Flying taxi for longer distances

Although we have seen several prototypes of flying taxis over the past 1-2 years, experts have now come up with a model that can travel longer distances. The latest invention from Volocopter can now be used for longer distances. The self-driving vehicle, called Voloconnect, is a fixed-wing flying taxi designed to connect suburbs and city centres.

The urban air mobility company has created a new four-seater aircraft. The electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft complements the company’s existing range of aircraft, which includes models designed for intra-city missions. As the new Voloconnect is able to travel longer distances, it extends the coverage of Volocopter’s urban air mobility (UAM) ecosystem to suburbs. The aircraft will be integrated into the company’s current portfolio – its distinctive hybrid lift and push structure is expected to be certified within the next 5 years.

“Voloconnect embodies the next dimension of our mission: to provide affordable, efficient and sustainable air mobility solutions to cities around the world. Building on the customer feedback on the existing VoloCity and VoloDrone, VoloConnect’s capacity to support longer missions and higher payloads can serve a new, strongly growing market demand,” said Florian Reuter, CEO of Volocopter.

He added: “They are confident that their aircraft family, years of experience and leading innovation will play a pioneering role in the commercial and international launch of electric air mobility services. The compact aircraft layout is extremely stable. The Voloconnect is equipped with a hybrid lift and thrust system, so it can carry up to 4 passengers – it can fly at 180 km/h at 100 km and has a top speed of 250 km/h. With the latest addition to the Volocopter family, Voloconnect continues to develop high-tech electric aircraft for urban missions.