Volocopter to launch air taxi infrastructure for cities within ten years

Volocopter has unveiled its vision for an air taxi infrastructure for cities which it claims 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. The firm says that the electrically-powered aircraft are emission-free and take off and land vertically to maintain safety. Volocopters are based on drone technology and can carry two people over distances of 27km. For the infrastructu
April 27, 2018 Read time: 1 min

8772 Volocopter has unveiled its vision for an air taxi infrastructure for cities which it claims 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.

The firm says that the electrically-powered aircraft are emission-free and take off and land vertically to maintain safety. Volocopters are based on drone technology and can carry two people over distances of 27km.

For the infrastructure, the firm proposes that areas it calls ‘Volo-Hubs’ could allow the air taxis to land and take off every 30 seconds. Once inside, battery packs will be exchanged automatically in a protected area by robots before moving on to the section where passengers embark for take-off. In addition, the hubs could offer space to park all Volocopters in operation.

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Data collection becoming a crowded market
    October 26, 2017
    New ways of gathering data can revolutionise traffic and travel management, so is the writing on the wall for the traditional methods? Jon Masters reports. There are two big industries that stand to be revolutionised by massive increases in data – healthcare and transportation, says Finlay Clarke, the UK managing director of the smartphone sat nav traffic app, Waze. “At present we’re really only at the start of how cities, in particular, will be transformed,” he says.
    Read More
  • Insight into China's smart cities initiatives
    April 25, 2013
    Schneider Electric, which has been playing an active role in smart transportation systems in China since 1990, provides an insight into smart city initiatives in the country. Today, most cities across the world are facing unprecedented growth, which questions the viability of the current development model. They are immersed in a competition with each other, both domestically and internationally, in terms of investments, jobs and talents. Cities need to become more attractive and intelligent by becoming more
    Read More
  • Communications for cooperative infrastructures and safety
    February 2, 2012
    Scott Andrews of Cogenia Partners, LLC details the findings of the VII Proof Of Concept work carried out to verify the effectiveness of 5.9GHz-based communication for future US cooperative infrastructures
    Read More
  • Here’s HD AV map prepared for 5G
    June 17, 2019
    The emergence of 5G may not be necessary to provide a high-definition map for autonomous driving, says Matt Preyss from Here Technologies. Ben Spencer asks why 5G is a hot topic worldwide, with the potential for faster transfer of information eagerly awaited by those convinced that it will be a game-changer for the ITS industry. High-definition (HD) maps are essential to allow autonomous vehicles (AVs) to understand their environment, and operate safely within it in relation to other road users and p
    Read More

Highlighted Content