An electric air-taxi drone can make this a reality in the next few years
VoloCity is the sustainable future that is so discussed these days. In addition to addressing the traffic problem in the city of Rome, this air-taxi is battery-powered, meaning that it doesn’t emit harmful gases into the environment.
The conference entitled “Urban mobility of the future”, which took place in the Roman airport, was the occasion to officially announce the partnership that would bring electric air taxis to Rome. A collaboration with the German company Volocopter, the international leader in Urban Air Mobility (MAU), will make the creation of this emission-free air taxi possible. Serving as an answer to the problem of the large flow of vehicles that daily congest the streets between Fiumicino airport and the center of Rome, car journeys that usually take 45 minutes will be possible in a third of the time.
Providing comfort and quality, the service should already become a reality in Italy in the next two or three years, according to Atlantia, the main shareholder of the Rome airport management company, AdR. This is the expected time that will take to finalize related flight regulations and develop “vertiports” throughout the city of Rome. These points will enable the air taxis to take off and land vertically, facilitating its movement in populated areas.
Initially, VoloCity will be able to carry two people only —one of whom will be the pilot until the service becomes completely autonomous, flying without the need for a human. Reaching up to 110km/h, the batteries installed in the aircraft can be changed quickly after a flight, increasing its lifetime significantly and ensuring 100% healthy batteries, besides lowering the price of the flights.
An exhibition with “VoloCity” prototypes was made in different places in Rome, at Fiumicino airport at the end of October and in Piazza San Silvestro at the beginning of November. With this, the public had a preview of what to expect for the future.
The cost of the fare to fly in this new air-taxi drone was set at 140 euros, and all companies are working hard to make this safe transportation alternative soon a reality in Rome. The Eternal City would become one of the world’s first major capitals where this new form of urban air mobility would be launched.
INSPIRATION
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