Volocopter, the pioneer of urban air mobility (UAM), has raised an additional USD 182 million in the second signing of its Series E funding round. NEOM – the Red Sea’s smart, cognitive region project – and GLy Capital Management of Hong Kong have joined Volocopter’s diverse investor base. This will carry the company beyond the certification of its electric passenger aircraft, the VoloCity air taxi.
Sustainable mobility is a tremendous challenge facing today’s world. Volocopter offers a new solution with a suite of fully electric aircraft built specifically for urban missions. Crucially, Volocopter’s unique and holistic UAM ecosystem approach connects all key global market players as it strives to get the industry off the ground. This includes developing multipurpose electric aircraft to bring passengers and goods safely to their destination (the VoloCity, VoloRegion, and VoloDrone), and enabling the physical and digital infrastructure to match (the VoloPort and VoloIQ).
“Attracting NEOM And GLy as investors is a great success and highlights our pole position in the commercial certification race. This is the key requirement to launching commercial operations and starting to generate revenue,” said Dirk Hoke, CEO of Volocopter.
Volocopter is a UAM leader, with over ten years of development experience and upward of 1,500 successful test flights to its name. As the first and only electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) company to receive Design Organisation Approval (DOA) from the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), Volocopter expects to launch its first commercial air taxi routes in the next two years in megacities like Singapore, Rome, Paris, and the NEOM region.
Christian Bauer, CCO of Volocopter, added: “Raising over USD 180 million despite the generally tense economic climate highlights Volocopter’s robust technology strategy and its ongoing progress toward achieving market readiness. We appreciate the remarkable spirit of collaboration and the trust that our existing and new shareholders have placed in us as we forge ahead on our journey to bring the urban air mobility ecosystem to life.”
Volocopter and NEOM signed a joint venture (JV) company in December 2021, becoming strategic partners with a view to integrating the VoloCity air taxi and the VoloDrone into NEOM’s sustainable, smart, and seamlessly connected mobility systems. The JV will design, integrate, and operate the region’s all-electric public flight routes for the initial seven years post-launch.
“At Neom we strongly believe in the potential for urban air mobility to provide a new dimension to future integrated transport systems. Building on our successful collaboration with Volocopter, we are excited to strengthen our partnership and to make a strategic investment in the future of mobility. We believe Volocopter is the best partner to build an advanced air mobility ecosystem in Neom. We look forward to realising this exciting mission jointly with Volocopter and its global partners” said Florian Lennert, Head of Mobility of NEOM.
GLy is backed by Geely Holding, a long-term partner of Volocopter. In their joint venture, Geely and Volocopter aim to bring UAM to China. With its high density of megacities, China is expected to become one of the largest markets for electric air taxis.
“Volocopter’s vision encompasses industrial short- and medium-range commercial passenger applications to bring efficiency to the way we move around our cities. I look forward to supporting their journey; a journey that promises to be exciting, safe, and scenic in equal measure,” said Hrvoje Krkalo, Co-CEO of GLy Capital.
With many interested companies having passed the due diligence phase, Volocopter’s Series E funding round remains open.
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Volocopter, the pioneer of urban air mobility (UAM), unveiled a comprehensive VoloPort handbook for the physical infrastructure supporting electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft operations. This detailed handbook is a valuable resource for Volocopter partners building UAM infrastructure that guides readers through the design, construction, material use, infrastructure adaptability, and facility operations. The knowledge shared stems from Volocopter’s numerous and direct collaborations with authorities, air operators, institutions, partners, and internal expertise as an eVTOL aircraft designer.
Volocopter’s VoloPort solution is a ready-made, compact, and functionally independent urban vertiport concept. It can be used to accelerate the development of urban eVTOL infrastructure, expediting the public adoption of UAM and expanding its ecosystem in megacities. The VoloPort can be time- and cost-effectively modified to various business sizes, target customer groups, and aircraft operations, requiring minimal infrastructure footprint, especially in densely populated urban settings. Its modular design featuring a combination of prefabricated materials allows construction to start as small as 25m x 25m (625 sq m (about twice the area of a tennis court)) while ensuring a safe and accommodating space for both eVTOL operators and passengers. Additional landing pads and workspace can be implemented as required.
