Volocopter and Co. : The air taxi hype is too big

"Volocopter wants to be the first to transport passengers by electric flight taxi. But instead of a means of mass transport, they will be more of a companion for a premium niche.

Getting ahead without emissions and without a human behind the wheel - that sounds fascinating. It is being worked on for all means of transport – be it on the road, on rails or in the air. However, it is by no means certain whether there will be a large market for air taxis in metropolitan regions.

The German manufacturer Volocopter has stated that it will be the first to carry passengers. It should be as far as next year. After more than a decade of development work, the company from Bruchsal has been blessed with success. There were no passenger forecasts for the big announcement.

Because the fascination that emanates from the new way of flying is greater than the business prospects. An air taxi requires a lot more energy than an electric taxi on the road, and the air route to the next town is still too far for the current generation of batteries.

And the development costs are high, for some manufacturers they could still prove to be too high. The new flying objects are likely to remain a means of transport in a premium niche for a long time. Much of the hype about air taxis was exaggerated, but they can still make a contribution to avoiding emissions."