Clay Lacy Aviation and Joby Aviation are to install what they say will be the first charging unit for eVTOL air taxis in Southern California. The Global Electric Charging System (GEACS) developed by Joby will form part of Clay Lacy’s $100 million redevelopment of its FBO at John Wayne Airport in Orange County which is due to be completed by mid-2025.
Joby is already using the GEACS units to support test flights with its four-passenger eVTOL aircraft at its facility at Marina in Northern California and at Edwards Air Force Base. Last year, the company made the specifications for the charging units available publicly to encourage other electric aircraft manufacturers and operators to adopt them as a universal recharging interface.
According to Joby, John Wayne Airport will be part of its planned air taxi network serving the Los Angeles metropolitan area from 2025. Its piloted aircraft will operate on routes of up to 100 miles at speeds of up to 200 mph. The manufacturer plans to operate commercial routes in major U.S. cities that could also include New York with partners such as Delta Air Lines.
“The charging technology we have developed is optimized to support our whole industry, from air taxis delivering short-range city flights to more conventional electric aircraft flying longer distances,” said Joby founder and CEO JoeBen Bevirt. “Joby made the specifications for the universal charging infrastructure freely available to the wider industry in November 2023 to help accelerate the transition to clean flight. We’re therefore pleased to see it adopted in this key market.”
Charging Stations Draws Battery Data From Aircraft
Operations of the GEACS system will involve a vehicle charging controller communicating with the charging station controller via an ethernet connection. The equipment supports voltages of between 150 and 1,000 VDC and can generate 300 amps per channel, depending on thermal conditions, coolant exchange flow rates and temperatures.
Once connected, the aircraft will automatically communicate its battery configuration and charging needs in terms of voltage targets. Temperature sensors in the charging connector will allow the charger current limit to be adjusted based on thermal conditions.
Also in November, rival eVTOL developers Archer Aviation and Beta Technologies collaborated to install Beta's electric aircraft charging system at Archer's test site in Salinas, California. Beta's Level 3 DC fast-charging cubes produce 350 kilowatts of power.
Clay Lacy Aviation, which was founded in 1968, is aiming for its John Wayne Airport FBO to be the first in the world to be Gold-certified by the Institute for Sustainable Infrastructure. The company also operates a fleet of managed and charter aircraft, as well as a full-service FBO at Van Nuys Airport in Los Angeles. It plans to open a third FBO at Waterbury-Oxford Airport in Connecticut later this year and also provides Part 145 maintenance support.
“Since our founding more than 50 years ago, Clay Lacy has been committed to improving lives for our community, employees, and clients; leading the industry on safety and service while taking action to reduce emissions in both our ground and air operations,” said Scott Cutshall, the company’s senior vice president for strategy and sustainability.
