- VoloConnect expands the total addressable market for Volocopter's family of 
eVTOL aircraft to USD 290 billion
- Zero operating emissions for safe and sustainable flight speeds of over 155 
mph and >60 mi range

Today at the UP.Summit, an annual gathering of leaders in transportation 
innovation, urban air mobility (UAM) pioneer Volocopter announced that it has 
achieved another milestone to bring UAM to life: its fixed-winged passenger 
aircraft, the VoloConnect [ https://www.volocopter.com/solutions/voloconnect/ 
], completed its first flight in May 2022. This accomplishment makes Volocopter 
the only eVTOL (electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft) developer 
worldwide to have an entire fleet of distinct aircraft configurations 
undergoing flight tests.

Volocopter's third product solution, the VoloConnect, offers further and faster 
journeys than any other Volocopter aircraft to date, with a range of over 60 mi 
and flight speeds above 155 mph. The passenger plane's extended range and 
higher payload will bring business travelers and commuters beyond the city 
center on routes like Burbank to Huntington Beach in Los Angeles, CA. With the 
VoloCity and VoloConnect air taxi designs fulfilling demands for metropolitan 
flights and suburban connections in densely populated regions respectively, 
Volocopter is ready to serve a broader range of passengers' flight needs. The 
VoloConnect is targeting a 2026 entry into service, while the VoloCity is 
targeting commercial launch in 2024.

"Having a whole family of electric aircraft in the test flight phase is a 
pioneering feat," said Florian Reuter, Volocopter CEO. "Volocopter's leadership 
in the industry stems from announcing plans and then delivering on them visibly 
with public test flights. Our technology platform is the foundation for our 
family of aircraft approach and has proven to deliver results at an astounding 
speed. Volocopter is bringing these innovative designs off the ground, into the 
air, and then to cities worldwide!"

A dedicated team in Munich, led by Sebastian Mores, Chief Engineer, 
VoloConnect, is responsible for this success to bring the VoloConnect prototype 
to life. "This is an extraordinary moment for us – seeing the VoloConnect soar 
to the sky marks the achievement of one of our key milestones and demonstrates 
just what we are capable of in a short time and in line with the company's 
overall strategy for crewed and uncrewed aircraft. Furthermore, new 
technologies will be tested that will gradually be implemented during the 
overall program development," said Mores.

Volocopter designed the VoloConnect and its other eVTOL aircraft to meet the 
highest aviation safety standards according to EASA (European Aviation Safety 
Agency). The prototype completed its first flight in May 2022 after just 17 
months in the making and performed a few maneuvers for 2 minutes and 14 seconds 
during its first flight. The prototype has all the planned aerodynamics and 
performance features of the future commercial product.

The VoloConnect is a lift-and-cruise aircraft optimized for missions beyond the 
urban and suburban space. Keeping moving parts to a minimum, its six rotors 
facilitate vertical takeoff, while two electric fans in combination with 
uplift-creating wings ensure high forward speeds. Its prototype is currently 
passing a demanding series of flight tests to verify that the aircraft and its 
systems are in line with performance limits and prepared for the subsequent 
development. This phase encompasses  low-speed, transition, high-speed, and 
engine failure testing for automated and later autonomous flights – all 
standard-issue tests for eVTOL passenger aircraft manufacturers. Within the 
first three test flights of this campaign, the team was able to verify a 
significant portion of the eVTOL's envelope with forward speeds up to 40 mph 
and 28 mph sideward flight speeds during tests.

VoloConnect is poised to boost Volocopter's total addressable UAM market, 
alongside its existing aircraft family members, the VoloDrone [ 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ULyUOC5hciM ] and VoloCity [ 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3YIMYonz2b4 ]. The technological differences 
between the VoloCity and VoloConnect passenger aircraft abound. Important to 
note are their unique designs for their specific flight missions, with the 
multirotor VoloCity air taxi poised to serve intracity routes, while its larger 
lift-and-cruise sibling will focus on longer urban and suburban missions.

About Volocopter 
Volocopter is building the world's first sustainable and scalable urban air 
mobility business to bring affordable air taxi services for goods and people to 
megacities worldwide. 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'. With over 500 employees in 
offices in Bruchsal, Munich, and Singapore., Volocopter has raised $579 million 
in equity from investors including Geely, WP Investment, Mercedes-Benz Group, 
Intel Capital, and BlackRock.. www.volocopter.com 

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1833845/Volocopter.jpg
Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1626551/Volocopter_Logo.jpg
 
Source: Volocopter