Singapore (AFP)
A drone-like flying electric taxi crisscrossed Singapore's waterfront Tuesday, a test flight for this device that could eventually revolutionize travel in traffic-saturated cities.
This flying taxi, which has 18 propellers, was developed by the German company Volocopter.
For safety reasons, a pilot was on board for this flight that took off from a promontory before flying over the Marina Bay area for about two minutes and a half. But the machine, which can carry two people, must eventually fly automatically.
Torrential rains had delayed the flight but the sky cleared in time to allow this taxi to fly quietly with the skyscrapers in the background.
Volocopter has already tested this machine in Dubai, Helsinki, Las Vegas and Germany. In Singapore, this is the first time it is tested in the heart of a megacity.
Singapore could be the first city to benefit from this service, the German company planning to market this machine in two to four years.
"We intend to develop it in Jakarta, Manila and Bangkok because (these cities) are in great need", as well as in India and China, told the press Florian Reuter, CEO of Volocopter.
In Singapore, this flying taxi would allow for quick trips on specific routes, such as connecting Marina Bay to Sentosa Island, which is home to tourist attractions and luxury hotels.
Earlier this week, Volocopter inaugurated in the city-state the "VoloPort", a port for these machines located at the water's edge with a landing and takeoff area and a passenger terminal.
Duncan Walker, managing director of Skyports, a company involved in the Volocopter project, said the air taxis are not meant to replace the current modes of transport but to supplement the existing offer.
"It's something that we think will change the way people move in cities," he added.
Volocopter, created in 2011 and based in the south of Frankfurt, counts among its investors the car manufacturer Daimler and the computer giant Intel.
Many actors are working on flying taxi projects, including the British industrial group Rolls-Royce, Lilium aviation in Germany, Safran in France, Airbus, Honeywell in the United States, Uber or the Chinese Ehang.
mba / sr / rbu / juf
© 2019 AFP