Joby and Archer Are Racing to FAA Certification While Burning Hundreds of Millions a Year. Here's the 1 Number That Picks the Winner.

Joby Aviation and Archer Aviation are competing for FAA certification of their electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft. Joby is currently ahead, having conducted its first FAA-conforming eVTOL flight in early March with five aircraft in testing, while Archer is still working on building its FAA-conforming aircraft. The key milestone is 100% completion of for-credit testing by FAA pilots. While Joby may achieve certification first, certification could unlock more immediate value for Archer due to its OEM business model focused on aircraft sales, compared to Joby's transportation-as-a-service approach.