Mercedes-Benz at the Auto Expo 2020 showcased a wide range of products from their vast portfolio. The brand launched the Mercedes-AMG GT 63S 4M 4-door high-performance car as well as the Mercedes-Benz V-Class Monte Carlo which is a luxurious adventure camper in the Indian market. At their pavilion, the German automaker also showcased a one of a kind product in the form of the Volocopter. Volocopter is a part of Mercedes-Benz project called ‘Vision Smart City’ through which the brand wants to create sustainable concepts for mobility in future.
A 1:3 scale model of the Volocopter called the ‘Volocity’ was showcased at the Auto Expo 2020 which gave the audience a glimpse of the future mobility solutions. The Volocopter is an electrically powered multicopter based on drone technology that is set to establish the Urban Air Mobility (UAM) for transportation solutions in megacities. The Volocopter will provide on-demand taxi service to people by flying them to their destination safely and save them a great deal of time.
The Volocopter is an electrically powered aircraft with Vertical Take-Off and Landing (VTOL) similar to a Helicopter but the Volocopter is powered by 18 rotors instead of a single rotor helicopter. The Volocopter consists of 18 BLDC (Brushless DC) motors powered by 9 exchangeable/rechargeable Lithium-Ion battery packs that can be swapped in 5 minutes. The battery packs provide a range of around 35 km and the Volocopter can attain a maximum airspeed of 110 kmph. The Volocopter is made of composite materials and has a 2,300mm single rotor diameter, 11,300mm diameter of the rotor rim including the rotor and 2,500mm overall height. The Volocopter has an Operating Weight Empty (OWE) of 700 kg, a maximum payload capacity of 200 kg and Maximum Take-Off Mass (MTOM) of 900 kg. The Volocopter can accommodate two persons along with their hand luggage.
The Volocopter features state-of-the-art assistance systems with more than 100 microprocessors that ensure stability and control. The 18 rotors on the Volocopter acoustically operate to keep within a narrow frequency range as a result the Volocopter produces very little sound in flight. For safety, it also gets multiple redundant systems including rotors, electric motors, batteries, avionics, display and ‘Fly-By-Light’ fibre optic cable connected communication networks. Volocopters have more than 1000 test flight under their belt and has already received permits to fly for test flights manned or unmanned in Germany, Singapore, Helsinki and Dubai.
Stuttgart sees first urban flight of Volocopter in Europe