ADAC Luftrettung to Collaborate with Volocopter on Next-Generation eVTOL for Emergency Medical Services
ADAC Luftrettung is a charitable air rescue service operating more than 50 rescue helicopters out of 37 bases. The organization’s motto is “Racing against time and for life”: in emergency medical services, getting a patient to treatment quickly can mean the difference between life and death. At the Paris Air Show this week, ADAC Luftrettung has confirmed the purchase of two VoloCity aircraft to begin with: the organization intends to purchase an additional 150 Volocopter eVTOLs.
VoloCity eVTOLs offer the speed and flexibility of helicopters: with the benefits of zero emissions, quieter operations, and less environmental disruption.
“The two VoloCity aircraft will start research operations in late 2024 to provide ADAC Luftrettung’s Emergency Medical Services (EMS) as supplementary aircraft in Germany. Upon successful completion of these first operations, the additional eVTOLs will be considered for use in future rescue missions,” says a Volocopter press release.
ADAC Luftrettung, and Volocopter have been working together to study the use of eVTOL in EMS and rescue operations since 2018. (Read results here.) “The study computer-simulated aeromedical missions in two regions in Germany, and theoretically proved that the introduction of eVTOLs in life-saving situations would add a significant tactical advantage, from a technical, sustainable, and operational standpoint,” says the release.
Volocopter expects to receive EASA type certification for the VoloCity in 2024. When the certification is received, the two purchased aircraft will go into service manned by a pilot and an emergency physician to supplement (not replace) rescue helicopters: these operations will continue as a test for a minimum of two years before the eVTOLs are fully integrated into the ADAC Luftrettung rescue fleet.
“From the very beginning, we have been convinced that these aircraft can also shape and improve the rescue service of the future,” explained Frédéric Bruder, Chief Executive Officer of ADAC Luftrettung, and emphasized: “With higher ranges and operational speeds as well as significantly more payload of the next generation of eVTOLs, we can also put the benefits for emergency care into practice – and fulfill our statutory mission to further develop the rescue service from the air with pioneering innovations.”
Dirk Hoke, Chief Executive Officer of Volocopter, said: “There is no better way to start Volocopter eVTOL operations in Germany than by saving lives. ADAC Luftrettung is the leading European rescue service with highly trained pilots and successful missions who believe in us to create a better future together. We have proven the emergency rescue use case works in theory, now we are concentrating on the delivery and execution to start EMS operations in Germany in 2024.”
Read more:
- Volocopter Continues Development Towards Type Certification with Integration of Swiss-AS MRO Software
- Volocopter, SITA Partner to Create Urban Air Mobility Infrastructure
- Volocopter Funding: $182 Million in Second Signing Series E
- Volocopter Opens First VoloCity Exhibition: Air Taxis of the Future
Miriam McNabb is the Editor-in-Chief of DRONELIFE and CEO of JobForDrones, a professional drone services marketplace, and a fascinated observer of the emerging drone industry and the regulatory environment for drones. Miriam has penned over 3,000 articles focused on the commercial drone space and is an international speaker and recognized figure in the industry. Miriam has a degree from the University of Chicago and over 20 years of experience in high tech sales and marketing for new technologies.
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