Volocopter to test electric air taxis in Singapore in 2019

Volocopter will trial its air taxis in Singapore’s urban environments in the second half of 2019. The initiative is expected to lead to public demonstration flights. The company says the eVtols, based on drone technology, can carry two passengers for a distance up to 30 km. These air taxis can manoeuvre safely around skyscrapers to ensure a smooth ride for passengers, Volocopter adds. Volocopter will work with the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS) to establish the scope of the trials
October 22, 2018 Read time: 2 mins
8772 Volocopter will trial its air taxis in Singapore’s urban environments in the second half of 2019. The initiative is expected to lead to public demonstration flights.  


The company says the eVtols, based on drone technology, can carry two passengers for a distance up to 30 km.

These air taxis can manoeuvre safely around skyscrapers to ensure a smooth ride for passengers, Volocopter adds.

Volocopter will work with the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS) to establish the scope of the trials.  

Ho Yuen Sang, director (aviation industry), CAAS, says the partnership will study the technology’s technical capabilities and develop operational guidelines for the initiative.

Also, Volocopter will establish a product design and engineering team to support its expansion plans. The firm is looking to collaborate with real-estate developers, mobility providers and businesses to implement an air taxi service in Singapore.

Florian Reuter CEO of Volocopter, says: "Volocopter holds a preliminary permit to fly from the German authorities since 2016 and is cooperating with the European Aviation Safety Authority to receive a full commercial license”.

Aside from CAAS, the project is supported by the Ministry of Transport and the government’s Economic Development Board.

In %$Linker: 2 Internal <?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-16"?><dictionary /> 4 34945 0 link-external April false /sections/transmart/news/volocopter-to-launch-air-taxi-infrastructure-for-cities-within-ten-years/ false false%>, Volocopter unveiled its vision for an air taxi infrastructure for cities which it believes could integrate into transportation systems and provide mobility for up to 10,000 passengers per day. The company expects the technology to be available within the next ten years.

UTC

Related Content

  • November 5, 2018
    Ford and Baidu to trial self-driving vehicles in China
    Ford has joined forces with technology company Baidu to test Level 4 self-driving vehicles in China over the next two years. Level 4, established by the SAE International (formerly the US Society of Automotive Engineers), will allow the vehicles to operate without intervention from a human driver. A report by CNBC says Ford’s self-driving vehicles are equipped with Baidu’s autonomous driving system Apollo. The cars are expected to be deployed in on-road tests by the end of 2018. Sherif Marakby, pr
    Read More
  • October 31, 2018
    Commuters in Indonesia can exchange used plastic bottles for free bus trips
    The city of Surabaya, Indonesia, is giving free bus rides to commuters who provide used plastic bottles as part of a strategy encourage recycling. This initiative is expected to serve the city’s ambition to eliminate plastic waste by 2020. Citizens can travel on red city buses by dropping off plastic bottles at terminals or can use the bottles to pay for their fares. Reuters says a two-hour bus ticket costs ten plastic cups or up to five plastic bottles, depending on their size. Labels and bo
    Read More
  • November 26, 2018
    Western Australia PTA chooses Flowbird for SmartRider scheme
    The Public Transport Authority of Western Australia has chosen Flowbird Transport Intelligence as the prime contractor for its multimodal smart card scheme, SmartRider. The contactless electronic ticketing system uses RFID technology to provide Perth’s metropolitan region with access to bus, train and ferry services. Flowbird will provide ongoing support services for the daily running of SmartRider on all three modes. The company says it will establish “an enhanced service and support base” in Perth to s
    Read More
  • April 12, 2019
    Uber may never be profitable … admits Uber
    Private ride-hailing giant Uber, which is aiming to follow rival Lyft in becoming a public company this year, has warned that it may never be profitable. The candid admission comes in a filing to the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) as Uber prepares for an initial public offering (IPO) which it reportedly hopes will value the company at $100 billion. This potential IPO figure is some way below the $120bn predicted by analysts just last year. And Uber warns: “We have incurred significant loss
    Read More

Highlighted Content