Volocopter's flying taxi business could take off in Singapore

Apparently, sooner rather than later, the launch of Volocopter’s flying taxis is only a matter of time

Presented at the Frankfurt Motor Show, the Volocopter 2X flying taxis offer an aerial alternative to road passenger transport.

These aerial vehicles can carry two people and move somewhere between a helicopter and a drone, thanks to their 18 rotors, and their energy comes from 9 rechargeable lithium-ion batteries, which can be swapped in less than 5 minutes.

Just like a taxi or private-hire service, the vehicle could relieve traffic in cities and their air because the Volocopter 2X are electric, so they would eliminate the direct emission of toxic and greenhouse gases, as they are considered a zero-emission means of transport.

Furthermore, as a vehicle piloted by remote control or through autonomous driving, it would be capable of picking up passengers, landing or taking off without needing to be piloted by a human.

The company’s plan is, first, to use the first Volocopters piloted by a pilot and, subsequently, to progressively expand the journeys managed entirely by the helicopter.

The history of Volocopter

The history of Volocopter dates back to 2010, when the founders of e-Volo, the company’s original name, had the idea and launched the project to create a flying taxi. In 2011, they built their first prototype, the Volocopter VC1. Two years later, in 2013, they unveiled the first definitive Volocopter to the world.

In 2016, they received permission from the German authorities to lift that model into the air. And so it was: on a test flight, this model, named Volocopter VC200, took off, travelled around the surroundings of the headquarters and returned to the ground in a controlled and triumphant manner.

The project caught the attention of Daimler’s sustainable mobility department, which agreed to take part in the commercial development of this project, which is reaching a crucial moment with its possible commercialisation.

Likewise, other companies such as Geely, the Chinese investment group to which it belongs, for example Volvo or Polestar, together with the technology company Intel, have also invested in this company, which is now looking for other investors to raise the funds needed to launch the first flying taxi airline.

The first public flight of the Volocopter 2X took place last September at the Mercedes-Benz MuseumMercedes in Stuttgart, as a demonstration of the relationship between Daimler and Volo GmbH.

Furthermore, Singapore is one of the countries that is showing the most interest in autonomous vehicles, and the authorities plan to have a network of fully autonomous buses operational by 2022.