There are literally hundreds of omissions that would contradict typical Parisian life as depicted in Netflix's comically atrocious Emily in Paris, but for me, the most baffling of all is that not once is the beleaguered queen of prêt-à-porter seen stuck in traffic, slowly but surely losing the will to live, as is part of the French capital's quotidian experience. For those who haven't been, you will no doubt have observed your favorite editor tweet about such unfathomable cruelties during fashion week from the back of an Uber on at least one occasion.
Thankfully, making a last gasp dash between the Yohji and Dries shows during rush hour could soon (assuming physical fashion week will, like, continue to exist) be a thing of the past, as German company Volocopter is set to test out the City of Light's first air taxi service in June 2021. According to the company website, the all-electric VoloCity vehicle is extremely safe (thank god), extremely quiet (fair enough), and versatile (okay). It is manned by one pilot (necessary) and has room for one passenger plus their luggage. It boasts a range of 35 kilometers and a top speed of 110 kilometers per hour, which although impressive enough, would require some Dutch courage before boarding in even moderate winds.
Volocopter hopes to roll out a prototype in time for the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games, meaning that unfortunately, there's a while yet before your dream of triumphantly gliding down onto the Grand Palais for the big Chanel show can be realized. Still, Reuters appeared a little more optimistic regarding the timeframe, writing: "We are a little more than two years away from final certification, so we expect toward the end of 2022 we will see the first commercial routes, and hopefully it will be Paris."
Whether or not the VoloCity proves to be a hit, there's a good chance that vertical takeoff and landing vehicles will soon be a fixture in airspace over major metropolises. Boeing, Airbus, Toyota, and Hyundai, are just some of the names developing their own.
