Volocopter has been working on its plan for flying taxi vehicles for some time now and they just recently got a very lucrative investment from Mercedes-Benz's parent company Daimler; among other investors.
Volocopter is a Germany company that has been working to develop a flying taxi vehicle that is going to be able to both take off and land vertically, as well as seat up to 5 people.
The plan is to develop vehicles that are emission free, quiet, and efficient in providing people the ability to avoid traffic congestion and opt for another mode of travel. It will also allegedly be able to be flown by anyone who has a sport pilot license. But those without such a license will also be able to access the vehicles, when they are used for the forthcoming flying taxi system by Volocopter, that could be just a few years away.
The recent $30 million investment from Daimler is going to help to push things forward for them; speed up the process.
Volocopter has the ambition to conquer the air taxi market and we should expect to see a demonstration of their flying vehicle in Dubai sometime later this year. The reason that Dubai was chosen as the location for the test is allegedly because the city has shown an aggressive desire to move toward automation in the way of transportation. It's suggested that by 2030 that Dubai hopes to automate at least 25 percent of their public transportation initiatives.
The upcoming tests in Dubai starting later this year, are expected to last at least 5 years.
Volocopter doesn't just want to see a small portion of the public experiencing this mode of transportation either, their goal is for every human to be able to fulfill their dream of flying such a vehicle; if they have such a desire.
Along the way, they also hope that their efforts will be able to bring about a solution that can dramatically decrease various mobility issues.
It's expected that the first Volocopter will hit the market by sometime next year.
Pics:
Volocopter via engadget.com/2017/08/03/daimler-funds-volocopter/
Design Boom designboom.com/technology/e-volo-volocopter-2x-04-05-2017/
Sources:
https://venturebeat.com/2017/08/01/germanys-volocopter-raises-30-million-from-daimler-for-its-flying-autonomous-taxi/
https://www.engadget.com/2017/08/03/daimler-funds-volocopter/
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-daimler-volocopter-investment-idUSKBN1AH40Y
https://www.designboom.com/technology/e-volo-volocopter-2x-04-05-2017/
http://www.businessinsider.com/volocopter-flying-taxi-dubai-tests-2017-6
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