Volocopter has completed the maiden flight of its four-seater electric aircraft VoloConnect, which was presented last year. The prototype performed various flight manoeuvres for two minutes and 14 seconds. The commercial launch of the VoloConnect is planned for 2026.
German electric air taxi developer Volocopter has raised €153Mn in the first signing of its Series E funding round led by South Korean investor WP Investment. Volocopter expects that the new capital will accelerate the certification of their electric passenger air cab and its launch in initial cities.
Volocopter is to supply electric flying machines for the planned city of Neom in Saudi Arabia. The partners have formed a joint venture to build an eVTOL mobility system. Neom has placed an order for 15 Volocopter flying machines and plans to begin flight operations within the next two to three years.
German electric air taxi developer Volocopter has cancelled its planned SPAC IPO in the US, according to a media report. This apparently emerges from investor letters that investors are said to have received a few days ago. With the cancellation of the deal, the approximately 750 small investors could all but go away empty-handed.
The German electric aerial taxi developer Volocopter has founded a joint venture with the Geely subsidiary Aerofugia in Chengdu, China. The joint goal of the partners is to bring urban air mobility to China within the next three to five years.
The eVTOL start-up Volocopter has received the manufacturer’s licence from the European Aviation Safety Agency EASA. This was made possible by the partial takeover of Volocopter’s long-standing production partner DG Flugzeugbau, which already had this certification.
Volocopter has presented its latest aircraft called VoloConnect. This electric, vertical take-off aircraft, eVTOL in short, is specially designed to connect suburbs and inner cities.
Volocopter has raised over 200 million euros in its Series D financing round. The money will be used for the approval process of the e-taxi VoloCity and the accelerated opening of the first commercial routes.
Volocopter has initiated the certification process for the US market. The German e-flight taxi startup announced that the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) accepted its application for parallel approval on 22 December 2020.
Volocopter plans to launch its first commercial electric flight cab service in Singapore within the next three years, likely initially on a tourist route along the southern coast. In preparation for the upcoming launch, the German company has established Volocopter Asia Holding.
The electric air taxi manufacturer Volocopter gained a new shareholder: DB Schenker is joining the company founded in 2011. The participation of the rail logistics subsidiary is part of the third round of financing, which has brought the company a further 87 million euros.
Volocopter has completed the first manned test flight with their 2X electric aircraft in Singapore. The pilot covered a distance of approx. 1.5 km at an average height of 40 meters.
The German airport taxi start-up Volocopter has secured 50 million euros in a new financing round led by the Chinese Geely Group. The new funds will be used to bring Volocopter’s electric aircraft to commercial launch within the next three years.
Volocopter has just revealed the design of its latest model VoloCity. This is the fourth generation of the electric VTOL from the German company – and the basis for the Volocopter’s planned air taxi service.
Volocopter and British Skyports plan to complete the first port for electric air taxis before the end of this year. The presentation is planned during the public test flights Volocopter has announced for the second half of the year in Singapore.
Volocopter, and Fraport AG – the owner and manager of FRA, Germany’s biggest airport, intend to develop concepts for the ground infrastructure and the operation of electric aerial taxis at airports. The main focus will be on smooth passenger handling and efficient connections to existing traffic infrastructure.
The German ADAC Luftrettung, that is the air rescue service, is planning to test manned electric multi-copters as rescue vehicles in two states in Germany, namely Bavaria and Rhineland-Palatinate. Volocopter’s electric VTOL will be used for the pilot.
The German aviation startup Volocopter is planning test flights in the centre of Singapore for the second half of 2019. The series of tests will focus on urban flight conditions and will validate the use of an electric aircraft in an urban environment. The next step will then be public demonstration flights.
German startup Volocopter presents infrastructure for its electric flying cab service in the making. It consists of so-called Volo-Ports leading to Volo-Hubs, designed to shuttle thousands of passengers through each day. Volocopter wants to launch the first within 10 years.
Northvolt partners with ABB: Swedish company Northvolt and Swiss tech specialist ABB will work together to realise Northvolt’s project to build Europe’s largest lithium ion battery factory in Sweden. Their agreement involves a supply and technology partnership as well as R&D collaboration. ABB intends to supply robotics, automation and electrification solutions and to contribute to innovations in battery technology in areas such as production platform, cell and module design and battery performance. As reported, battery production in the new gigafactory could start in 2020 and ramp up to 32 GWh in 2023. europe.autonews.com, new.abb.com
Does Siemens consider selling JV shares? When Siemens formed a 50:50 joint venture with Valeo in December 2016, it allegedly insisted on an exit clause, the Handelsblatt has learnt. Thus, Siemens has a put option from December 2021 and Valeo simultaneously a call option on Siemens’ shares. Their JV is focussing on high-voltage powertrains for all forms of electrified cars, including hybrids. handelsblatt.com (in German, with paywall)
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Maiden flight of electric air taxi in Dubai: The autonomous air taxi concept by German manufacturer Volocopter has successfully completed its first unmanned test flight at a location close to Dubai’s Jumeirah Beach Park. Currently, the prototype manages to stay in the air for approximately 30 minutes. As reported, also Daimler is among the investors of the aviation company. zdnet.com, newatlas.com, mediaoffice.ae
British Airways to replace diesel tugs: The airline has inaugurated five new remote-controlled EVs capable to push back aircrafts from gates at London-Heathrow. The so-called “Mototoks” replace diesel tugs and are in operation at Terminal 5 where they allegedly manage to park up to 40 percent more airlines in the same amount of parking space. internationalairportreview.com, engadget.com
Leclanché supplies batteries to Škoda Electric: In the framework of a 5 year development cooperation, Swiss manufacturer Leclanché will deliver its battery solutions for electric buses to Škoda Electric. Besides that, the partnership involves also battery systems for cars and off-road vehicles. greencarcongress.com
Printed mini EV made in Taiwan: The Taiwan Automotive Research Consortium has introduced a small EV with elements from a 3D printer. With its lightweight construction, the two-seater is designed for city life requirements – that’s also why it just provides 60 kph and not more than a 6.6 battery pack for 100 km. Further information that would indicate commercial use have not yet been released. 3ders.org
Volocopter to take off in 2017 in Dubai: State-owned traffic authority RTA entered into a deal with German company Volocopter in order to trial its autonomous electric air-taxi in the Emirate. The project covers 5 years and shall begin in the fourth quarter of this year. businessinsider.de, theverge.com
Autonomous electric buses in Oslo: From March 2018, the Norwegian capital will see autonomous mini buses users can order via app. In the long term, Oslo’s Roads and City Authority even considers to deploy 10 to 20 of those self-driving buses. thelocal.no