Travelling by road can be mentally as well as environmentally destructive. Big cities suffer traffic jams that cost time and money and cause stress. Happily, a Munich-based start-up called Lilium is taking a big steptowards solving this problem by turning urban air mobility from a futuristic idea into a reality. Their answer is the first all-electric jet-powered air taxi. The aircraft6 has already completed more than a hundred flight and safety tests, and will soon start the second phase, which will test its performance at high speeds. The company plans to launch as a commercial service in 2025.
INSPIRED BY NATURE
With space for five passengers and one pilot, the Lilium Jet aims to be an on-call zero-emissions air taxi service. It has an egg-shaped cabin with a pair of parallel wings, which are fitted with thirty-six small electric jet engines that enable the aircraft to take off vertically and then shift for horizontal flight. With no tail, no propellers or gearbox, the Lilium Jet combines engineering perfection with a clean and simple design. According to its designers, inspiration came from the manta ray, one of nature’s most majestic creatures.
FAST AND SUSTAINABLE
The company aims to offer personalised journeys up to four times faster than any road transport can, and at a very competitive price. As the jet can take off and land vertically, the service does not require much ground infrastructure. High-speed connections can be made at speeds of up to 300 km per hour wherever they are needed, in very populated areas or in rural ones.
CLICK AND go
The company intends to release a smartphone app through which customers will be able to hail a jet, just like a normal taxi. The Lilium app will allow customers to locate the nearest landing pad and plan their journey easily. An estimated fare from downtown Manhattan to New York’s JFK Airport is $70 for a ten-minute ride in a Lilium Jet, compared to $57 by road taxi when the journey can take up to an hour or more, depending on traffic. Currently there is a company which offers the same trip by conventional helicopter for $195.