Imagine cutting your commute from San Francisco to Wine Country down from over an hour to just 10 minutes. That’s not science fiction anymore, it’s what Joby Aviation just demonstrated with a successful demo flight across the Bay Area, and honestly, the tech is kind of wild.

On Thursday, the Santa Cruz-based company showcased its piloted electric air taxi, flying a four-passenger vehicle from Oakland International Airport to the Marin Headlands and back around Alcatraz in just 10 minutes, cruising at 100 mph. The crazy part? The aircraft was essentially silent during the entire flight, which is a game-changer for urban transportation.

The air taxi itself is surprisingly compact, about the size of a Yukon SUV, with six propellers and four passenger seats. According to Joby’s leadership, it’s the “sweet spot for the market”. And the pricing makes sense for a luxury service: a one-way flight from SoMa to Wine Country would run you somewhere between $100 and $170, comparable to an Uber Black ride but way faster.

This demo flight comes after the US Department of Transportation selected Joby for its new Electric Vertical Takeoff and Landing Integration Pilot Program (eVTOL). The company is gearing up to launch trial operations in 10 states, Arizona, Florida, Idaho, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Oregon, Texas, and Utah, starting within the next few months. They’re already planning specific use cases too: cargo delivery in Florida and medical operations in North Carolina. Eventually, Joby wants to develop fully autonomous taxis, though there’s no timeline on that yet.

For Bay Area residents, the timing is frustrating. Joby has its headquarters in Santa Cruz with offices in Marina and San Carlos, plus over 2,500 employees mostly based in Northern California. The company is ramping up manufacturing in both the Bay Area and Ohio, yet California trials aren’t expected to launch until after these other states get their turns. Joby’s CEO JoeBen Bevirt says the Bay Area is the perfect testing ground given our traffic problems and unique geography, but you’ll have to wait a bit longer to actually book a flight.

It’s worth noting that Joby isn’t alone in this space. They’re in a heated battle with competitor Archer Aviation, and things have gotten messy, the companies are currently suing each other over alleged trade secrets theft and fraud claims. But regardless of the legal drama, Joby’s successful demo flight shows that electric air taxis are becoming a real possibility, not just startup hype. Bay Area real estate developers are already planning rooftop helipads for future clients, betting that this technology is about to take off, literally.