Forward-looking: Don't get too excited about the prospect of flying taxis just yet. Volocopter said it anticipates the craft's hybrid lift and push design to achieve certification within the next five years. The team has already spent more than two years working on the aircraft and has filed several patents for its tech, but it sounds like it is still several years away from a commercial launch.
German aircraft maker Volocopter recently unveiled its latest electric vertical take-off and landing aircraft (eVTOL) during the annual EBACE Connect aviation convention.
The VoloConnect is designed to complement the company's existing family of aircraft, expanding its effective coverage to suburbs. The craft uses a hybrid lift and push design comprised of six rotors plus two propulsive fans that'll be capable of transporting up to four passengers on routes of up to 100 km (roughly 62 miles) at speeds between 180 km/h and 250 km/h (112 mph to 155 mph).
The flight range is based on today's battery technology but by the time VoloConnect is ready for commercial operation, that figure could be higher.
We're also told that multiple scaled prototypes are already in the air, and they're quickly moving towards testing at full scale.
Volocopter said at the end of 2020 that it aims to make air taxi service a reality in Singapore within the next three years.