Air taxi startup Volocopter: pipe dream or the future of aviation?

A German startup wants to write aviation history and launch an electric air taxi in just one year. The legal hurdles are high – and the competition is fierce.

So far, it has mainly been gliders and smaller sports aircraft that have taken off from Bruchsal Airport. Recreational pilots who, after a round over North Baden, stop off in the club’s own restaurant for schnitzel and fries and enjoy the view of their airfield. The square is a green oasis between commercial areas and the A5 motorway. This is exactly where the Bruchsal-based company Volocopter wants to write aviation history soon.

In just a few months, a modern hangar for flying taxis was erected next to the old, army green hangar for gliders. “From here, electric flight taxis will make their way out into the world and change the way we humans get around in cities forever,” said Volocopter boss Dirk Hoke at the opening of the hangar.

Production starts in Germany

With the completion of the new multi-million euro hangar, Volocopter is ready for series production. Up to 50 “VoloCitys”, as the Bruchsal air taxi model is called, can then be produced in the Baden provinces per year. In a three-shift operation, up to 150 units per year would be feasible. While final assembly is to take place in the new hangar, engineers are working on the carbon rotors about two kilometers away. The material is also used in motor sports due to its low weight and simultaneous strength.

18 rotors drive the multicopter, which weighs more than a ton. The nine built-in batteries, which have a range of just 35 kilometers, account for most of the weight. “The biggest technological challenge in the operation of electric air taxis is energy storage,” says Volker Gollnick from the Institute for Air Transport Systems at the TU Hamburg. Batteries are currently still relatively heavy and offer only a small storage capacity.

A problem that also concerns the managing director of Volocopter. The first air taxi will therefore only offer space for two people, says Managing Director Hoke: “The power density of the batteries is not yet suitable for transporting four, five, six or seven people.” But that is the long-term goal.

Gold rush atmosphere and a lot of competition

Engineers around the world are working on the aviation of the future and hope to open up a whole new market with the development of electrically flying taxis. The German companies Lillium in Bavaria and Volocopter in Baden-Württemberg are considered by experts to be particularly promising in the so-called “Urban Air Mobility” segment. With Airbus, a classic aircraft manufacturer is also involved in the development of air taxis. Another project, which was largely promoted by Google co-founder Larry Page, ceased operations last year.

“Air traffic thrives on innovations,” says Karsten Benz from Worms University. “People have a need for mobility. They want to get from A to B and get stuck in traffic far too often. Air taxis offer an environmentally friendly alternative.” The professor of air traffic management sees a multitude of possible applications, for example connecting airports with the city centre. However, air taxis should be seen more as a supplement and not as a replacement for existing transport options.

4.2 million euros from the federal government

ADAC Luftrettung is researching another possible application together with the start-up from Bruchsal. Due to its smaller size and lower volume, the multicopter could replace classic rescue helicopters in urban areas.

However, the clear focus for most companies is on private transport. “Our goal is to open up new mobility perspectives for people,” said Federal Transport Minister Volker Wissing at the opening of the new Volocopter hangar in Bruchsal. The FDP minister is a guest at the startup for the second time. He speaks of pioneering work and the beginning of a new era in aviation. “We want Germany to take off first.” The federal government is supporting the project with around 4.2 million euros. Rarely enough does it happen that a German technology start-up is a global leader.

High hurdles for admission

Volocopter would like to take off commercially for the first time next year at the Olympic Games in Paris. The multicopter spectators are to fly through the city on several routes. After the Olympics, things should go in quick succession: Rome, Singapore, Osaka and the Saudi Arabian planned city of Neom want to start air taxi operations in 2024.

However, this will only succeed if the authorities cooperate. And that could still be a problem. “It is a Herculean task to get certification for air traffic suitability here,” points out aviation expert Karsten Benz. “Air taxis must be able to be integrated into existing air traffic. This requires new air traffic control and air traffic control concepts.”

At Volocopter in Bruchsal, they are confident that they will receive the necessary type certification from the European aviation safety authority EASA in the second quarter of 2024. “Right from the start, Volocopter didn’t pay attention to fancy design, but to certifiability,” says Managing Director Hoke.

Still many open questions

It is questionable how economically such air taxis can be operated in the future and how much they will cost one day. A study by the University of Applied Sciences in Stuttgart commissioned by Volocopter has shown that people would be willing to pay 60 to 100 euros to get from Stuttgart Airport to the city center. About as much as with the ground-based taxi, which only a few can afford today. “That would mean that there are only a few people who are actually willing to take up the offer for the prize,” criticizes expert Benz from Worms University.

It is also unclear when air taxis will be able to take off completely autonomously and without a pilot. A vision of the future that developers like to advertise with. Experts believe that this will only be possible in the 2030s – at the earliest.