Daily Reports
Electric Flying Taxis Set to Take Off in Paris
Promoters still hope to experiment with electric flying taxis during the Paris Olympic and Paralympic Games this summer, but are now aiming for certification of their machines “in the fall” by the European authorities, they announced on Wednesday. The manager of Paris airports, Groupe ADP, joined forces in this project with the Île-de-France region and the German company Volocopter, which manufactures the “Volocity”, a two-seat aircraft. The aim is to take advantage of the Olympic showcase to demonstrate the feasibility of this new mode of transport, supposed to connect different take-off and landing sites known as “vertiports.”
Development of Vertiports
Edward Arkwright, executive general director of ADP, explained that they have developed five vertiports, four of which are already in operation. These include Paris-Charles-de-Gaulle and Bourget airports, the Issy-les-Moulineaux heliport to the southwest of Paris, and the Saint-Cyr-l’Ecole aerodrome near Versailles. The fifth site, a barge on the Seine near Austerlitz, has yet to receive the green light from the Ministry of Transport. According to Arkwright, it is ready, moored, and positioned.
Certification and Demonstration
To be able to carry paying passengers, the Volocity will need to obtain certification from the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA). Volocopter had so far hoped for this before the Olympics. 'It’s an aeronautical program, so we know that it’s complex,' explained Jean-Christophe Drai, Volocopter manager for France. They aim to obtain this certification in the fall, with the goal of having a paying passenger before the end of the year. Even without appropriate certification, the Volocity can be authorized to carry out demonstrations with only the pilot aboard or a non-paying observer.
Despite opposition from many municipal elected officials in Paris who judge these devices to be elitist, ADP and its partners insist on the potential benefits of Volocity. Particularly, they emphasize its utility for emergency medical transport, whether for patients or transplants, and its future development into more sophisticated and larger versions.
- In the face of opposition from municipal elected officials, the promoters of Volocity aim to highlight the broader social benefits of air taxis. They envision a future where these electric flying taxis could not only serve commercial purposes but also be integral to emergency services, helping to transport patients or vital organs rapidly across the city.
- The project partners are leveraging technological showcases like the VivaTech technology fair in Paris to display the advancements and readiness of the Volocity system. This public display aims to gather support and mitigate skepticism surrounding the new mode of transport.
- The experiment planned during the Olympic and Paralympic Games provides a crucial real-world scenario to refine and demonstrate the operational capabilities of electric air taxis. It’s not merely a test of technology but also of public perception and regulatory frameworks.
