Imagine travelling around Singapore in an electric aircraft.
The idea might seem outlandish, but it might soon be possible in Singapore. Recently, Volocopter announced its partnership with ITE to launch commercial air taxis in the country.
The commercial air taxis, named VoloCity, will connect travellers within Singapore and outside of it as well.
Not to mention, it will successfully pioneer a brand new, yet effective mode of transportation for Singaporeans.
Volocopter held an opening ceremony for a VoloCity exhibition on Tuesday (12 Jul) to announce the partnership.
Guests-of-honour Minister of Trade and Industry Mr Gan Kim Yong, CEO of ITE Ms Low Khah Gek, and Chief Commercial Officer of Volocopter Mr Christian Bauer were present at the event.
Located in ITE college central, the exhibition is the first of its kind in Asia. Among its many features is a replica of VoloCity itself, in addition to a 3D scale model of the ports to which the VoloCity will travel to.
Once the exhibition is open to the public, visitors will be able to experience the feeling of sitting in the cockpit of the VoloCity and being among the first in Asia to witness the might of the vehicle.
Volocopter will also offer free guided tours regularly from August. Those interested in participating can sign up here.
As a commercial air taxi, VoloCity offers a pretty unique mode of transportation.
It boasts an eclectic mix between an electric helicopter and a drone, outfitted with 18 rotors and nine battery packs, a handy luggage compartment, and, of course, in-flight entertainment.
The presence of 18 rotors affords Volocity with an elevated sense of safety which few other planes have. A failure in any of the rotors will not stop the entire vehicle from operating.
Despite this, it creates little noise pollution, as proven during VoloCity’s first test flight in 2019.
Volocopter will also have staff on standby to transfer each battery pack between flights. This ensures that the VoloCity can take off as safely as possible.
For the moment, the vehicle can only seat two individuals – the pilot and the passenger.
However, Volocopter hopes to eventually expand into having entirely autonomous flights — operated without a pilot.
The company is also aiming to eventually introduce VoloConnect down the line — a commercial air taxi seating four passengers instead of just one.
Currently, Volocopter aims to have its first flight in 2024. The proposed route is a scenic tour around Marina Bay, taking approximately 15 minutes.
The service will eventually expand into ferrying passengers to different locations across Singapore, known as ‘Voloports’.
Source: Volocopter
If all goes well, these Voloports will be located in Singapore and other countries like Thailand and Malaysia.
In addition to VoloConnect and VoloCity, Volocopter will offer another service in the foreseeable future — the VoloDrone. This specially designed vehicle will be able to transport heavy cargo of a maximum of 200kg.
VoloCity’s many vehicular features aren’t the only urban air mobility (UAM) benefits Singapore will stand to gain from the service.
The company’s future expansion in Singapore will create an exodus of jobs for the country, alongside high economic growth.
German ambassador to Singapore Dr Norbert Riedel pointed this out, stating,
UAM services could generate an estimated S$4.18 billion in cumulative economic benefits and create up to 1,300 jobs in Singapore by 2030.
This is why Volocopter has chosen to collaborate with ITE to showcase their exhibition. By doing so, they hope to nurture the talents of future prospective graduates looking to enter the industry.
Source: Volocopter
The purely electrical nature of Volocopter’s vehicles also ensures zero carbon emissions in flight, assisting Singapore in sustaining the welfare of the environment.
In addition, the increased regional connectivity with more Voloports located across and outside the country enables travellers’ ease of movement.
Overall, VoloCity will be a much-needed aid in Singapore’s continuous movement to enhance public transport.
As an ever-growing city, Singapore does face plenty of challenges in managing its pollution and traffic.
The introduction of Volocopter’s services will thus enable our country to further improve transportation services available to the public.
With technological marvels like the VoloCity in our midst, we can certainly envision a safe, sustainable, and entirely airborne future in Singapore.
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Featured image by MS News.
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