2024 Corporate Aviation Leadership Summit

Volocopter is refreshing its leadership team with the appointment of a former senior Airbus executive as its CEO and managing director. The German eVTOL aircraft developer today announced that Dirk Hoke, who until September 2021 was CEO of Airbus Defence &amp; Space, will succeed Florian Reuter, who is stepping down in September.
The March 8 announcement came a few days after Volocopter reported that South Korea’s WP Investments, along with Honeywell and previous investor Atlantis, are the main backers for its $170 million Series E funding round. The company says it has now raised&nbsp;$579 million and is valued at $1.7 billion.
The funds will support Volocopter’s efforts to bring the two-seat VoloCity vehicle to market, as well as to complete&nbsp;the development of its VoloDrone autonomous freighter and the larger VoloConnect passenger aircraft. They will also be used for work aimed at establishing the first air taxi services, probably from 2024, in cities that are expected to include Singapore, Rome, and Paris.
Reuter joined Volocopter in January 2015, almost four years after the start-up was formed by five people&nbsp;to start working on an ambitious project to launch urban air mobility services with a family of eVTOL vehicles. Volocopter said that he is leaving the company “upon his own wishes” and that he proposed Hoke as his successor.
Hoke spent almost six years with Airbus and ended his career with the European aerospace and defense group with a seat on its executive committee. He left the company, which is now working on its own CityAirbus NextGen aircraft, last year as part of a reshuffle of the Airbus leadership team instigated by new CEO Guillaume Faury. He previously worked with the German engineering group Siemens for 10 years, rising to be CEO of its&nbsp;Large Drives electric motors division.
“Out of an impressive lineup of candidates, Dirk Hoke was our absolute preferred choice,” said Volocopter advisory board chairman Stefan Klocke. “Combining our success with Dirk’s experience and vision for our company, Volocopter will continue to lead the emerging industry and successfully master the coming phase of growth and commercialization. The ability to attract such a renowned industry leader is proof of the quality of the work done by our team.”
Over the next six months, Hoke and Reuter will work closely during a handover period. “Bringing electric air taxis to market in the next few years is a dream not only for me but for many,” Hoke commented. “My experience from Airbus and Siemens will help us monetize on the leading market position Volocopter has achieved under Florian’s leadership. Volocopter’s product lineup, its certification progress, team spirit, and ecosystem approach put us in a unique competitive position.”
Volocopter started flying its VoloCity two-seat VTOL prototype in December 2021 and is also working on an autonomous freight vehicle called the VoloDrone and a larger passenger-carrying aircraft called the VoloConnect. It claims to be the only eVTOL developer to have secured both design and production organization approvals from EASA.
&nbsp;
&nbsp;

