NASA begins tests of Joby electric flying cab

California-based Joby Aviation is working with NASA to begin testing an all-electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft for long-distance communications.

The aircraft is currently collecting operational and acoustic data for NASA for future Advanced Mobility Air Transportation (AAM) concepts.

Based on test results, NASA will also inform the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) of possible problems in the use of air cabs in and out of cities with the goal of further integrating them into the transportation infrastructure.

A critical component of this effort is ensuring that the flying cars are low-noise, which will involve up to 50 special eVTOL Joby noise-measuring microphones.

The range of the new flying cab will be more than 150 miles, and the speed will be more than 200 mph.