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Volocopter's longer-range drone taxi completes its first test flights
Volocopter's four-seat drone taxi has flown for the first time, and should serve passengers in 2026.
'Flight Simulator: GOTY Edition' adds new aircraft and locations on November 18th
Microsoft is launching 'Flight Simulator: Game of the Year Edition' on November 18th with new aircraft, locations and feature upgrades.
Volocopter shows off its vision for a commuter drone taxi
Or, crazy thought, you could just take a bus.
Volocopter opens reservations for first electric air taxi flights
The company’s final certification for air taxis is still pending.
Volocopter is researching the best air taxis routes in Southeast Asia
Volocopter is preparing for a feasibility study that will determine the best cities and routes for air taxis in Southeast Asia and evaluate different air taxi use cases. This next step is part of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) necessary for Volocopter to bring commercial air taxis to the region.
Volocopter's massive utility drone can carry up to 440 pounds
While Volocopter's been busy working on its air taxis, it's also preparing to enter the utility drone market using a similar design. Much like the company's experimental 2X and upcoming VoloCity, the aptly-named VoloDrone announced today is yet another 18-rotor electric aircraft, which can be remote-controlled or set to a pre-planned route in autonomous mode. But instead of carrying passengers, the VoloDrone is designed to fit various types of cargo and equipment under its belly -- be it a box, an agricultural sprayer, a sling or disaster relief tools.
Daimler and Geely back Volocopter to help launch its flying taxi service
Flying taxis are one step closer to becoming a reality. Volocopter announced in 2018 that it hopes to have autonomous air taxis in the sky within five years, and one step on the path to achieving that is securing that all-important investment money.
Volocopter proves its air taxi can work with air traffic control
In order for air taxis and delivery drones to succeed, they'll have to play nicely with air traffic control systems. Yesterday, a Volocopter air taxi proved it's ready to do just that. The Volocopter 2X performed a series of tests at the Helsinki international airport, where it demonstrated its ability to integrate with both manned and unmanned air traffic management systems.
Volocopter reveals its first commercial autonomous flying taxi
Just yesterday we said flying taxis may be a reality in the not-too-distant future. Today, Volocopter revealed its first commercial air taxi, the VoloCity. Designed to serve as an on-demand, inner-city vehicle, it can carry two passengers and their hand luggage. It's capable of an estimated range of 35 km (or roughly 22 miles) and an airspeed of 110 km/h (or about 68 mph). This is the fourth-generation eVTOL, or electric take-off and landing aircraft, by the German company, and like models we've seen in the past, the VoloCity has 18 rotors, redundancy in all critical systems and a promise of low noise.
Volocopter will test its autonomous air taxis in Singapore next year
Volocopter is preparing to run inner-city tests of its autonomous air taxis in Singapore, starting in the second half of 2019. The company and the city-state's civil aviation authority are determining the scope of the tests, which Volocopter plans to conclude with public demo flights.
Volocopter hopes to have air taxis in the sky in five years
In addition to autonomous vehicles crawling the cities without drivers, we should start getting ready for the sky to be taken over by robot chauffeurs. One of the companies working on future air taxis is Germany-based Volocopter. Its 18-rotored human-sized drone took flight at Intel's CES keynote and was on display at the Las Vegas Convention Center. So naturally, we asked to sit in it.
Passenger Drone lives up to its name with manned flight
There are quite a few companies working on developing drones for human transportation, but a new one has just jumped into the fray. With an almost fully developed prototype and plans to start producing them commercially next year, the aptly named Passenger Drone introduced itself by showing off a manned flight on its first prototype.
Dubai tests a passenger drone for its flying taxi service
Dubai was serious when it said it wants to be first in the world to offer a flying taxi service. That's why on Monday, it staged a maiden test flight for one of its potential taxis: a two-seater, 18-rotor unmanned flying vehicle made by German firm Volocopter, which is backed by fellow German company Daimler. The automated vehicle, which lifts and lands vertically like a helicopter, whisked Dubai Crown Prince Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed away for a five-minute flight 200 meters above a patch of sand.
Daimler funds Volocopter's autonomous flying taxi dreams
Volocopter just got a $30 million cash injection, thanks to a few investors, including fellow German firm Daimler. The automaker's contribution can help the company stick to its timeline and its plans to release its first autonomous electric air taxis next year. Volocopter has been working on the creation of a personalized air transport system for years and completed the first manned test flight of its multicopter in 2016.
Watch an 18-rotor electric helicopter take its first manned flight
E-Volo has been talking about the prospect of using many-rotor electric helicopters (aka multicopters) as semi-affordable personal transport for years, and it now looks like this isn't just a far-fetched dream. The company recently completed the first manned test flight of the first certified multicopter, the Volocopter VC200, and documented the whole affair on camera. It wasn't the most ambitious flight, as you'll see in the clips below, but it shows exactly what the extremely stable, drone-like vehicle can do. You don't need to constantly monitor the controls to keep the VC200 airborne, making it perfect for newcomers.
Watch this 18-rotor electric helicopter take its maiden voyage (video)
If you've ever wondered what would happen if someone made one of Parrot's AR.Drones big enough to sit in, then heads-up, E-Volo's Volocopter VC200 is, broadly speaking, just that. The craft, which the company hopes you won't call a helicopter, packs 18 electrically driven rotors on a circular frame, and has just completed its first test flight in Germany. While it can currently only hover for 20 minutes, there are plans to get it traveling at 54 knots for more than an hour at a time. If you're curious to see it in action, head on past the break, but just be warned that it's not quite ready to shorten our commutes just yet.
