Innovation or clean equipment, what are the flying taxis that will be tested in Paris? – Independence

2024-07-10 03:50:00

The government has authorized on Tuesday July 9 the activation in the capital of the electric plane with a view of the future, criticized for their financial and ecological cost. But they will not be able to carry passengers, due to the lack of European authorization.

Crowded subways, blocked streets and even blocked skies? A government has added the final touch to the table for the Paris Olympic Games, Wednesday July 9, by ordering the creation of a flight in the heart of the capital, which will allow “eVTOLs” to take off and land on an experimental basis », called flying taxis. During the Games, all eyes will be on France. A perfect opportunity for the leaders of this project, which boasts of being the first in the world. But the city hall of Paris, which decided to file a lawsuit, saw in this order received the day after the legislative elections a sign of “The last gift given to the richest”. Release it take stock of these futuristic-looking light planes.

Flying taxis, what?

The cockpit is mounted on landing skids, all filled with 18 ring propellers. eVTOL, for “Vertical effect and landing” (“vertical electric landing and takeoff”, in French), is no longer science fiction. The German company Volocopter – which names its devices “Volume” – is in the making of this technological bet. With a range of just 35 kilometers, this new type of aircraft can fly up to 110 km / h and carry a passenger in the cabin, in addition to the pilot.

When was the first flight scheduled?

The new aircraft commissioned this Tuesday will be deployed on the quay at Quai d’Austerlitz. Operated by the Aéroports de Paris group, it will connect to other “portiports” outside the capital, such as Issy-les-Moulineaux. But be careful, you should not imagine that you are able to wear it during the Olympic Games. Currently, the carriers of these aircraft have not received a certificate from the European Civil Aviation Organization, which allows passengers to board the aircraft without risk.

At the Center for Spiritual Revolution, we remember that “the command you received this morning was only to create a vertiport”. “There can be effective implementation of testing only when the project leaders have received orders,” underlines ministry. And even if the order provides for Volocity’s operating hours (between 8 am and 5 pm within the limit of two flights per hour) for that period, they will fly empty. “We learned about the system of lines of taxis flying in the skies of Paris, want to focus on the ministry. The eVTOL is very new, so it raises a whole bunch of questions from a strategic point of view, such as putting it in the airspace or the division of engines. “

Far from being a real means of transport, the exhibition flights which will take place during the Olympic Games – the first in the world in a dense urban area – seem to have only one goal: to impress the exhibition. “The Île-de-France region will be a show to the outside world, we want to show that we are in innovation,” we explained to the local council. On the other hand, if Volocopter manages to get its certification by December 31, 2024, the deadline for the test, people will be able to actually sit in the cockpit of a Volocity. The company has not yet responded to us at the time of publishing this article.

What opposition do these flying taxis cause?

If the Volocity passes the skies of Paris, they will not have access to it. For the race, you will have to pay around 135 euros. “So you understand that our target customers are the most beneficial, Notes David Belliard, deputy environmental transport for the city of Paris, who has a negative view of the timing of this order. This government is no longer democratic since the legislative elections, and despite that, it is passed through in force. My impression is that it is the last gift given to the richest and the lobbies.”

The elected official also refers to the Île-de-France region which finances part of this project, “which does not meet transportation challenges”, just like him. “When we know that 9 million people take public transport every day in Île-de-France, on the contrary, we should invest massively in this, he elaborates. Obviously we do not have the same appreciation, with Madame Pécresse, of what is material and material. “ The LR chairpersons of the region wrote this: “We invest more than 10 billion euros per year in transportation. We invested one million on this project. In fact, he compares things that are not comparable at all.”

An ecological mode of transport, really?

This is another main argument of the defenders of Volocity: it will not become dirty and it will not make noise. But it is not that easy. In Paris city hall, whose local council voted unanimously against this project, we began to talk. “A much larger carbon footprint than a classic taxi and visual pollution”, summary David Belliard. According to him, the weight of these flying taxis requires great power “to send and therefore to produce”. A selected environmentalist compares them to electric cars: “They are technically more efficient than hot cars, but that doesn’t negate the fact that they have a very significant carbon footprint”. Before you should: “Flying taxis are not an ecological solution but a very little pollution solution.”

The debate took part by the government. “Obviously, we hear these criticisms, but once again, it is a test, we must emphasize the new character rather than the problems that will be created if they are combined,” we appealed with the ministry, which emphasized that it is possible to use them later – thanks to the larger parts – for the emergency medical transport of patients or transports.