UAV Volocopter eVTOL takes off for the first time in Stuttgart

A new possible air taxi called Volocopter has performed its first flight in Stuttgart, Germany.

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The vehicle took off from the Mercedes-Benz-Museum and flew for a total of four minutes. No passengers were on board, but company Volocopter ultimately wants the eVTOL aircraft to replace the car in urban areas.

12.500 people came to witness what was the first flight for an European-built eVTOL aircraft in front of an audience. Minister-President of the state of Baden-Württemberg, Winfried Kretschmann, the Chairman of the Board of Management of Daimler AG, Ola Källenius, the CEO of Volocopter GmbH, Florian Reuter, and Thomas Strobl, Minister of the Interior, Digitalisation and Migration for Baden-Württemberg witnessed the flight as well.

The flight was performed over the course of the “Vision Smart City – Experience future mobility today” event, which took place over two days. New technical innovations and sustainable transport concepts for future mobility were presented at the Mercedes-Benz Museum.

Regarding the first flight of the Volocopter, Ola Källenius said: "Our partner Volocopter shows how an air taxi is turning the dream of driving into the dream of flying. At Daimler we work on the mobility of the future too. By 2022 we will have electrified the entire Mercedes-Benz portfolio. Our goal is that electrically powered cars will account for more than half of our sales by 2030. The road to climate-neutral mobility is a joint effort of companies and politics. We at Daimler a willing and ready to make our contribution.”

"I am very pleased that “Vision Smart City” shows us future mobility ideas that are already being developed in Baden-Württemberg – concepts for sustainable cities of the future, for autonomous driving and the intelligent interaction between different mobility concepts," added Winfried Kretschmann.

Florian Reuter, CEO of Volocopter GmbH said: "Our Volocopter air taxis open up a completely new dimension in urban mobility. As Stuttgart has seen today, they fly safely, quietly and are fast approching the implementation stage. Volocopter air taxis are able to ease traffic congestion in major cities around the world, also here in Germany."

The event was also part of an initiative by the Technical University of Stuttgart to elaborate the social acceptance of air taxis.

Volocopter is a German Start-Up that builds aircraft that are based on drone technology. The company wants to carry two people onboard their aircraft. The aim, according to the company, is to offer affordable on-demand air taxi services and save people time by flying them safely to their destination. In 2011, Volocopter performed its first manned flight of a fully electrical multicopter. Currently, Volocopter employs 150 people in Bruchsal, Munich and Singapore.

Source © press.volocopter.com

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