German start-up Volocopter has partnered with logistics group DB Schenker to use its heavy-lift drones, in a project that will gather important practical experience before its air taxis enter service, reports finance.yahoo.com.
Volocopter is one of a number of start-ups developing battery-powered craft and, with full certification for its air taxi still some years away, it wishes to put its heavy-lift VoloDrone to work sooner.
This remote-controlled craft can lift a load of up to 200 kilograms and has a range of 40 kilometres, making it ideal for jobs such as delivering medicines to a hospital or dropping off components at a factory. Volocopter CEO Florian Reuter commented during a recent interview, “The logistics opportunity in the urban market is just as big as the passenger market.”
Volocopter-Schenker partnership is aimed at business-to-business deliveries rather than e-commerce like Amazon and others. Reuter continued, “When people associate logistics with drones they always think of the 3 kg, last-mile delivery to the doorstep. It is the middle mile, not the last mile, that we are serving.”
Florian Reuter
Schenker chose Volocopter after backing the 9 year-old startup’s USD103 million funding round in February. In total, Volocopter has raised USD144 million from investors.
Schenker CEO, Jochen Thewes, said, “Drones are a technology that would allow us to rethink supply chains for city logistics. Our common goal is to have a commercial proof case up and running next year.”
Volocopter has just started selling tickets to fly on its VoloCity air taxi, at 300 euros for a 15-minute spin. Although, the piloted aircraft has been put through its paces in demonstration flights, fans will have to wait until it enters commercial service.
Read previous UAMN article:
https://www.urbanairmobilitynews.com/air-taxis/volocopter-opens-reservations-for-first-uam-flights/
Full certification from the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) is expected for the 18-rotor VoloCity air taxi towards the end of 2022. The VoloDrone, with a similar design, should follow in 2023, Reuter said. “Any Schenker employee in a distribution centre will be able to operate this. It will be as common as having a driving licence.”
It will be possible to apply sooner for permits to fly the VoloDrone on a case-by-case basis, a task that can easily be handled by Schenker staff with basic training on a simulator.
For visual presentation
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2C5YDnR2EGw
For more information
https://www.volocopter.com/en/
(News Source: https://finance.yahoo.com)