Urban air mobility (UAM) is still in its infancy, but some developers are way ahead of the race. German startup Volocopter is one of them, having just taken the Volocopter 2X prototype for a first public flight during an air show in Paris, France.
If the name Volocopter rings a bell, it’s because the company has been around for a decade. It started with modified oversize drones for agricultural use and leaned into urban mobility, anticipating a boom in the market. Currently, Volocopter has two such UAM vehicles under development: the eVTOL VoloCity and the larger, hybrid VoloConnect.
The Volocopter 2X prototype for the VoloCity is now at the Paris Air Forum, along with the VoloCity model. For a proper insight into how air taxis of tomorrow will be like, Volocopter sent the prototype on a first public flight at the Le Bourget Airfield. It wasn’t long—just three minutes—but it marked a very important milestone in UAM development. You can see it at the bottom of the page.
According to the company, the 3-minute flight saw the prototype cover a distance of about 500 meters (1,641 feet), at an altitude of 30 meters (98.4 feet), and a speed of 30 kph (18.6 mph). VoloCity will carry two people (plus luggage) once development is completed, which, by the way, should happen in time for the Paris 2024 Olympics, as part of a partnership with the French Civil Aviation Authority (DGAC).
“The clear intention for Paris 2024, the objective is to actually have a regular service in operation,” Volocopter Chief Executive Florian Reuter told Reuters at the event. “That’s a challenge.” Reuter added that the goal was to make VoloCity automated, so anyone could pilot it without a license.
If the original timeline sticks, before VoloCity makes its debut in Paris, it will take the first flights with passengers in Singapore in 2023, as part of an ongoing partnership with the Economic Development Board of Singapore (EDB) and the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS). Tickets went on sale in December 2020.
Elena has been writing for a living since 2006 and, as a journalist, she has put her double major in English and Spanish to good use. She covers automotive and mobility topics like cars and bicycles, and she always knows the shows worth watching on Netflix and friends. Full profile
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