Managing Editor

Charles Alcock

Former Airbus Leader Set To Head eVTOL Pioneer Volocopter

South Korea’s WP Investments, along with Honeywell and previous investor Atlantis, are the main backers for a $170 million Series E funding round for eVTOL aircraft developer Volocopter. The Germany-based start-up announced the fresh investment on Friday, reporting that it has now raised a total of $579 million.
The funds will support Volocopter’s efforts to bring the two-seat VoloCity vehicle to market, as well as to complete&nbsp;the development of its VoloDrone autonomous freighter and the larger VoloConnect passenger aircraft. They will also be used for work aimed at establishing the first air taxi services, probably from 2024, in several cities expected to include Singapore, Rome, and Paris.
Under the March 4 agreement, Seoul-based WP Investments will launch a joint venture with Volocopter to develop passenger flights in South Korea. “We are confident that Volocopter will be among the first to bring urban air mobility to cities globally since seeing its aircraft fly in Seoul last year,” said WP’s chairman Lei Wang. “As a leader in ESG investment, we are excited to empower city sustainability through Volocopter.”
According to Volocopter, the first commitments for its Series E funding round give the company a pre-money valuation of $1.7 billion. Unlike several rival eVTOL manufacturers, Volocopter&nbsp;has not so far pursued an initial public offering via a merger with a special purpose acquisition company, preferring to court strategic investors instead.
Recently, Volocopter reached a financing agreement in principle with Aviation Capital Group that it said will “shape” the sale and leasing of aircraft for up to $1 billion. “Once aircraft certification has been achieved, this agreement will allow Volocopter to offer its operating entities and customers worldwide attractive leasing options, [which is] a key to rapidly scaling the business in the future,” it explained in today’s announcement.
“Our successful first signing of Series E brings phenomenal new investors on board, with further [investors] in the due diligence stage,” commented Volocopter chairman Stefan Klocke. “This private funding round allows us to stay focused on our mission to bring sustainable urban air mobility to life. We have never been in a stronger position: we are financially diversified, certification is within reach and we are demonstrating our advanced capabilities by public flights and strong joint ventures around the world.”
In addition to venture capital group Atlantis, other existing investors supporting the Series E round include Btov Partners and Whysol. New backer Honeywell Aerospace has been actively pursuing a leadership role in the AAM sector, providing technology to several aircraft developers, including propulsion systems, fly-by-wire controls, and cockpit displays. 
The company says it is the first in the advanced air mobility sector to receive design organization approval from EASA.
&nbsp;

Senior Editor

Gregory Polek

South Korean Investor WP and Honeywell Back Volocopter in $170 Million Funding Round

Volocopter is offering to share a new handbook covering&nbsp;ground infrastructure requirements for urban air mobility (UAM) services with partners involved in developing vertiports for eVTOL aircraft operations. The German eVTOL aircraft developer is providing its own VoloPort concept as a landing site template for the air taxi services that it expects to launch by 2024 with its two-seat VoloCity vehicle.
According to Volocopter, the handbook's&nbsp;information and guidance&nbsp;are based largely on collaborative work and discussions it has already had with government agencies such as aviation regulators, aircraft operators, and other institutions around the world. It also takes account of the development work conducted on the VoloCity and the larger, longer-range VoloConnect aircraft.
The company claims that the VoloPort offers a quick and cost-effective way to establish the infrastructure needed to support eVTOL flights in cities&nbsp;and integrate the new transportation mode with existing urban ecosystems. It is based on a modular design using prefabricated materials and allows&nbsp;facilities to be set up in sites as small as 625 square meters (just over 6,700 square feet, or about twice the area of a tennis court). The facilities can be scaled up in size with additional landing pads and workspace as required, and according to available real estate in any given location.
Volocopter says that the VoloPort concept and design templates in the handbook are intended to take account of local site specifications, whether they are on land at ground level, on sea fronts, or above existing infrastructure. They take account of factors such as aircraft design, performance data, and ground handling needs, such as battery recharging, fire and rescue service provision, and aircraft maintenance. 
The handbook will&nbsp;be released only to partners with which the company has a non-disclosure agreement. Volocopter has already collaborated in the development of the VoloPort concept with infrastructure planning group Arup, structural engineering specialist Bayards Aluminium Constructies, and the Graft architectural practice.
“Thanks to the collaboration with our partners and our internal expertise, I am delighted to demonstrate once again how we are leading the space by offering a tangible solution on the infrastructure side of the UAM ecosystem,” said Volocopter CEO Florian Reuter. “We are looking forward to partnering with interested parties around the globe to hasten the development of a sustainable UAM vertiport network, and I am excited to soon see our VoloPorts in operation.”
Volocopter has yet to specify where it expects to build VoloPort facilities and says the location and size will likely be determined by its UAM partners. It says it is open to different business models for operating the sites, but, initially, expects them only to be available to air taxi services operated with its own eVTOL aircraft.

