According to Vice News, Japan soon could cut their commute time by skipping traffic and riding a taxi that will fly them to their desire destination. A German company, Volocopter, announced that it has partnered with Japan Airlines to commercially launch air taxis within the next three years.
It said that these flying taxis could transport goods or up to two passengers over a distance of up to 35 kilometers and at speeds of up to 110km/h.
Volocopter 2X aircraft by Volocopter has 18 rotors that were designed to operate quietly and efficiently. A Volocopter 2X within a 75-meter distance is as quiet as the smallest helicopter within a 500-meter distance according to the company. Battery-powered, the air taxi could also be cheaper and more environmentally sustainable as compared to other vehicles.
Talk about traffic, Tokyo, Japan is the ninth most congested city in Asia. Its Roads are 42 percent congested, which means that a 30-minute trip will take 42 percent more time than it would during Japan’s baseline uncongested conditions.
Volocopter conducted fully autonomous test flights in Dubai, Helsinki, and Germany before its partnership with Japan Airlines. In 2019, its first public manned flight had flown over Singapore’s Marina Bay for 2 minutes.
Together with Japan Airlines, Volocopter plan to approach Japanese cities and prefectures before launching the air taxis to see if there is a demand for the service. The partnership also plans to use the aircraft not just for transporting passengers as we know, but also to deliver medical care in remote areas.
Source: Vice