German specialist aviation company Volocopter showcased their electric powered Volocopter during the “Vision Smart City – Experience future mobility today” event held at Stuttgart. The company, which specialises in building electric powered multi-rotor helicopters took The Minister-President of the state of Baden-Württemberg, Winfried Kretschmann, on his first Volocopter ride on 09 Sep 2019.

The Volocopter is built on drone technology and is capable of carrying two people. It undertook its maiden flight in 2011. Volocopter intends to build an on-demand air taxi system which is based on sustainable technology. The company aims to establish Urban Air Mobility (UAM) in addition to current transportation options in megacities globally. The company is working with leading partners in infrastructure, operations, and air traffic management to build the ecosystem necessary to bring Urban Air Mobility to life. Investors in the company include Daimler and Geely of China.

During the ceremony at Stuttgart, Ola Källenius, Chairman of the Board of Management of Daimler AG and Head of Mercedes-Benz Cars stated, “Our partner Volocopter shows how an air taxi is turning the dream of driving into the dream of flying. At Daimler we work on the mobility of the future too. By 2022 we will have electrified the entire Mercedes-Benz portfolio. Our goal is that electrically powered cars will account for more than half of our sales by 2030. The road to climate-neutral mobility is a joint effort of companies and politics. We at Daimler a willing and ready to make our contribution.”

At the same event, Florian Reuter, CEO of Volocopter GmbH said, “Our Volocopter air taxis open up a completely new dimension in urban mobility. As Stuttgart has seen today, they fly safely, quietly and are fast approching the implementation stage. Volocopter air taxis are able to ease traffic congestion in major cities around the world, also here in Germany.”

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