Volocopter Presents Blueprint for Urban Air Mobility Ground Infrastructure

Volocopter this week demonstrated its 2X eVTOL aircraft in Seoul, the South Korean capital. The November 11 event, which was the first crewed public eVTOL air taxi demonstration flight in the Asian country, was witnessed by South Korea’s minister of land, infrastructure, and transport, Noh Hyeong Ouk, along with officials from the German embassy and the European Union delegation.
The five-minute flight in the two-seat, all-electric vehicle was conducted at Seoul’s Gimpo International Airport. It&nbsp;covered&nbsp;almost two miles and&nbsp;reached&nbsp;an altitude of 164 feet and speeds of almost 30 mph. On November 16, the 2X will make another flight at the country’s Incheon International Airport as part of the “Open the Urban Sky” event, which is being organized by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, and Transport (MOLIT) to demonstrate the potential for using eVTOL aircraft and drones in new applications including air taxi service and cargo deliveries.
“With MOLIT’s comprehensive K-UAM roadmap, South Korea is well-positioned to achieve the goal of commercializing UAM by 2025,” said Volocopter CEO Florian Reuter. “We are extremely honored to conduct the nation’s first crewed public eVTOL test flight today and prove yet again that the future of air taxis is here and now with Volocopter’s aircraft.”
The 2X is a pre-series model that the German company developed before EASA had defined its special condition requirements for certifying eVTOL aircraft. It is now working to certify the VoloCity production aircraft in 2023, having raised €322 million ($370 million) from investors, including automakers Daimler and China’s Geely.
&nbsp;

Volocopter Flies 2X eVTOL at South Korean Urban Air Mobility Event

German eVTOL aircraft developer Volocopter this week joined the city of Los Angeles’s efforts to launch air taxi services. The company has signed up to participate in the Urban Movement Labs collaboration, which&nbsp;is part of a wider Urban Air Mobility Partnership launched by Mayor Eric Garcetti in December 2020.
On September 15, Volocopter said it would work with the California city’s initiative to explore applications for its two-seat VoloCity eVTOL vehicle, as well as its larger, longer-range VoloConnect aircraft and the VoloDrone cargo model. The company will give a presentation at the CoMotion LA event from November 16 to&nbsp;18 to give the local population an opportunity to learn more about urban air mobility (UAM).
The Urban Movement Labs is a public-private partnership formed in November 2019 that works with Mayor Garcetti’s office and the Los Angeles Department of Transportation to advance the city's plans. Other eVTOL aircraft developers, including Archer and Hyundai, are already involved in the project, as have been entities such as Los Angeles World Airports and drone delivery company Kiwibot.
“Our partnership with Urban Movement Labs is a great entryway into the U.S. with our innovative UAM services,” said Volocopter chief commercial officer Christian Bauer. “By leading the conversation about UAM with broad stakeholders in Los Angeles, Volocopter can strategically identify and address how our services can benefit cities in the country. More importantly, we are also gaining real insights into living transportation ecosystems in the U.S. to build the best complementary service to other modes of transportation for our future passengers.”
In January 2021, Volocopter announced plans to establish air taxi operations in the U.S., at the same time reporting that the FAA has accepted its application to concurrently validate the EASA type certification for its all-electric aircraft. At that time, it identified Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco, and Washington, D.C., as possible early-adopter locations. The company is also involved in plans to establish services in cities including Paris, Singapore, and London.
&nbsp;
&nbsp;

