Volcopter from Rome’s Vertiport • TechCrunch completed the test flight of the Evitol


Germany’s Electric Vertical Takeoff and Landing (Evitol) startup’s Volcopter made its first public test flight in Italy on Thursday morning. The flight took off from the Vertiport, Italy’s first Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) test port at Rome’s Fiumicino Airport, during the two-day event to demonstrate what service between the airport and the city of Rome could look like.

Aeroporti di Roma is working to start the first commercial operations between the airport and Rome in 2024, so the fact that the Vertiporto service will be a site for take-offs and landings for Evitol is a major milestone in the Italian AAM industry.

The five-minute test flight was less about carrying passengers (which it didn’t do) and more about demonstrating the 2-seater Volcity Air Taxi to interested parties. As observers observed, the test pilot flew the Volcopter eVTOL in Figure 8 twice at a speed of 25 mph and at a distance of 131 feet. The test was conducted with the blessing of Italian authorities, Inte Nazionale per l’Aviazione Civile (Civil Aviation Authority) and Inte Nazionale Asistenza al Volo (Air Traffic Control), Volocopter said.

The Volcopter test flight also marks the first time the Rome Vertiport has been used. The Vertiport is designed to accommodate tests for both flight and ground operations, such as battery charging for the Volcopter. The electrical system there allows different types of tests for different EVTOLL charging technologies, such as battery swapping or fast charging.

The Vertiport infrastructure itself, which covers an area of ​​about 1,800 square meters, includes: “Final Approach and Takeoff Operations (FATO). Parking space: A covered shed measuring 20 x 20 x 6 meters; Various rooms, including an office, warehouse and battery charging area, according to Volcopter’s description.

Italy’s first Vertiport aims to be an example of international Vertiport design and construction. During the Vertiport demo, Volcopter showed off its VoloIQ-branded digital platform, which the startup says supports everything from booking to managing flight operations, and will help support AAM’s expansion in cities around the world.

In May, Volkopter’s four-seater unmanned taxi Volconnect completed its first test flight. Earlier this year, the startup raised $170 million at a valuation of $1.87 billion.



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