Volocopter presents a new version of its flying taxi for longer journeys
One of the companies that has the most advanced technology in this field, and has carried out the most tests in real conditions, is the German Volocopter.
This one has been operating in the flying taxi industry since 2013 and regularly presents improved versions of its VoloCity electric vehicle, constantly improving its stability, aerodynamics and other aspects.
Except that this one offers the possibility of autonomous transport for only two people over a distance of about 30 kilometers, so it's no wonder that the manufacturer has finally decided to expand its offer with something larger, so it shared a new model with us, which is to connect the suburbs and crowded crowds.
city centers, we are talking about VoloConnect, designed for longer routes and to transport more passengers.
Interestingly, together with it, a hybrid "lift and push" system was presented, because while the existing models resembled drones in this respect, the new one uses horizontal rotors to climb into the air and reach the appropriate height (we are still dealing with a VTOL vehicle,
i.e. with vertical take-off and landing capability), but then a pair of fans enter the action to send the vehicle forward. This time up to 4 people can board the taxi, the maximum speed is 250 km per hour, and the battery on a single charge is enough for the ride
distances up to 100 km.
The company informed that the VoloConnect model has been in preparation for about 2 years, the prototypes are already after testing and everything is rapidly moving towards full-scale testing of the copies.
As you can easily see in the photos, the new model differs in design not only from the VoloCity, but also from the proposals of other major players on the eVTOL market.
more difficult and longer: - The vector drive is more complex and efficient.
Complexity equates to performance with a higher cost and risk but better profitability, explains Mike Hirschberg, director of the Vertical Flight Society.
Volocopter CEO Florian Reuter, however, is confident of the success and promises to obtain the necessary approvals within 5 years: - We are confident that this family of flying vehicles and the years of experience and innovation on which it is built will pave the way for the commercial and international take-up of electric services
urban air mobility.