VoloPort highlights:
- Cost-efficient, modular, and flexible construction design adaptable to available land, sea, or above infrastructure spaces.
- Optional configurations for single level or stacked structures. Structures can be prefabricated and quickly dismantled, if required.
- Fully operational as a stand-alone vertiport equipped with a state-of-the-art regulatory framework. Compliant with eVTOL aircraft design, performance data, and ground handling needs (e.g., charging, firefighting and rescue, and maintenance).
- Smooth and safe customer journey with a consistent brand presence in the designed space.
The VoloPort handbook is based on a thorough assessment of the infrastructure and its operational concept. Parties interested in partnering with Volocopter to build and operate UAM infrastructures, such as cities and municipalities, investors, businesses, or construction companies, are eligible to request this handbook from Volocopter.
Florian Reuter, Chief Executive Officer – “Thanks to the collaboration with our partners and our internal expertise, I am delighted to demonstrate once again how we are leading the space by offering a tangible solution on the infrastructure side of the UAM ecosystem. We are looking forward to partnering with interested parties around the globe to hasten the development of a sustainable UAM vertiport network, and I am excited to soon see our VoloPorts in operation.”
For a sustainable UAM ecosystem, a network of ground-based infrastructure is as critical to its success as the development of eVTOL aircraft. Volocopter has always pursued the completion of the ecosystem from both sides: the aircraft and the infrastructure. Since highlighting its full-scale first vertiport concept in Singapore, 2019, Volocopter has worked closely with the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) to give and receive guidance on UAM infrastructure development. Additionally, Volocopter is working with several Civil Aviation Authorities (CAA), as well as the European Organisation for Civil Aviation Equipment (EUROCAE), ASTM International, and General Aviation Manufacture’s Association (GAMA), to proactively drive the development of standardized vertiports around the world.
Furthermore, to arrive at this VoloPort design and functionality, Volocopter collaborated with trusted aviation industry-leading partners and architects:
- Arup B.V.: technical infrastructure planning, drawing on aviation expertise and sustainability concept.
- Bayards Aluminium Constructies B.V.: designing and ensuring the structural engineering of the take-off and landing platform, including related systems such as firefighting.
- GRAFT Gesellschaft von Architekten mbH: architecture and customer journey design.
About Volocopter Volocopter brings urban air mobility (UAM) to megacities worldwide. We aim to improve the quality of life for people in cities by offering a fantastic new mode of transportation. For that, we create sustainable and scalable UAM-ecosystems with partners in infrastructure and operations.
Volocopter’s family of eVTOL aircraft will offer passengers (VoloCity and VoloConnect) and goods (VoloDrone) swift, secure, and emission-free connections to their destinations, supported by VoloIQ, the UAM ecosystem’s software platform that serves as its digital backbone for safe and efficient operations.
As a pioneer in the UAM industry, Volocopter will launch commercial services within the next few years. Founded in 2011, the company employs more than 500 people in Germany and Singapore, has completed over 1,000 successful public and private test flights, and raised €322 million in equity from investors, including Daimler, Geely, DB Schenker, BlackRock, and Intel Capital. www.volocopter.com
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Volocopter, the pioneer of urban air mobility (UAM), flew at the Experimental Aircraft Association’s (EAA) AirVenture 2021 in Wisconsin. The Volocopter 2X flight was the first ever public crewed test flight of a fully electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) air taxi in the US. This successful flight marks a key milestone in Volocopter’s plan to raise awareness of air taxis among populations around the globe and is critical to the long-term success of delivering advanced air mobility (AAM) and urban air mobility (UAM) solutions.
