VoloCity electric vertical take-off and landing aircraft (eVTOL).
Germany’s largest air ambulance operator has ordered two electric air taxis to assess their potential in a pioneering role in accelerating doctors to patients.
ADAC Luftrettung, which is part of the most important association of motorcyclists in the country, will begin testing the rotor of 18 Volocopter GmbH aircraft since 2023 after the simulation of 26,000 emergency responses in two cities indicated that it could play a role in fast transport that currently carries a more expensive fleet of helicopters.
Tuesday’s joint announcement provides further evidence of the commercial potential of vertical take-off air taxis, which will arrive less than a week after Singapore said it plans to launch the world’s first such service.
Germany may need more than 250 bases for the vessel, according to ADAC, which plans to operate them alongside its helicopters. While the VoloCity model has no room for a third person in its cabin with the pilot and doctor, only 25 percent of helicopter missions today require a victim to be evacuated by air, he said.
However, ADAC said Volocopter, based in Bruchsal, Germany, could have to improve the model’s payload, a range currently limited to 22 miles and its speed of 68 miles per hour to make a stronger business case. .
Singapore plans to introduce air taxis through a company with Volocopter in late 2023. Tickets for a 15-minute trip that cost $ 365 are already on sale.
While the regulations mean that initial flights will include a pilot, the manufacturer’s plans predict that the ship will ultimately operate as a two-passenger drone.
Read more: Singapore will prepare flying electric taxis in three years