Milestones:
Received Production Organization Approval (POA) from EASA (July 2021)
Received Design Organization Approval (DOA) from EASA (Dec 2019)
Agreed certification basis SC-VTOL with EASA

OUR REVIEW:

VoloCopter has been one of the leaders in the air taxi sector for some time now. The design is the most direct upgrade from existing drone technology to accommodate passengers in urban environments. In short: the design works. With 18 rotors and redundant power systems, the VoloCity can remain airborne even in the case of engine failure. However the safety features seem to end there. The previous generation — the VC200 — was equipped with an emergency ballistic parachute, now lacking in the VoloCity. And with small fixed-pitch rotors, there is no possibility for autorotation.

Experience has yet to demonstrate if the redundant rotors is enough. However there is a much bigger challenge for the VoloCity, and multi-rotor designs in general: range. With a range of only 20km, the options for useful routes is very limited. A further lack of infrastructure limits the locations for take-off and landing. This means there are currently faster and cheaper options for intracity commuting via standard ground transport.

VoloCopter recently introduced the VoloXPro, an ultralight for single passenger transport and sport use. There is however the possibility to reduce costs/prices through ease of production and autonmous piloting. But that will take much longer to develop.