Volocopter gets a new boss.

According to information from the FAZ, Dirk Hoke will in future lead the company from Bruchsal, which is developing an electric air taxi.

He replaces the previous chairman Florian Reuter.

The transfer of office is to take place on September 1st.

Hoke previously headed the Defense & Space division of aircraft manufacturer Airbus for five years and resigned there after a change in leadership last spring as a result of this decision.

The 52-year-old is still subject to a non-competition ban until August.

Holger Apple

Editor in business, responsible for "Technology and Motor".

  • Follow I follow

The change had been indicated, but the replacement was unclear.

The previous incumbent, Florian Reuter, was the fifth employee of the start-up after it was founded in 2011.

It is said that he is retiring of his own free will because the realization has matured that Volocopter is growing into a new dimension that requires extensive experience in larger structures.

There was no dissatisfaction with the progress of business or pressure from the advisory board, which includes former Daimler boss Dieter Zetsche.

The doubts arose because Reuter will apparently remain a shareholder, but will no longer hold any position, not even in an advisory capacity.

When asked, Hoke confirmed the change, saying that Reuter had asked him if he wanted to take on the post.

Since Volocopter offers a promising future and he has been striving for a CEO position for a long time, it goes well together.

Hoke sees the need for new organizational structures, specialized expertise and a leadership style that follows a set of values ​​as Volocopter nears certification and series operations.

After all, the company now has 550 employees.

In development, it is important to define critical paths, to coordinate the increasing number of specialist departments and to speak to the approval authorities on an equal footing.

In the next phase, "we have to push the envelope of what's possible," says Hoke.

And also keep an eye on the financial situation,

It might be worth adding that there has been some excitement recently as Volocopter attempted to raise financing through a shell company in America.

These financial instruments, called Spac, can be attractive, but they also carry some risks.

Volocopter called off the project or had to call it off, alienating investors who had hoped for a high return on their venture capital.

Hoke now says he would not have accepted the position had it been for the Spac funding.

He thinks more conservatively, which fits in with the recently announced new classic financing round of 153 million euros, which was led by the Korean company WP Investment.

She will hardly be the last.

A total of 520 million euros in venture capital has flowed into the project so far.

Volocopter is aiming for certification in 2024 for its helicopter-like air taxi powered by 18 electric rotors.

Standard operation should follow as soon as possible.

The first model will only be able to carry one passenger and will be flown by a pilot on visual flight.

More versions are planned later.

The range is around 35 kilometers and the maximum flight time will initially be around 30 minutes.

Large cities are planned as areas of application, in which traffic jams can be avoided in this way, for example.