Will we soon be able to take a flying taxi at the exit of Charles-de-Gaulle airport and find ourselves a few minutes later in the heart of the La Défense business district?
If until now it looked like science fiction, this dream is on the way to come true.
Many economic players believe in it, and research and presentations in this area have accelerated in recent years.
This Wednesday, the Île-de-France region, the ADP group, the RATP and the German company Volocopter take a further step by officially launching the Urban Air Mobility sector in Île-de-France, during an event organized at the 'Pontoise aerodrome.
Objective: to show that Ile-de-France players are determined to capitalize on “eVTOL”, these electric planes with vertical take-off and landing.
Read also: Airbus, ADP and RATP are working on flying taxis in Ile-de-France for 2024
This ceremony has three objectives, explains to
Figaro
Bernard Giry, the Digital, innovation and research adviser to the president of the region, Valérie Pécresse.
First, the ADP group formalizes the use of its Pontoise aerodrome as a “
test area
” for this transport technology.
"
ADP had a reflection on this business, and they decided to use this place because it has a control tower, infrastructure in good condition and relatively low air traffic
."
Pontoise will therefore be a “
sandbox
” on which tests can be launched, in order to better understand eVTOL, their strengths, their stakes and their challenges, particularly legal ones.
“
The objective is to test, in particular to better define the regulation.
The European certifier, EASA, is in the loop, and the DGAC is interested and voluntary
", explains the advisor, who recalls that until then there was no"
place of reception, of test, to make emerge this sector and its players, unlike what other countries have done
”.
Then, the meeting this Wednesday is an opportunity for these actors to show their interest and their commitment to develop this technology in the years to come.
Already tested in several cities of the Emirates, the United States or Germany as well as in Singapore, this new way of getting around is likely to appear in our skies within five to ten years.
The region therefore wishes to take advantage of it, by being an actress.
"
Volocopter, the most advanced company today in this field, will come to do tests and present its model airplane to us
", we are pleased.
The launch of a sector also has an industrial interest, the Île-de-France being the largest aeronautical region in France, in terms of jobs.
"
Part of the sector sees its future with these machines, which are clean, less noisy and electric vehicles
", describes the executive.
Airbus, Safran ... Giants want to take this train in motion before it leaves the station.
Developing the sector could have a major economic interest in the coming years, as the market develops.
Enough to lead to significant job creation in local industry, it is argued.
Finally, the launch of a sector responds to a strategic challenge: to give the image of a modern country, capitalizing on technologies of the future and ready to make bets on the future.
The region will thus launch a call for expressions of international interest so that the actors interested in “
machines, infrastructures
” can join in the dance.
"
We open the game
" to investors, summarizes the executive.
During the event, is also presented the new model of eVTOL of Volocopter, called Volocity.
Equipped with eighteen rotors, it can carry two passengers as well as their hand luggage.
A tight schedule before the Olympics
The first test flights at Pontoise should be launched between April and June of next year.
In the longer term, the authorities hope to have a “
demonstration service
” ready and active for the 2024 Olympic Games, in order to use this planetary event as a formidable showcase and a major boost for the development of this technology.
A race against time is therefore launched to obtain the necessary authorizations by 2024. “
We are not late, but not early either.
This is why we want to speed up.
The health crisis was, in this, an interesting combination of circumstances, forcing to seek new modes of development, new industrial activities
”, continues Bernard Giry.
And, in this case of the eVTOL, the international competition is tough, several countries wanting to fly these funny machines in their cities first.
Cutting-edge technology, but for which audience?
If the possibility of traveling above Paris is a dream, it remains to be determined what the economic model of this mode of transport will be, its audience as well as the cost of a ticket.
"
It will never replace the RER, it is not a means of mass transport
", one specifies.
Travelers should first and foremost be a business audience, eager to get to regional nodes quickly, such as airports or La Défense.
As for the price, "
it will have to be affordable, comparable to other modes of transport, to function
".
All these questions will be answered later: during the test phases in Pontoise, the RATP will be responsible for a study in order to assess the economic aspects of the sector, the customers and the inclusion of this mode of travel in the chain. existing Ile-de-France transport network.
ADP, for its part, will see if its airport areas are suitable for the arrival of these eVTOL vehicles.
“
The group manages airports all over the world.
It will therefore undoubtedly be able to export its model to its sites abroad, once the local tests have been concluded,
”argues the advisor to Valérie Pécresse.
We will therefore have to wait several years before being able to board one of these small aircraft and fly over the Ile-de-France region.
Initially, once launched, the flights will be piloted by an individual, not by a computer, specifies the region, in order to simplify the obtaining of authorizations and certifications.
This innovation will also have to be accepted by the general public.
One thing is certain: industrial and public players are embarking on the race with an ambitious schedule and an assumed bet.
The Los Angeles dotted with flying cars of
Blade Runner
, imagined in 1982 and supposed to take place in 2019, had better watch out.