The crewed Volocopter 2X took off at 2:45 PM CST for a 4-minute flight at ~164 ft and a top speed of 18 mph over Wittman Regional Airport as part of EAA’s AirVenture aviation celebration. Event attendees were able to watch the Volocopter 2X fly and take a seat in the VoloCity model at Volocopter’s booth to experience these aircraft. Nicknamed the “World’s Greatest Aviation Celebration,” more than 600,000 visitors are expected to come to see pioneering designs in action.
“Volocopter successfully conducting the first US public manned test flight of an eVTOL company in the US is a milestone for the industry and a reminder that our commercial launch is fast approaching. We can talk about our lead in certification, low noise emissions, and global partnerships all we want, but nothing shows just how close we are to launch UAM as a service as does flying an air taxi in front of crowds and inviting people to sit in our aircraft. Air taxis are coming, and we are working to bring electric flights to cities around the globe in the next two to three years,” says Florian Reuter, Volocopter CEO.
“Oshkosh is a haven for enthusiasts and experts to embrace the pioneering spirit of aviation, and today’s Volocopter flight is one for the history books. This is the spirit of Oshkosh giving our visitors the chance to experience real pioneers, who will change aviation for good, right here,” says Rick Larsen, EAA Vice President of Communities and Member Programming.
Volocopter is the only eVTOL developer with a family of electric aircraft for passengers and goods. This aircraft family includes aircraft for both long and short distances within cities and beyond (VoloCity and VoloConnect air taxis and VoloDrone heavy-lift drone). Volocopter’s holistic approach to launching UAM services entails partnering with global industry leaders to offer the whole operating UAM ecosystem, including infrastructure and the digital backbone (VoloPort and VoloIQ) to integrate services into existing transport systems in cities.
In addition to a full-service solution, Volocopter is the first and only eVTOL developer to hold Design Organisation Approval and Production Organisation Approval, two strategic certification approvals from the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) to design and produce aircraft in-house. Once certified for commercial launch in Europe, Volocopter is positioned for concurrent type certification approvals in the US from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), having applied earlier this year, and the civil aviation authority in Singapore (CAAS).
Volocopter is an expert in urban air mobility (UAM), a subcategory of AAM. While the term AAM covers the aviation transportation system for people and goods with highly automated aircraft, UAM focuses specifically on how these advanced aircraft can thrive in and around cities. The company has ten years of experience, over 1,000 test flights, and a track record of public flights in Paris (2021), Singapore (2019), Helsinki (2019), Dubai (2017).
About EAA
EAA embodies The Spirit of Aviation through the world’s most engaged community of aviation enthusiasts. EAA’s 240,000 members and 900 local chapters enjoy the fun and camaraderie of sharing their passion for flying, building, and restoring recreational aircraft.
For more information on EAA AirVenture: https://www.eaa.org/airventure.
About Volocopter
Volocopter is building the world’s first sustainable and scalable urban air mobility business to bring affordable air taxi services to megacities worldwide. With the VoloCity, the company is developing the first fully electric “eVTOL” aircraft in certification to transport passengers safely and quietly within cities. Volocopter leads and cooperates with partners in infrastructure, operations, and air traffic management to build the ecosystem necessary to ‘Bring Urban Air Mobility to Life’.
In 2011, Volocopter performed the first-ever crewed flight of a purely electric multicopter and has since showcased numerous public flights with its full-scale aircraft. The most notable have been the public test flights at Singapore’s Marina Bay in October 2019 and the world’s first autonomous eVTOL flight in Dubai 2017. Volocopter is also developing products for the logistics space with their heavy-lift cargo variant, the VoloDrone.
Founded in 2011 by Stephan Wolf and Alexander Zosel, Volocopter has 400 employees in offices in Bruchsal, Munich, and Singapore. The company has raised a total of €322 million in equity. Volocopter‘s investors include Daimler, Geely, DB Schenker, BlackRock, and Intel Capital amongst others.
Find out more at: www.volocopter.com
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