Volocopter Joins Effort To Bring Urban Air Mobility to Los Angeles

Volocopter made the first FAA-approved flight of a manned, eVTOL aircraft in a public environment in the U.S. during the EAA AirVenture show in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, on July 27. The appearance by the German company marked a declaration of its intent to enter the U.S. market with planned air taxi and freight operations using its two-seat VoloCity, and later, the larger, longer-range VoloConnect model.
The crewed Volocopter 2X prototype took off at 2.45 p.m. local time for a four-minute sortie at around 164 feet and logging speeds of 18 mph as it cruised in front of vast crowds at the Wittman Regional Airport, where AirVenture is staged each year. On the ground, visitors were also able to take a close look at the VoloCity model and get a first glance at the cabin design.
During a post-flight press briefing, Volocopter CEO Florian Reuter described the significant technical tasks remaining to gain type certification under both EASA and FAA rules, including designing the two-seat aircraft to deal with the potential hazards of battery fires. “That is one of the holy grails in certifying fully electric vehicles,” Reuter said. “Everybody has it in the back of their mind. We have a number of protective systems on our vehicles and we are now in the final stages of aligning what is needed to get ultimate regulatory clearance."
The Volocopter engineering team is looking into the possibility of having to encapsulate the eVTOL aircraft's electric batteries. "We would like to not have to do it—but you need to show that you can actually monitor individual cells and can contain (a thermal) runaway, " Reuter explained to reporters. We are about to close discussions with regulatory authorities in the coming weeks. That is when we can publicize how we gain the confidence of the authorities. But today this is still a little bit of a moving target and we are a couple of weeks away from coming to a final decision.”&nbsp;
While many of Volocopter’s competitors are proposing larger vehicles with longer range and faster speeds, Reuter defended Volocopter’s decision to start with a two-seat design with a range of 22 miles&nbsp;and a cruising speed of 60 mph. The company pointed to showing&nbsp;the range profile satisfied the distance between 93 major urban centers and the commercial airports that served them and that there was a “natural” speed limit in these areas of around 60 mph due to operating in an “inner-city environment.”
Reuter termed concerns about the vehicle’s range as unwarranted “range anxiety,” noting that the flight time from Paris Charles DeGaulle Airport to the center of the French capital&nbsp;is just 15 minutes. As to passenger capacity, he pointed out that data from ground taxis and Uber showed that more than 90 percent of all for-hire ground transportation was a single passenger.&nbsp;
Nonetheless, earlier this year, Volocopter confirmed that it is also working on the four-seat VoloConnect aircraft, which is expected to fly up to around 60 miles and at speeds of 155 mph. This is expected to enter service during 2026, while the VoloCity could start commercial operations by&nbsp;2024.
“There’s a lot of noise out there right now about eVTOLs in the capital markets and that’s great, but people have to differentiate a little bit better about what is real and what is not,” Reuter said. “Volocopter is all about bringing urban air mobility to market step-by-step. We are making great progress every day, with technology and certification, not only with EASA but with FAA that gave us the permit for the flight today.”&nbsp;
According to Reuter, vehicle range will improve with inevitable advances in battery technology and that the company was prepared to be before regulators seeking fresh certification approvals roughly “every two years.” For now, he said that the company expected EASA certification approval in time for trial operations during the 2024 Paris Olympic Games.&nbsp;
That vehicle will&nbsp;be operated with a single pilot, but Reuter said the end game was to field fully autonomous vehicles, perhaps as early as 2026.&nbsp; Reuter explained that in addition to the passenger-carrying VoloCity model, Volocopter is also developing a VoloDrone version for autonomous freight distribution services, and has started a trial program with German logistics group DB Schenker, which is one of its investors.
The company is also working with stakeholders to develop the required air traffic and ground infrastructure for large-scale operations. For now, Volocopter will use existing helicopter infrastructure, but that is not a long-term solution, Reuter stated.&nbsp;
“To scale operations we need to invest into new generation air traffic management systems” as well as actively partnering with airport operators and real estate developers,” Reuter said. Volocopter has already developed a list of technical requirements for these facilities that will enable larger-scale service and ensure “a fantastic customer experience.”&nbsp;&nbsp;
“We need to address all of those elements to make sure we are not hindered with our development going forward,” he said.&nbsp;

