Volocopter’s electric drone VoloDrone completed its first public test flight in Hamburg, demonstrating its cargo transportation capabilities.
The public demonstration, which took place at mobility event ITS Hamburg, saw the VoloDrone fly for three minutes, reaching a maximum altitude of 22m.
To simulate a delivery scenario, the drone, which can carry up to 200kg (441lbs), was equipped with a load-box between its landing gear. The VoloDrone subsequently brought the payload to a cargo bike operated by Volocopter strategic investor DB Schenker.
“Once the payload was transferred successfully, the cargo bike delivered its cargo to the final destination … marking the completion of the entirely electric, multimodal last-mile delivery,” says Volocopter.
Both DB Schenker and Volocopter embarked on a static proof of concept for VoloDrone operations in the logistics supply chain in July.
Says Erik Wirsing, vice president for global innovation at DB Schenker: “With the VoloDrone [public demonstration] flight…we were able to publicly demonstrate our successful collaboration and the impressive progress on DB Schenker’s innovation and sustainability roadmap for cleaner logistics.”
Together with @volocopter, #DBSchenker successfully conducted the first public #VoloDrone cargo flight at the #ITSHamburg2021. 3-minutes, 22 meters high, fully electric, and CO2 neutral. https://t.co/Awu9pQOwAd pic.twitter.com/ciZ02aTuiJ
— DB Schenker (@DBSchenker) October 12, 2021
Volocopter chief Florian Reuter adds: “This first public VoloDrone flight is a strong sign for Volocopter´s leading position in the UAM industry.”
“Our VoloDrone will make existing logistics processes more robust, efficient, and sustainable.”
The VoloDrone has been undergoing a series of test flights across Germany since 2019. According to Volocopter, it is targeted to “serve challenging missions across diverse industries”.
