Volocopter to Release Air Taxi Service by 2021

German aviation startup Volocopter has teamed up with logistics group DB Schenker to deploy its heavy-lift drones.

The remote-controlled drone can lift a load of up to 200 kilograms (440 lb) and has a range of 40 kilometres (25 miles), making it ideal for jobs such as delivering medicines to a hospital or dropping off components at a factory.

In contrast, Schenker chosen Volocopter after backing the nine-year-old start-up’s 87 million euro ($ 103 million) financing round inFebruary In overall, Volocopter has actually raised 122 million euros from financiers.

Schenker CEO Jochen Thewes explained that Drones are a technology that would allow to rethink supply chains for city logistics and its common goal is to have a commercial proof case up and running in 2021.

According to Reuter, the full certification from the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) is expected for the 18-rotor VoloCity air taxi towards the end of 2022. The VoloDrone, with a similar design, should follow in 2023.

Noteworthy, Volocopter is one of a fleet of startups developing battery-powered aircraft and, with full certification for its air taxi still a few years away, it wants to put its VoloDrone to work sooner.

Last year, the European aeronautical manufacturer has presented in Ingolstadt in Germany, its concept of flying taxi: CityAirbus. This helicopter works thanks to these electric motors. Being able to carry up to four passengers, the craft can only make short journeys.

According to CityAirbus project manager Marius Bebesel, the concept would allow anyone to afford a taxi ride to go, for example, from the airport to the city center. Even if the distances traveled will be quite small because of its autonomy of about fifteen minutes, this means of transport 2.0 will relieve some of the road traffic.

In contrast, CityAirbus is not the only model of its kind to be in progress. In the same vein, the European manufacturer develops “Vahana”. Also based on electric propulsion, Vahana has meanwhile achieved a flight of several minutes in perfect autonomy last February.

If the commercialization date of CityAirbus is not yet known, everything indicates that the future is on. So, goodbye traditional car and hello flying taxi!