Contributor

Mark Huber

Volocopter Makes U.S. Public Debut, With Piloted Flight At Oshkosh Show

Volocopter is joining forces with Malaysia Airports and Skyports to develop plans to build vertiports for urban air mobility (UAM) service in the Southeast Asian country. Under a memorandum of understanding announced on July 21, the partners will evaluate suitable sites for operating eVTOL aircraft, like Volocopter’s two-seat VoloCity multicopter and the larger, longer-range VoloConnect fixed-wing model. The study will take account of factors such as demand for flights, customer throughput, and how to integrate all aspects of UAM operations.
Citing Porsche Consulting’s 2018 report, Volocopter stated that the Asia Pacific region will account for around 45 percent of the advanced air mobility market, with a projected value of $9.5 billion by 2035. In an updated report published earlier this month, Porsche's researchers said that 16 Asian cities are among the 30 major international conurbations where it expects to see eVTOL air taxi services launched first. These include the Malaysian capital, Kuala Lumpur, as well as the following: Beijing, Chengdu, Kunming, Chongqing, Dongguan, Hong Kong, Shanghai, and Tianjin in China; the Thai capital, Bangkok; Delhi and Mumbai in India; Manila in the Philippines; Tokyo and Osaka in Japan; and Taiwan's capital, Taipei.
“The Southeast Asian market is one of the largest and most interesting ones for UAM due to its geographical layout and dense population,” said Volocopter chief commercial officer Christian Bauer. “Our feasibility study will allow us to explore all the elements needed to create a future air mobility model that could be deployed across the region.”
For Malaysia Airports, the partnership with Volocopter and Skyports is part of a wider five-year regeneration plan for Kuala Lumpur’s Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah Airport. The company, which was privatized by the government in 1999, runs five international airports, 16 domestic airports, and 18 short-takeoff-and-landing facilities across the country.
According to Malaysia Airports CEO Dato’ Mohd Shukrie Mohd Salleh, the group aims to involve itself in aircraft assembly and manufacturing, as well as maintenance, repair, and overhaul to support air taxi operations. “Our objective is to provide end-to-end, mid- to high-value capabilities and solutions that are anchored by top-tier operators,” he commented.
Working with Volocopter, UK-based Skyports previously set up a temporary vertiport in Singapore to support a public flight demonstration of the German manufacturer’s prototype aircraft in 2019. It has several other infrastructure projects in development elsewhere in Asia, as well as in Europe and North America.
&nbsp;
&nbsp;
&nbsp;

Volocopter Steps Up Plans for eVTOL Air Taxi Network Across Malaysia

Volocopter and aviation training group CAE are together making&nbsp;plans to train pilots for eVTOL aircraft operations. Under an agreement announced on July 8, the companies say they will develop, certify, and deploy a pilot training&nbsp;program to support the launch of commercial operations, which are anticipated to begin&nbsp;in 2024.
The agreement commits&nbsp;CAE&nbsp;to invest up to $40 million to meet Volocopter’s projected demand for eVTOL pilots in the early years of operations. The Canada-based group will deploy training equipment and instructors through a global partnership, with the initial training services expected to be provided outside Europe.
Germany-based Volocopter has agreed to purchase a simulator from CAE to be used in its pilot training program certification. According to the company, this simulator will be developed specifically for eVTOL aircraft operations and will be equipped to train pilots to fly any of Volocopter’s in-development vehicles, including the two-seat VoloCity and the larger VoloConnect model. A spokeswoman told FutureFlight &nbsp;that Volocopter will not need type-specific simulators&nbsp;“because flying an eVTOL will be much less complex than flying current aircraft types.”
To develop simulators and the overall training program, CAE says, it will employ new technologies including artificial intelligence, virtual reality, mixed reality, and data analytics. The company will be responsible for developing all courseware for training Volocopter pilots and will provide trainees with customized resources. 
According to Volocopter, its initial business model will involve recruiting its pilots for its own commercial operations. The company says it remains open to the possibility of working with operating partners. Existing partners for its plans include Aeroports de Paris (since services are due to start in the French capital in time for the 2024 Summer Olympic Games), automotive group Daimler, and Microsoft Azure.
“As we scale our urban air mobility services in cities around the world, specific pilot training and qualification for our Volocopters will be an important element,” said Volocopter CEO Florian Reuter. “We are proud to be working with CAE, who have a track record in developing best-in-class, innovative pilot training solutions for new aircraft programs. It will be a great benefit to Volocopter’s entry-into-service timeline and scale.”
Through its collaboration with CAE, Volocopter will continue to work with aviation regulators to establish experience requirements for pilots. The company indicated that it intends to recruit and train both experienced and new pilots.
“There will be a big demand for pilots, so we are not limiting the choices here,” said the spokeswoman. “In the end, it will depend on what skills and education are necessary at the very beginning and later down the line.” 
Early this month, CAE published&nbsp;a white paper on training needs for the advanced air mobility sector in which it estimated that operators will require around 60,000 pilots in the first decade of commercial services. On July 7, Christopher Courtney, CAE’s director of advanced air mobility, told journalists in a briefing organized by the Vertical Flight Society that it typically takes manufacturers of existing “conventional” aircraft 36 months or more to develop a training program ahead of service entry. 
“There are more complications with these new aircraft so they [eVTOL aircraft developers and operators] can’t think of this [training requirement] at the last minute,” he commented. “They need to be on it two or three years out. Investors won’t be happy with last-minute delays, and you don’t want training objectives being the reason you don’t hit your financial objectives.”

