do to make manufacturing a success at Joby," says founder and CEO JoeBen Bevirt.

The expansion will be funded in part by the $9.8 million California Competes grant awarded by the Governor's Office of Business and Economic Development in November 2023, to support the company's continued statewide expansion.

Bruce Delgado, mayor of Marina, comments: "Joby benefits all of our tri-county community. We're pleased to see it continue to invest in expanding its presence at Marina Municipal airport, providing high-tech jobs in clean manufacturing that benefit the local community."

"Joby's continued success and growth in Monterey County shows the strength of well-executed public-private partnerships and that California continues to be a great place for companies to build the future," adds Monterey County supervisor Wendy Root-Askew. "We're thrilled to see Joby break ground on an expansion to its electric air taxi factory in Marina and we look forward to future opportunities to partner for the benefit of our local economy."

The ceremony was attended by local and regional stakeholders representing the city of Marina, Monterey County, Monterey Bay DART, Monterey Bay Economic Partnership, Mujeres en Acción, and many other organisations that continue to be instrumental to Joby's success, including Toyota Motor Corporation.

Joby has recently acquired an existing facility at Dayton International airport, as part of plans to develop scaled manufacturing facilities capable of producing up to 500 aircraft per year.