Photo: Volocopter
Flying cars, one of humanity’s most persistent and seemingly impossible dreams, will probably not happen in the way we’ve been imagine them. But we’ll still get air taxis, which are basically passenger drones slash helicopter hybrids – and soon.
Several major companies and some smaller ones are working on air taxis, or eVTOLs (electric vertical take off and landing aircraft), with the goal of turning urban air mobility in a proper alternative means of transport in crowded urban environments. German startup Velocopter is one of them and, based on their recent announcement, they’re making considerable headway in the field.
They’re making so much headway that they’ve confidently announced a 2023 date for the launch of air taxi services in Singapore, with support from the Economic Development Board of Singapore (EDB) and the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS). The first flights on VoloCity will take place by that date (within two or three years, Volocopter says) and will be “a touristic route over the southern waters, offering breath-taking views of the Marina Bay skyline,” according to a press release.
Proof of the level of confidence Volocopter has in its aircraft isn’t in the announcement, though, but rather in the fact that the first tickets for that first flight have already been made available – and sold out, New Atlas reports. At €300 ($364) a pop, it’s not exactly breaking the bank but it’s also a far cry from standardizing urban air mobility. A step in the right direction, though.
That said, it’s not like these first tourists will be heading out for extended periods of time: VoloCity has very short autonomy.
VoloCity is one of the smallest and most basic eVTOLs currently in development. Powered by nine battery packs and 18 brushless motors, it has a range of just 35 km (22 miles) at a top speed of 110 kph (68 mph).
That 2023 deadline pends certification both from European and Singaporean bodies.
They’re making so much headway that they’ve confidently announced a 2023 date for the launch of air taxi services in Singapore, with support from the Economic Development Board of Singapore (EDB) and the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS). The first flights on VoloCity will take place by that date (within two or three years, Volocopter says) and will be “a touristic route over the southern waters, offering breath-taking views of the Marina Bay skyline,” according to a press release.
Proof of the level of confidence Volocopter has in its aircraft isn’t in the announcement, though, but rather in the fact that the first tickets for that first flight have already been made available – and sold out, New Atlas reports. At €300 ($364) a pop, it’s not exactly breaking the bank but it’s also a far cry from standardizing urban air mobility. A step in the right direction, though.
That said, it’s not like these first tourists will be heading out for extended periods of time: VoloCity has very short autonomy.
VoloCity is one of the smallest and most basic eVTOLs currently in development. Powered by nine battery packs and 18 brushless motors, it has a range of just 35 km (22 miles) at a top speed of 110 kph (68 mph).
That 2023 deadline pends certification both from European and Singaporean bodies.
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