Volocopter flying taxi completes first test flight

According to foreign media reports, Volocopter's flying taxi is one step closer to being officially put into use.The German company revealed that its four-seat electric vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) vehicle, the VoloConnect, completed its maiden flight in May this year.

In initial tests, the aircraft had a short flight time of 2 minutes and 41 seconds, but this test flight proved that this production-grade aircraft has good aerodynamics and performance, and it is feasible in real-world conditions .So far, VoloConnect has made three test flights.

Image credit: Volocopter

The VoloConnect has a top speed of 155 mph (about 249 kilometers) and a cruising range of 60 miles (about 96 kilometers). Although the cruising range may not sound long, it has its own advantages.Volocopter promises that the VoloConnect can make self-driving flying commutes outside major urban centers, so you can sit in it from the suburbs to a business meeting downtown, for example.VoloConnect is actually a supplement to VoloCity. VoloCity is an eVTOL aircraft with a short range, strictly speaking, it serves for short-distance travel within the city.

VoloConnect is expected to begin serving customers in 2026, two years after VoloCity's expected launch in 2024.The advantage of Volocopter is that they have multiple air taxis to fly test in the real world.The company is closer to actual air commuter travel than competitors, many of which have only one aircraft or an as-yet-undetermined service schedule.