One of the more interesting showcases at the Auto Expo 2020 this month was by Mercedes-Benz. Not the A-class sedan or the GT 63, we're talking about the Volocopter, an autonomous air taxi by the company that takes on the urban mobility of the future.
The Volocopters are a series of eVTOL concepts by Mercedes-Benz and the VoloCity is an electrical air taxi part of the Urban Air Mobility (UAM) concepts. With this aircraft, the German company intends to be at the forefront of 3D mobility in the urban megacity infrastructure. Based on drone technology, the VoloCity is able to take off and land vertically and host up to two passengers.
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Mercedes-Benz has demonstrated its eVTOL in Dubai, Singapore, and Stuttgart since its first manned flight demonstration in 2011. At the AutoExpo in Delhi this month, Mercedes-Benz unveiled a VoloCity 1:3 scale model. Reaching up to the heights of 50 m (320 ft), Volocopter can be piloted or remotely controlled. Additionally, the German automaker claims that it is fully capable of autonomous flight.
While the technology might be ready, it might be sometime before we see a fleet of such air taxis flying around in our cities. Mercedes-Benz is trying to establish commercial routes with the certification from the European Aviation Safety Authority, which might take two to four years. Currently, it has a pre-series fleet of Volocopters based in Germany. But the company is gearing up to start trials in Southeast Asia, specifically Singapore.
These urban mobility solutions are aimed at reducing road congestion in cities. But we are heading towards a future which can be aptly described in the words of Doc Brown, “Roads… where we're going we don't need roads.”
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