German firm looks to launch air taxis

WELL-FUNDED with over 300 million euros (S$475 million) provided by strategic investors, Germany's aviation start-up Volocopter is making steady progress in its plans to launch an air taxi service in Singapore within the next two to three years. It has already done an air taxi demonstration flight in the heart of Singapore over the Marina Bay area.

The company says that its strategic investors include big names like Daimler, Micron, Intel, among others, with investors spread as globally as its ambitions.

Volocopter flies almost daily at its headquarters in southern Germany. Besides Singapore and Germany, it has done public flights in Dubai, Las Vegas, Helsinki, Stuttgart, Paris, and Oshkosh. The flights were piloted, remotely piloted, or autonomous. The company expects a commercial launch in the next two to three years and has already announced its commitment to Singapore and Paris as the first cities.

Using quiet and emission-free electrically powered vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft that can seat up to two passengers, Volocopter's first route in Singapore is expected to be a tourist ride over the country's southern waters, offering breath-taking views of the Marina Bay skyline.

"This could enhance Singapore's tourism industry with a new attraction. Follow-on connections may include cross-border flights, which may enhance regional connectivity and offer significant improved travel experiences to other economic centres nearby," says Chu Hon Lung, Head of Singapore and Business Development Southeast Asia, Volocopter, in an interview with The Business Times.

In preparation for the launch, Volocopter has founded Volocopter Asia Holdings in the Republic.

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"We are working closely with several key stakeholders, such as MOT (Ministry of Transport), CAAS (Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore), and EDB (Economic Development Board) to promote urban air mobility in Singapore with our services. The coordination allows us to approach this launch from the necessary angles to make it successful," he adds.

The German company, which set up its office here in 2019, says that it has had close cooperation in Singapore for three years now, and it has been a very fruitful cooperation from both sides.

"Singapore has shown that it is willing to take steps towards innovation and has a population that is open to new technology. It has positioned itself as an attractive city for eVTOL companies currently working towards EASA (European Union Aviation Safety Agency) certification, especially with the update to the bilateral Working Arrangement to facilitate CAAS' validation of EASA aircraft type certifications," says Mr Chu.

The amendment to the Working Arrangement on Airworthiness Certification last December allows the two regulators to collaborate on facilitating aviation innovations, such as electric vertical take-off and landing aircraft.

With this, CAAS is able to validate EASA design approvals concurrently and in close coordination with EASA's type certification process. It will help aviation companies in Singapore to innovate and benefit from rapidly developing aviation technologies.

"Meanwhile, Singapore is an excellent gateway to the South-east Asian market and a leader for the region which will help our market entry in other South-east Asian countries," Mr Chu adds.

Leading up to the launch of commercial operations, Volocopter plans to build up a team of 50 pilots, engineers, operation specialists, and business managers in the next three years.

The company expects to hire over 200 full-time employees in Singapore to manage a network of Singapore routes by 2026. It has also initiated research and development projects with local institutions.

Volocopter GmbH was founded 10 years ago in 2011 by Alexander Zosel and Stephen Wolf. That year the company did the first-ever crewed flight of a purely electric multicopter, proving that this technology was feasible.

It has since showcased numerous public flights with its full-scale aircraft. The most notable have been the public test flights at Marina Bay in October 2019 and the world's first autonomous eVTOL flight in Dubai in 2017.

Mr Zosel and Mr Wolf had known each other since they were teenagers. In what became the first of many, Mr Zosel developed his first patent as a student. His pioneering spirit and willingness to take risks paved his way to becoming a serial entrepreneur.

Mr Wolf developed the concept of a manned multicopter in 2011 after more than 25 years of experience in software development, including a position in industrial automation at Siemens and multiple awards and publications.

Network technology as his main emphasis led him to the vision of a distributed redundant system which today constitutes the central nervous system of the Volocopter. With his technical foresight, he is a sparring partner for the company's development teams.

Says Mr Chu: "We are urban air mobility (UAM) pioneers at the forefront of establishing the whole UAM ecosystem. Our 2011 flight was the first crewed, electrically powered vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) flight in aviation history.

"With our family of electrically powered aircraft, we design our solutions specifically for various missions with key common qualities: Very stable flight, low and agreeable sound signature, and zero emissions during flight.

"By bringing all these components together with strong partnerships, Volocopter will be able to provide solutions for mobility in heavily congested areas and difficult terrain."

Volocopter's UAM solutions include: electric air taxis to get the passengers to their destination on short and long urban routes, the VoloCity and VoloConnect; an electric heavy lift cargo drone service for routes in urban areas or tough terrain, the VoloDrone; and the physical and digital infrastructure to support these operation, VoloPorts and VoloIQ.

By bringing all these components together with strong partnerships, the company aims to be able to provide solutions for mobility in heavily congested areas and difficult terrain.

In July, Volocopter announced that it is the first and only eVTOL company holding both the required design and production approvals to advance its aircraft towards commercial launch, giving it a competitive edge in the race to bring UAM to life.

"Volocopter is constantly growing. We currently employ more than 400 people in our offices in Bruchsal, Munich and Singapore - with more to come.

"Bruchsal, where it all started, is now home to our headquarters and three more test and development sites. Our focus there is on our VoloCity. Our site in Munich is mainly dedicated to the development of our heavy lift product, the VoloDrone and future projects such as the VoloConnect," Mr Chu tells BT.

"Our newest office in Singapore accompanied the construction of the world's first VoloPort prototype on site."

Voloport is in a field that seems to have a bright future with immense growth possibilities.

"By 2050, 68 per cent of the predicted 9.8 billion world population will live in urban areas. This urbanisation is an ongoing trend as ever-increasing numbers of people seek opportunity in cities.

"As existing cities continue to grow and accommodate their rising populations, their need for mobility also increases. This includes increasing the volume of goods transported within cities, the number of daily car rides, and the load carried by public ground and underground transport," says Mr Chu.

"Urban Air Mobility is projected to become an important segment of the 10-trillion-euro urban mobility market. By 2035, the potential for UAM is projected to surpass 240 billion euros. Coupled with recent technological advances that enable the creation of entirely new vehicle configuration, this market opportunity is gigantic."