eVTOL Lawsuits Threaten US Launch as Trump Program Kicks Off
Flying taxis are closer than ever. They are also fighting each other in court. Heated battles unfolding in the courtroom between Joby, Archer and Vertical are threatening to sidetrack certification aspirations and investor appetite. eVTOL makers have long pushed back certification timelines, but the Trump administration’s pilot program is providing the support to get them across the finish line. The eVTOL air taxi lawsuits now sit at the exact moment the sector needed good news most.
The Trump Program That Gave the Sector Hope
President Donald Trump recently launched the eVTOL and Advanced Air Mobility Integration Pilot Program, known as eIPP. It is a three-year effort that could allow passenger-carrying and revenue flights at select airports as early as this summer. The US Department of Transportation and the FAA selected eight projects in the program to test next-generation aircraft in real-world operating environments across the nation.
The program falls under Trump’s Unleashing Drone Dominance Executive Order, issued last June. For an industry that has waited years for any form of revenue-generating flights, the eIPP matters enormously. However, getting there requires companies to focus. That is getting harder.
eVTOL Air Taxi Lawsuits: Joby Versus Archer
The most damaging lawsuit involves two of the sector’s biggest names. Joby accused a former employee, Arshad Kivork, of taking proprietary files to Archer and sharing them to give Archer a competitive edge. Joby said Kivork refused to return the files when approached after an internal investigation.
The company also claims Archer denied wrongdoing. Joby argued in the complaint that it is “imperative” to protect its work from this type of espionage to promote the sector’s success and ensure fair competition. This is not Archer’s first courtroom dispute. In August 2023, Archer settled a previous legal dispute with Boeing-owned Wisk Aero over the alleged theft of trade secrets. As part of that deal, Archer agreed to use Wisk as its autonomous tech partner. Lawsuits cost time, money, and management focus. None of those is easy to spare when FAA certification remains ongoing.
So far this year, investors seem less than impressed. Archer is down 9% and has lost more than a third of its value over the last year. Vertical has shed about half its market value after plummeting nearly 58% in 2025. Eve has lost about 13% of its market cap this year. Beta Technologies, which went public in November, is down more than 50% from its first close. Joby’s stock has lost nearly 7% in 2026 following a 60% run-up last year.
None of the major US eVTOL companies will achieve FAA certification in 2026, according to an industry report. Over in China, eVTOL developers and regulators are racing toward passenger certification in 2026, with EHang and AutoFlight leading the charge. The US started with the technological lead. It is watching that leads to a narrow lead while its top companies sue each other.
