In 2018, Volocopter and ADAC Luftrettung partnered to evaluate the potential application of multicopters in emergency medical services (EMS) through an extensive feasibility study. Five years later, the partnership has taken the next step to making electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft deployment for shuttling doctors to emergency sites a reality. ADAC Luftrettung has purchased two VoloCity aircraft and secured 150 more purchase options for this next-generation aircraft, unveiling the first ADAC Luftrettung-branded EMS multicopter in a test flight at Bruchsal, Germany – the type of aircraft that will be used for trial operations starting in 2024.

Challenges as opportunities

The swift arrival of qualified rescue teams at incident sites is paramount to saving lives. German surveys, however, show that the time it takes for emergency doctors to arrive on site has increased by around 40 per cent 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 EMS, congested urban areas and traffic, and the shortage of qualified emergency doctors, making it difficult for emergency providers to always staff their locations adequately. Given the many challenges that EMS 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 (Institute for Emergency Medicine and Medical Management) at Ludwig Maximilian University in Munich, Germany.

How can eVTOL aircraft be used for medical missions?

The feasibility study on the use of multicopters in emergency services was published by ADAC Luftrettung in October 2020. The research included more than 26,000 simulations of air medical missions in two regions in Germany using the VoloCity air taxi. These simulations demonstrated compelling evidence that incorporating eVTOL aircraft into lifesaving 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 was to enhance the overall system and bring more doctors into the air.

Expanding collaboration

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

This September, in a joint event held at Volocopter’s hangar in Bruchsal, a VoloCity multicopter was unveiled with ADAC Luftrettung’s iconic yellow color and logo. The yellow aircraft complements ADAC Luftrettung’s 50-plus helicopter fleet – affectionately 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 trial operations in 2024, once the type certification from the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) has been received. During the trials, ADAC Luftrettung will dispatch a pilot and an emergency doctor to incident locations to supplement – not to replace – rescue helicopters as they provide rapid air assistance.

Cutting down response times 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 in practice.

Similarly, Volocopter made aviation history when its founders performed the world’s first crewed flight with an electric multicopter in 2011, proving that an all-electric vertical flight is possible. And it is proud to be pioneering the potential use of VoloCity air taxis as rescue vehicles.

What makes Volocopter’s aircraft suitable for EMS:

• Zero in-flight emissions: VoloCity craft operate using electric propulsion technology that produces zero emissions during flight, contrasting with helicopters that emit CO2 due to fuel combustion
• Reduced noise, happier communities: Helicopters often generate unwanted noise for nearby residents and, at times, the affected patients. The VoloCity
  has a noise level approximately three times quieter than a helicopter in hovering flight
• Easy to maintain: 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
• Enhanced cost efficiency: Operating VoloCity multicopters is a cost-effective choice for EMS operators and people living in countries that must (or are obliged to) pay for this service when in need.

Public support for multicopters in EMS

The 2021 study from EASA underscores the growing public support for the integration of eVTOLs into 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 the German population, exceeding 65 per cent of participants, expressed support for the utilization of multicopters in EMS.

A bright (yellow) future

Receiving safety certification from EASA in 2024 and driving future technological developments are top priorities for Volocopter in deploying eVTOLs in urban areas. As the feasibility study of ADAC Luftrettung showed, the 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 step change in the emergency services sector in Germany. Sooner or later, eVTOLs in EMS will expand worldwide. The recent showcase of the yellow ADAC Luftrettung-branded VoloCity aircraft is momentous in what will become one of the most notable steps in improving EMS in the next decade, bringing eVTOL solutions closer to saving people’s lives.