Beyond Air Taxis: How Volocopter's eVTOLs Will Transform Emergency Medical ServicesAs the partnership with ADAC Luftrettung grows, the application of Volocopter’s next-generation aircraft promises to be a game-changer in saving people’s lives.

October 5, 2023|

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Back in 2018, Volocopter and ADAC Luftrettung joined forces to evaluate the potential application of multicopters in emergency medical services through an extensive feasibility study. Five years later, our partnership is closer to making eVTOL aircraft deployment for shuttling doctors to emergency sites a reality – with ADAC Luftrettung purchasing two VoloCity aircraft and securing 150 more purchase options for the next generation aircraft. Recently, our teams showed the first ADAC Luftrettung branded Medical Emergency Service multicopter – the type of aircraft that will be used for research operations starting in 2024. Keep reading to explore how the potential use of Volocopter's eVTOL solutions will enhance emergency medical service operations through our groundbreaking collaboration with ADAC Luftrettung.

Viewing Challenges as Opportunities  

The World Health Organization (WHO) defines emergency medical services, often called rescue or paramedic services, as "the provision of medical care to patients with life-threatening conditions who require urgent treatment." Typically, people access emergency medical services (EMS) through hotlines, such as dialing “911” in the United States or “112” in Europe.      The swift arrival of qualified rescue teams at incident sites is paramount to saving lives. German surveys, however, reveal that the time it takes for emergency doctors to arrive on-site has increased by around 40% over the past two decades – leading to an increase in overall EMS response times.      Several factors contribute to delayed response times. These include the ever-growing demand for emergency medical services, congested urban areas and traffic, and the shortage of qualified emergency doctors, making it challenging for emergency providers to staff their emergency doctor locations adequately.    Given the many challenges emergency medical service providers face, Volocopter and ADAC Luftrettung saw the opportunity to collaborate. Thus, in 2018, ADAC Luftrettung started exploring the use of multicopters as rescue vehicles through a feasibility study sponsored by the ADAC Foundation with the Institut für Notfallmedizin und Medizinmanagement (INM, Institute for Emergency Medicine and Medical Management) at Ludwig Maximilian University in Munich, Germany. 

The main research question: How can electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft be used for medical missions? 

Promising Results to Strengthen Life-Saving Efforts 

The feasibility study on the use of multicopters in emergency services was published by ADAC Luftrettung two years later, in October 2020. The research included more than 26,000 simulations of aeromedical missions in two regions in Germany using our VoloCity air taxi aircraft. These simulations demonstrated compelling evidence that incorporating eVTOL aircraft into life-saving procedures could offer significant advantages to the EMS sector. 

Specifically, study results revealed how multicopters could extend the supply areas of the emergency doctors and ensure rapid availability of the emergency doctor on site. In addition, research findings highlighted the potential to set-up as many as 250 multicopter sites throughout Germany. It is important to note that using multicopters will not replace existing rescue transport helicopters or ground-based emergency doctor locations. Instead, the objective is to enhance the overall system and bring more doctors into the air. 

Expanding Collaboration for a Purposeful Cause 

The success of the feasibility study resulted in the reservation of two of our Volocopter multicopters in 2020 by ADAC Luftrettung. During the Paris Air Show in June of 2023, we have expanded our collaboration to customize next-generation eVTOL aircraft for rescue services, signing one agreement for ADAC Luftrettung to purchase the two VoloCity aircraft and another to secure 150 aircraft options for the future generation of aircraft. 

This September, in a joint event held at our hangar in Bruchsal, Germany, we revealed the VoloCity aircraft with ADAC Luftrettung's iconic yellow color and logo. During this occasion, our CEO, Dirk Hoke, and ADAC Luftrettung's CEO, Frédéric Bruder, cheered the synergy between both teams. The yellow color will complement ADAC Luftrettung's 50+ helicopter fleet – also known as the "yellow angels" by the German public – indicating their vital role in saving people's lives.  

ADAC Luftrettung will start using the two VoloCity aircraft for research operations in 2024, once we receive type certification from the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA). During the research operations, ADAC Luftrettung will dispatch a pilot and an emergency physician to incident locations – to supplement, not to replace – rescue helicopters as they provide rapid air assistance. In a few years' time, when people initiate emergency calls through the 112-emergency hotline in Germany, Volocopter’s aircraft in yellow could be the one shuttling doctors quickly and efficiently to provide first aid.   

Cutting Down Response Time Safely, Sustainably, and Efficiently  

Fifty years ago, ADAC Luftrettung was among the first in Germany to field test the use of rescue helicopters in emergency services. By initiating the feasibility study with Volocopter in 2018, ADAC Luftrettung became the world's first air rescue organization to test the use of crewed multicopters in medical services, both in theory and practice.  

On the other hand, Volocopter made aviation history when our founders performed the world's first crewed flight with an electric multicopter in 2011, proving that an all-electric vertical flight is possible. In recent years, we have been pushing forward the technological advancement and certification process for its eVTOL solutions, intending to launch its air taxi services in Paris in 2024. The buzz around our air taxi services launch in Paris is growing steadily, but so is the potential use of VoloCity air taxis as rescue vehicles – showcasing the versatility of our eVTOL fleet.  

But what exactly makes Volocopter's aircraft suitable for emergency medical services? 

1. Zero In Flight Emissions: Our VoloCity operates using electric propulsion technology that produces zero emissions during flight, a sharp contrast to helicopters that emit CO2 due to fuel combustion.  

2. Reduced Noise, Happier Communities: Helicopters often cause unwanted noise effects on residents and, at times, on the affected patients. The VoloCity model has a noise level of approximately three times quieter than a helicopter in hovering flight.  

3. Easy to Maintain: Our VoloCity aircraft are easier to maintain than helicopters as the structural components are easily replaceable, and maintenance operations require fewer personnel and less complex procedures.  

4. Enhanced Cost-Efficiency: Operating VoloCity multicopters proves to be a cost-effective choice for emergency medical services and people living in countries that must (or obliged to) pay for this service when in need. 

On the backdrop of these advantages our VoloCity aircraft presents for the EMS sector, the 2021 study from the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) underscores the growing public support for the integration of eVTOL in emergencies and medical transportation. Another survey conducted as a part of the “Sky Limits” project supported by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research, revealed that an impressive majority of German population, exceeding 65% of participants, expressed their support for the utilization of multicopters in EMS.  

A Bright Future Ahead 

Receiving safety certification from EASA in 2024 and driving future technological developments are top priorities for Volocopter to deploy eVTOLs in urban areas. As the feasibility study of ADAC Luftrettung showed, our multicopter aircraft concept – when used as an emergency vehicle for doctors – has the potential to cut down response times and save people's lives while ensuring the safety of everyone involved.   

So far, Volocopter's partnership with ADAC Luftrettung promises to be a game-changer in the emergency service sector in Germany. Sooner or later, it will expand to be a game-changer worldwide. The recent showcase of our yellow-branded VoloCity aircraft presents a big step in what will become one of the most notable steps in improving EMS services in the next decade. After all, bringing urban air mobility to life is what we're here for, and that also means bringing our eVTOL solutions closer to saving people's lives.