Volocopter, the pioneer of urban air mobility (UAM), announced yesterday the opening of its production facilities in Bruchsal.
The company marked this milestone with the opening of a new hangar that will host the company’s final assembly line with an airfield to conduct development flight tests as well as quality checks.
All company-owned production sites, which will manufacture the first EASA-certified electric air taxis, will ramp up into full operation in April.
From this facility, electric air taxis made in Germany will be deployed across the world, offering commercial services starting next year.
Volocopter’s production facilities have the capacity – and more importantly the regulatory approval – to assemble 50+ VoloCity aircraft each year.
And this is the final step of the production setup that Volocopter has been expanding in Bruchsal over the past 18 months.
Since 2021, the company holds an approval as production organization in compliance with EASA regulation. This certification covers the entire VoloCity production process.
It includes the manufacturing of carbon fiber parts, all aspects of the electric propulsion unit, final assembly with decking of the propulsion system and fuselage, and extensive end-of-line flight tests.
The ribbon-cutting ceremony was held on 4 April 2023 at the hangar. The event also featured a crewed flight of the Volocopter 2X.
Key guests included Dr. Volker Wissing, Federal Minister of Digital Affairs and Transport; Mr. Winfried Kretschmann, Minister of the State of Baden-Württemberg; Dr. Anna Christmann, Federal Government Coordinator for German Aerospace Policy; and upward of 70 business and political representatives.
“Right here is where the aircraft that will change how humanity moves about cities will take off and make its way across the world,” Dirk Hoke, CEO of Volocopter.
“This region is known for transforming mobility – the bicycle, the car, and soon Volocopter, too. Electric air taxis and Volocopter in particular is a technology made in Germany that will make the world a more sustainable place.”
“The VoloCity has completed the critical design review – and that’s the aircraft we’re ready to produce, with enough leeway for further learnings derived from flight testing,” Andreas Fehring, Chief Supply Chain Officer of Volocopter and Program Manager VoloCity.
“It’s no easy task to set up a production facility for an entirely new type of aircraft, but my team has done a phenomenal job.”
