Volocopter's 4-Seater Aircraft Takes First Flight
PR96363
BENTONVILLE, Arkansas and BRUCHSAL, Germany, June 8, 2022 /PRNewswire=KYODO JBN/ --
- VoloConnect expands the total addressable market for Volocopter's family of
eVTOL aircraft to USD 290 billion
- Zero operating emissions for safe and sustainable flight speeds of over 155
mph and >60 mi range
Today at the UP.Summit, an annual gathering of leaders in transportation
innovation, urban air mobility (UAM) pioneer Volocopter announced that it has
achieved another milestone to bring UAM to life: its fixed-winged passenger
aircraft, the VoloConnect [ https://www.volocopter.com/solutions/voloconnect/
], completed its first flight in May 2022. This accomplishment makes Volocopter
the only eVTOL (electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft) developer
worldwide to have an entire fleet of distinct aircraft configurations
undergoing flight tests.
Volocopter's third product solution, the VoloConnect, offers further and faster
journeys than any other Volocopter aircraft to date, with a range of over 60 mi
and flight speeds above 155 mph. The passenger plane's extended range and
higher payload will bring business travelers and commuters beyond the city
center on routes like Burbank to Huntington Beach in Los Angeles, CA. With the
VoloCity and VoloConnect air taxi designs fulfilling demands for metropolitan
flights and suburban connections in densely populated regions respectively,
Volocopter is ready to serve a broader range of passengers' flight needs. The
VoloConnect is targeting a 2026 entry into service, while the VoloCity is
targeting commercial launch in 2024.
"Having a whole family of electric aircraft in the test flight phase is a
pioneering feat," said Florian Reuter, Volocopter CEO. "Volocopter's leadership
in the industry stems from announcing plans and then delivering on them visibly
with public test flights. Our technology platform is the foundation for our
family of aircraft approach and has proven to deliver results at an astounding
speed. Volocopter is bringing these innovative designs off the ground, into the
air, and then to cities worldwide!"
A dedicated team in Munich, led by Sebastian Mores, Chief Engineer,
VoloConnect, is responsible for this success to bring the VoloConnect prototype
to life. "This is an extraordinary moment for us – seeing the VoloConnect soar
to the sky marks the achievement of one of our key milestones and demonstrates
just what we are capable of in a short time and in line with the company's
overall strategy for crewed and uncrewed aircraft. Furthermore, new
technologies will be tested that will gradually be implemented during the
overall program development," said Mores.
Volocopter designed the VoloConnect and its other eVTOL aircraft to meet the
highest aviation safety standards according to EASA (European Aviation Safety
Agency). The prototype completed its first flight in May 2022 after just 17
months in the making and performed a few maneuvers for 2 minutes and 14 seconds
during its first flight. The prototype has all the planned aerodynamics and
performance features of the future commercial product.
The VoloConnect is a lift-and-cruise aircraft optimized for missions beyond the
urban and suburban space. Keeping moving parts to a minimum, its six rotors
facilitate vertical takeoff, while two electric fans in combination with
uplift-creating wings ensure high forward speeds. Its prototype is currently
passing a demanding series of flight tests to verify that the aircraft and its
systems are in line with performance limits and prepared for the subsequent
development. This phase encompasses low-speed, transition, high-speed, and
engine failure testing for automated and later autonomous flights – all
standard-issue tests for eVTOL passenger aircraft manufacturers. Within the
first three test flights of this campaign, the team was able to verify a
significant portion of the eVTOL's envelope with forward speeds up to 40 mph
and 28 mph sideward flight speeds during tests.
VoloConnect is poised to boost Volocopter's total addressable UAM market,
alongside its existing aircraft family members, the VoloDrone [
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ULyUOC5hciM ] and VoloCity [
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3YIMYonz2b4 ]. The technological differences
between the VoloCity and VoloConnect passenger aircraft abound. Important to
note are their unique designs for their specific flight missions, with the
multirotor VoloCity air taxi poised to serve intracity routes, while its larger
lift-and-cruise sibling will focus on longer urban and suburban missions.
About Volocopter
Volocopter is building the world's first sustainable and scalable urban air
mobility business to bring affordable air taxi services for goods and people to
megacities worldwide. Volocopter leads and cooperates with partners in
infrastructure, operations, and air traffic management to build the ecosystem
necessary to 'Bring Urban Air Mobility to Life'. With over 500 employees in
offices in Bruchsal, Munich, and Singapore., Volocopter has raised $579 million
in equity from investors including Geely, WP Investment, Mercedes-Benz Group,
Intel Capital, and BlackRock.. www.volocopter.com
Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1833845/Volocopter.jpg
Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1626551/Volocopter_Logo.jpg
Source: Volocopter
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