Skyports and Volocopter have announced a cooperation to build the first mobile Volo-Port for air taxis. UK-based global vertiport owner and operator Skyports and air taxi pioneer Volocopter unveiled plans for the Volo-Port – the physical landing pads for so-called eVTOL (electric take-off and landing) – through stunning designs produced by internationally renowned agency Brandlab.
Ground-based vertiport infrastructure is critical to the success of future urban air mobility (UAM), including air taxi operations in congested cities. Construction of the first Volo-Port will be completed later this year. The partners plan to build it in Singapore for the scheduled public flight trials in the second half of 2019. A full-scale Volocopter vehicle is on display at the GreenTech Festival.
The Volo-Port prototype will:
- Enable real-life testing of the full customer journey to perfect the passenger experience;
- Showcase planned customer services, including pre-flight checks, passenger lounges and boarding procedures;
- Allow practical testing of ground operations and services, including battery swaps and charging, maintenance, safety and security;
- Provide the opportunity for authorities and industry regulators to interact with the infrastructure and provide feedback before they are asked to approve the final design.
Vertiports are the only physical infrastructure required for air taxis to commence operations in cities in the near future. Volo-Ports are designed to provide passengers with a seamless air taxi experience that is safe, secure, and relaxing. They will merge with their surroundings, allowing passengers and passers-by to see through the whole structure.
Brandlab together with Graft Architects and Arup won the Volocopter international tender to produce the Volo-Port design.
“Receiving the commercial license for air taxi aircraft is a question of time not possibility. We are thus focusing on shaping the necessary ecosystem around UAM including air traffic management, city regulation and the take-off and landing infrastructure. It takes visionary partners like Skyports and Brandlabs willing to make investments to actively shape the future of urban air mobility.”, says Alex Zosel, Co-Founder of Volocopter. “Once regulation comes through on the aviation and city level – and this will be sooner than most think – we will be ready to take off.”
“Each individual Volo-Port is designed so that it can stand alone or connect to other ports in numerous formations, enabling rapid deployment and scalability. We have analysed the available spaces and movement dynamics in city centres across the world and recognize that infrastructure is a key enabler for the emerging UAM market. We are delighted to be building the world’s first operational Volo-Port in partnership with Volocopter.”
says Duncan Walker, Managing Director of Skyports.
“Mobility patterns in cities worldwide are changing rapidly – seamless transitions from one mode to another are crucial for transport efficiencies and changing passenger demands. Our design of the architecture, as well as all services along the whole customer journey, link ground to air infrastructure in the smoothest way possible. Passengers experience the connection to the sky through our design. We aim to build trust and create excitement.”
says Linda Stannieder, Co-Founder and CEO of Brandlab.
Skyports is connecting the world through our skies by building and operating critical infrastructure for urban air mobility and managing end to end drone deliveries. Skyports is working with the leading electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) passenger and cargo vehicle manufacturers around the world to secure, design, build, own and operate vertiports enabling safe and efficient flight operations within urban and suburban environments. In addition, Skyports develops, implements and operates end-to-end cargo drone deliveries within the medical, e-commerce and logistics sectors overcoming inefficiencies associated with traditional transportation methods. Skyports is based in London, United Kingdom with projects operating globally, including in the United States, Singapore, Belgium and Finland.
Volocopter GmbH
Volocopter is the global leader in the development of electrical vertical take-off and landing multicopters (eVTOL) as air taxis to fly people safely to their destination. The technical platform is extremely flexible and permits piloted, remote controlled, and fully autonomous flight. In addition, the unique design offers unprecedented degrees of safety based on the high level of redundancy in all critical components. As early as 2011 the company earned its entry into the history of aviation through the manned flight of the world’s first purely electrical multicopter. Since then, the young enterprise has set new milestones: in 2016 Volocopter obtained provisional licensing for a two-seater Volocopter from the German aviation authorities, and in 2017 the aviation start-up showcased the first ever autonomous flight of an urban air taxi in cooperation with RTA Dubai. In the meantime, the founders Stephan Wolf and Alexander Zosel have gathered an effective team of experienced managers like CEO Florian Reuter, CTO Jan-Hendrik Boelens, and CFO Rene Griemens. This has paved the way for the further expansion of the company. Daimler and Intel are among the investors in the company.
Brandlab
Brandlab is an agency for brand innovation with a strong focus on spatial design. We develop future-forward, strategic, communicative, digital and build solutions that foster business growth and enhance brand equity. Our insights into markets, technologies and changing user needs allow us to enable sustained change. We partner with established brands to evolve their presence, but also develop radically new brand experiences from scratch. Our name encapsulates our multidisciplinary approach: We explore new paths, cross boundaries and merge opposites into unique ideas. In digital and analogue spaces and where both worlds intertwine.
Brandlab was founded in 2014. Since then, we enjoy annual growth and international projects with clients such as Coca-Cola, Mercedes-Benz, Honda, Here, Heinemann, Hyundai, Porsche, E.ON, Solarkiosk, and Volkswagen.
Source: Press Release