Passenger 'super-drones' square off at CES as Workhorse and Volocopter show off incredible self-flying taxis

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Volocopter and Workhorse showed off their incredible ‘super drones’ at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas this week, each touting the ability to fly piloted or autonomously and slash commuting times in busy urban areas.

The two were among the most highly-anticipated exhibitors at CES this year, as the firms have both revealed their visions for Uber-style flying taxi services with the vertical takeoff and landing craft in the foreseeable future.

Volocopter stunned attendees during Intel’s keynote by flying the drone right onto the stage, in what a spokesperson admitted was a ‘ballsy’ move – but, while Workhorse was slated to demonstrate its SureFly craft this week, the flight had to be cancelled due to the rain.

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Workhorse and Volocopter (pictured) were among the most highly-anticipated exhibitors at CES this year, as the firms have both revealed their visions for Uber-style flying taxi services with the vertical takeoff and landing craft in the foreseeable future

Workhorse and Volocopter displayed their ‘air taxis’ in side-by-side exhibits at CES.

In many ways, the two craft appear similar.

But, an up-close look reveals key differences that truly set them apart.

In a presentation about Volocopter’s craft, an exhibitor said it is the ‘world’s first autonomous air taxi.’

The craft completed the first unmanned test flight in Dubai this past fall. 

‘Potentially in years to come, you would be able to take your phone out and pull up a transportation application, and similar to what you do with a taxi today, summon this to your location, hop in, tell it where you’re going.

‘And it would autonomously fly you to that location, no pilot required. It’s a safe, reliable form of transportation.’

The Volocopter craft ‘is essentially a scaled-up super drone,’ he noted.

It is fully electric, allowing for zero emission travel.

And, it’s quiet enough to be operated in an urban environment.

Volocopter relies on a system of ‘redundancies’ to ensure its safety, meaning there are many propellers, batteries, and motors to compensate in case one goes out.

In a similar plan, the firm says its craft could be used as a taxi service with Uber-style pickups and drop-offs. But, it’s also available to private clients. The firm opened up pre-orders for the $200,000 craft, requiring just a $1,000 refundable deposit, and has already received 105, Mike Dektas of Workhorse told Dailymail.com

With Intel’s flight control technology and a ‘myriad of sensors,’ the craft is ‘constantly analyzing environmental data to ensure those redundancies,’ a Volocopter exhibitor explained.

There are 18 independent motors and propellers, but ‘if that seems like way too many, what it allows for is, you can lose a propeller or several of them and still maintain your flight.’

There are nine batteries, ensuring the same type of back-up.

According to the firm, rides in the flying taxis would likely be comparable to a trip in an Uber Black.

This means, a spokesperson told Dailymail.com, it aims to be ‘an addition to the public transport system, not a toy for rich people.’

Volocopter is expected to make its first piloted routes within the next 3-5 years, the firm says.

The Volocopter craft ‘is essentially a scaled-up super drone,’ the exhibitor said. It is fully electric, allowing for zero emission travel. And, it’s quiet enough to be operated in an urban environment

In a presentation about Volocopter’s craft, an exhibitor said it is the ‘world’s first autonomous air taxi.’ Dailymail.com got an up-close look at the Volocopter, and even sat inside 

With Intel’s flight control technology and a ‘myriad of sensors,’ the craft is ‘constantly analyzing environmental data to ensure those redundancies,’ a Volocopter exhibitor explained

Workhorse calls its craft SureFly – a ‘personal electric octocopter.’

In a similar plan, the firm says its craft could be used as a taxi service with Uber-style pickups and drop-offs.

But, it’s also available to private clients.

The firm opened up pre-orders for the $200,000 craft, requiring just a $1,000 refundable deposit, and has already received 105, Mike Dektas of Workhorse told Dailymail.com.

SureFly is designed for ‘short hops,’ Dektas explained, with the ability to go roughly 70 miles at a time.

Workhorse calls its craft SureFly – a ‘personal electric octocopter.’ And, as its design makes it much simpler than a traditional helicopter, it requires only a sports license to fly

‘It has electric powered propellers, and is personal in that you could fly this as a commuter,’ Dektas said.

‘It will go 70 miles range; it has got a gasoline generator in there, and that gasoline powers the electric motors.

‘So you would fly 70 miles, gas back up, ready for the next hoop. So you’re not waiting for the lithium batteries to charge for hours, it just takes a 10 gallon tank.’

The craft is also capable of holding a 400lb payload, giving it potential military applications.

It is controlled with a joystick, though it could be flown either piloted or autonomously.

And, as its design makes it much simpler than a traditional helicopter, it requires only a sports license to fly.

This is just 30-40 hours of required flight time to be eligible, compared to ‘thousands,’ Dektas explained.

SureFly also uses numerous propellers powered by individual motors, ‘so if one propeller were to fail, or two or three, you could still fly,’ Dektas told Dailymail.com.

SureFly is designed for ‘short hops,’ Dektas explained, with the ability to go roughly 70 miles at a time. According to the firm, the SureFly craft could ship as soon as 2020

The craft is also capable of holding a 400lb payload, giving it potential military applications. It is controlled with a joystick, though it could be flown either piloted or autonomously

The firm is working with Uber’s Elevate project in hopes to bring a taxi style system to life. But, it could have a wide range of applications even beyond this.

‘We feel that with this product, since it is so new breaking so much new ground, the market will tell us what the market is

'Military people like it, emergency responders, law enforcement, and even agriculture.’

According to the firm, the SureFly craft could ship as soon as 2020.