CAE and Volocopter Launch Collaboration To Train eVTOL Aircraft Pilots

Volocopter is close to attaining EASA’s Part 21G Production Organization Approval (POA) through the acquisition of German light aircraft manufacturer DG Flugzeugbau. On the basis of a July 6 announcement, the company says that when the transaction closes later this summer it will the first and only eVTOL aircraft developer to hold both a POA and design organization approval (DOA), having attained the European aviation safety agency’s Part 21J clearance in 2019.
DG Flugzeugbau, which has been making composite gliders since 1973, has supported Volocopter since its formation in 2011 by helping to construct prototypes for its VC200, 2X, VoloDrone, and VoloCity aircraft. Both companies are based in the southern German town of Bruchsal. 
Through the acquisition, for which the purchase price has not been disclosed, Volocopter will integrate its own production and workshop teams with DG Flugzeugbau’s production and EASA Part 21G POA units. The company will now trade under the name DG Aviation and will continue to produce gliders as well as providing EASA-approved maintenance services.
The joint DG and Volocopter team is building the first full prototype for the two-seat VoloCity eVTOL. The company aims to have this certified and ready to start commercial operations during the 2024 Summer Olympic Games in Paris.
According to Volocopter, the manufacturing of prototypes and blueprint versions of its eVTOL aircraft, including the new, larger, and longer-range VoloConnect model, will be done by DG Aviation for the foreseeable future. When large-scale production is achieved, Volocopter will look to move some production closer to the markets it is serving, including Europe, Asia, and North America.
“Having this legendary industry leader on our side to kick-start scalable and affordable urban air mobility for people and cargo has been a game-changer,” said Volocopter CEO Florian Reuter. “Today marks an exciting milestone as we unify DG Flugzeugbau’s leadership in aviation production with Volocopter’s pioneering UAM goals to establish yet another crucial stepping-stone for our collective global endeavors.”
DG Flugzeugbau has produced numerous glider models over the past five decades, including the World Championship-winning Red Bull Air Race planes. “We have always continued to strive for perfection through unique innovation with gliders, vast aerodynamic improvements, and, for the past 10 years, with Volocopter’s eVTOLs,” commented CEO Holger Back. “We see the future in these aircraft and are excited to combine a section of our company with Volocopter to invest in the future of sustainable aviation while continuing our tradition of building gliders and maintaining aircraft.”
Other suppliers so far named by Volocopter include Diehl Aerospace, which is providing the flight control computer, and Autoflug for seats.
&nbsp;

Volocopter Secures EASA Production Approval Through Acquisition of Manufacturing Partner

