Uber's air taxi ambitions are coming to an end

Uber's ambitious efforts to launch the air taxi service are coming to an end, with the company agreeing to sell its Uber Elevate segment to startup Joby Aviation.

The news comes as Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi tries to push his company toward profitability by selling the company's losing sectors.

It is also said that Uber is exploring the sale of the autonomous vehicle division.

Uber first announced its interest in launching a network of electric airplane taxis in a white paper published in 2016.

According to Uber calculations, a 2-hour, 12-minute flight from San Francisco to San Jose is a 15-minute flight via air taxi service.

Last year, Uber began offering helicopter flights from Manhattan to John F. Kennedy International Airport.

The purpose of the trips was to provide a glimpse of what the experience would be by using the Uber app to request a flight instead of a ride, and the company saw it as an opportunity to collect data for the air taxi service.

These plans relied on electric-powered aviation technology, which was still under development and has not yet been tested as part of a commercial service.

Joby Aviation's choice as a buyer makes sense, with the participatory carrier saying in December 2019 that it has been joining the airline, which has been operating on electric aircraft for more than a decade.

Joby Aviation was the first company to adhere to Uber's strict schedule to launch the air taxi service by 2023.

Unlike dozens of other companies currently building eVTOL, Joby Aviation has kept much of its project secret.

The few shows there show a hybrid drone with 12 fan and cabin space for four passengers.

Joby Aviation announced in January 2020 that it was collaborating with Toyota to launch an air taxi service using its new aircraft.

The electric aircraft has six propellers and five seats and can take off vertically, such as a helicopter.

Joby Aviation says: The aircraft can have a maximum speed of 200 miles per hour, traveling 150 miles with a single charge, and is 100 times quieter than conventional aircraft.