What is this plane? It was developed by the German company Volocopter, which specializes in creating such devices with vertical take-off and landing using electric motors. The air taxi, and it was called Volocity, is a cross between a drone and a helicopter. Above the roof of the cabin is a disc-shaped frame with a diameter of 11.3 meters. It has 18 propellers fitted with electric motors. The charge comes to them from nine batteries specially designed for this case. When the batteries are fully charged, Volocity is able to fly at a speed of 110 km/h and carry a load weighing 450 kilograms over a distance of up to 30 kilometers.
According to the creators of the device, whose first test flights began at the end of last year, thanks to electric traction, an air taxi makes four times less noise than a conventional helicopter. In addition, compared to him, he needs a smaller landing and take-off area, which is extremely important for use in urban conditions. At the moment, three routes are planned for air taxis, and there will be ten to date. Between Roissy – Charles de Gaulle and Bourges airports and a site southeast of Paris. It is a quay on a barge moored on the left bank of the Seine near the Gare d’Austerlitz. True, for this you still need to get special permission from the authorities, since flights over the capital of all aircraft are strictly regulated. Another line will connect two small airports. One of them is located near Versailles, and the other in the southwestern suburb of Paris, Issy-les-Moulineaux.
According to Jean-Christophe Dray, commercial director of the French subsidiary of Volocopter, the air taxi flight will not last more than half an hour. As for the cost, according to Augustin de Romanet, the boss of the company ADP (Airports of Paris), which will operate these devices, then most likely it will not exceed 110 euros. The air taxi is designed for one pilot and one passenger. It is assumed that the unmanned version of the operation of these electric aircars will be implemented at the turn of 2028-2030.
