<p class="ingestion featured-caption">A selfie of the author with the Joby eVTOL in New York City.Taylor Rains/Business Insider</p><ul class="summary-list"><li>Joby Aviation plans to launch commercial "air taxis" in New York City and Los Angeles in 2025.</li><li>Joby's eVTOLs offer a quieter, zero-emissions alternative to cars and helicopters.</li></ul><p>Electric aircraft manufacturer Joby Aviation plans to launch <a target="_blank" class href="https://www.businessinsider.com/see-joby-evtol-fly-for-price-of-uber-2023-8">commercial "air taxis"</a> in New York City and Los Angeles by late 2025 as a more efficient alternative to driving or taking the train.</p><p>Joby says its electric takeoff and landing vehicle, or eVTOL, would <a target="_blank" class href="https://www.businessinsider.com/united-to-use-electric-air-taxi-in-chicago-new-york-2023-3">shuttle people between airports and city centers</a> for the price of a cab and allow customers to cut their travel time from hours to just minutes by avoiding congestion.</p><p>The company expects its eVTOLs to receive a warm welcome from <a target="_blank" class href="https://www.businessinsider.com/helicopter-ride-nyc-east-hampton-price-increase-airport-noise-regulation-2022-4">city residents sick of hearing loud helicopters</a> overhead.</p><p>While the thought of <a target="_blank" class href="https://www.businessinsider.com/airlines-investing-in-evtol-aircraft-united-american-2022-8">flying taxis sounds very Jetsons</a> — it's no pipe dream.</p><p>Joby has secured hundreds of millions of dollars of investments from Toyota, Delta Air Lines, and <a target="_blank" class href="https://www.businessinsider.com/joby-aviation-to-acquire-uber-elevate-wins-75-million-investment-2020-12">Uber</a>, with which it has a strategic partnership to launch its commercial air taxi service by 2025 (pending <a target="_blank" class href="https://www.businessinsider.com/electric-air-taxis-expected-to-fly-by-2025-infrastructure-challenges-2024-6">regulatory approval</a>).</p>