JoeBen Bevirt

I settle into the seat, check my controls, and lift off. The aircraft lifts off, not takes off. It’s like a helicopter at first, as the propellers start to spin. But unlike a chopper’s long floppy blades, these props look like an airplane’s but point straight up. Out of the windows, monitors show the Marina, California, airfield and the straw meadows and green hills beyond. It’s early September, and I’m among the first journalists to “pilot” a simulated version of Joby Aviation’s eVTOL, pronounced…

The craft can recharge in about five minutes, while passengers are unloading and boarding, said CEO JoeBen Bevirt. The idea is that travelers will book their trip, similar to a rideshare app.Electric air taxis could be transporting passengers from JFK Airport to downtown Manhattan by 2025 - on quiet, emissions-free journeys that take around seven minutes.Manufacturer Joby Aviation carried out an exhibition flight at the Downtown Manhattan Heliport in New York on Sunday,…