Volocopter today announced plans to bring a larger, longer-range eVTOL aircraft into operation by 2026 to serve markets beyond those addressed by its VoloCity model. The all-electric VoloConnect will have four seats, with a range of up to 60 miles and a cruise speed of 110 mph (rising to a top speed of around 155 mph).
Unveiling the new lift-and-push concept during the EBACE Connect event, the German company said&nbsp;its engineering team, led by chief engineer Sebastian Mores, has been working on the design for more than two years and has filed several patents for the technology used. The aircraft features a wing connected to a V-shaped tail by a pair of parallel beams supporting six sets of electric motors and rotors. To the rear of the fuselage, there is a pair of ducted fans to support cruise flight.
Like the two-seat VoloCity, Volocopter intends to certify the VoloConnect under EASA’s new Special Conditions-VTOL rules. The VoloCity is limited to a range of just 22 miles and a speed of 60 mph. The company is also developing an autonomous freight-carrying version called the VoloDrone, which will have the same performance in terms of range and payload. All three models will feature batteries that can be quickly swapped between flights, but the&nbsp;company has yet to demonstrate this capability.
Among immediate competitors, the VoloConnect is closest to Archer's planned eVTOL, which is expected to have a range of 60 miles and a maximum speed of 150 mph. Both Joby and Lilium are promising increased performance of, respectively, 150 miles/200mph and 155 miles/175 mph.
“We can now cover all segments of the $290 billion urban air mobility market,” Volocopter CEO Florian Reuter told reporters. “We will offer a seamless end-to-end customer experience through our VoloIQ digital platform.”
Volocopter sees the VoloCity aircraft accounting for $110 billion in revenues from urban services by 2035, with the VoloConnect operations between cities bringing in an additional $60 billion. The company anticipates that the VoloDrone will generate $120 billion in revenues by the time, including $50 billion from “on-site transport,” $30 billion from “urban parcel” deliveries, and $40 billion for flights in remote areas.
Reuter confirmed that the company aims for the smaller VoloCity aircraft to begin commercial operations before the end of 2023, with Paris and Singapore still likely to be the cities in which its air taxi services launch. He said the company has ambitions to build and operate as many as 100,000 aircraft.&nbsp;According to Reuter, the VoloCity has sufficient range to offer connections between&nbsp;93 of the world's top 100 airports and their respective city centers.
Earlier this year, Volocopter raised a further $240 million in its latest private funding round, taking its total capital raised since its launch in 2011 to almost $400 million. “We see huge interest, including from the public investment community, and we are confident we can raise the necessary [further] funding,” Reuter said. “We are having interesting conversations with numerous investors for different [investment] routes.”
Several of Volocopter’s rival eVTOL developers have announced plans to raise significant amounts of funding through initial public offerings via mergers with special purpose acquisition companies. Volocopter has long been rumored to be considering this approach as well.
Volocopter says it will work with partners to develop vertiports and other ground infrastructure. Initially, it intends to operate from existing heliports, having added recharging facilities.
For the most part, Volocopter intends to retain direct control of commercial operations. However, Reuter indicated that in some markets it may work with partners, such as in China where the country's Geely automotive group is one of its financial backers.
The VoloConnect is the company's fifth-generation eVTOL design, following on from earlier iterations including the VC200 and the 2X. Initially, the aircraft will be operated with a pilot on board, but Volocopter intends to transition to autonomous operations once the regulatory environment will support this move.

Volocopter

News

Former Airbus Leader Set To Head eVTOL Pioneer Volocopter

South Korean Investor WP and Honeywell Back Volocopter in $170 Million Funding Round

Volocopter Presents Blueprint for Urban Air Mobility Ground Infrastructure

Volocopter Flies 2X eVTOL at South Korean Urban Air Mobility Event

Volocopter Joins Effort To Bring Urban Air Mobility to Los Angeles

Volocopter Makes U.S. Public Debut, With Piloted Flight At Oshkosh Show

Volocopter Steps Up Plans for eVTOL Air Taxi Network Across Malaysia

CAE and Volocopter Launch Collaboration To Train eVTOL Aircraft Pilots

Volocopter Secures EASA Production Approval Through Acquisition of Manufacturing Partner

Volocopter Adds Larger, Longer-range eVTOL to Its Portfolio

AIN Products

SUBSCRIPTIONS

RESOURCES

ABOUT AIN