German air taxi startup Lilium has announced the first test flight of its full-scale, all-electric five-seater air taxi.
The company, which has built the jet-powered flying car, flew an unmanned test flight of its vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) system earlier this month.
It was the latest in a series of successful tests from various companies in the electric flight industry indicating that we could be seeing flying cars in the skies soon.
The jet has 36 engines which allow it to take off vertically, and has a maximum top speed of 80mph (300 kmph) and a range of 80 miles.
According to the tech firm, its flying taxi would allow users to travel from London to Manchester in less than an hour.
The Lilium jet, which can operate with a pilot or in drone mode, is a relatively simple design – with no tail, no rudder, no propellers and no gearbox.
This has allowed the design team to focus on more passenger-friendly features, including panoramic windows and gull-wing doors.
They hope to have a fleet of the systems flying in cities worldwide by 2025, providing a flying taxi service, similar to Uber.
Passengers would book a taxi from a local landing strip or purpose-built landing pad, to fly them on short haul trips, according to the firm.
In a video provided by the company, Lilium’s unpiloted aircraft can be seen taking off vertically like a helicopter, hovering briefly, and then landing.
Although it may seem liek a small step, the successful flight already pust them much farther than many of its competitors who are also building electric aircraft.
‘We have been working on this test for the last 20 months,’ said Remo Gerber, chief commercial officer at Lilium.
‘Just on the take off and landing. What will come next is a test flight programme that will put it through its paces to get certified.’
Mr Gerber would not provide any details about the jets weight capacity, but he insisted that it will eventually be able to carry five passengers and a pilot.
Lilium’s ‘payload ratio is industry-leading, and that’s what is going to make the difference,’ he told the Verge.
The firm claim to have built aircraft in under two years, having grown its team from just 30 people in 2017 to more than 300.
This follows an injection of $90m (£70m) from investing giants such as China’s Tencent and venture capital firm Atomico.
Other companies are also looking to launch their own flying taxi service.
Uber has promised it will launch a fleet of air taxis in a pilot project in Dallas and Los Angeles by 2023 and Boeing is also building its own electric flying taxi aircraft.
The California-based company, which is building an all-electric flying taxi capable of vertical take-off, has received $100 million (£70 million) in funding from a group of investors led by Toyota and Intel.
The money will be used to develop the firm’s ‘megadrone’ which can reach speeds of 200mph (321kph) powered by lithium nickel cobalt manganese oxide batteries.
The Joby S2 prototype has 16 electric propellers, 12 of which are designed for vertical take-off and landing (VTOL), which means no runway is needed.
The aircraft takes off vertically, like a helicopter, before folding away 12 of its propellers so it can glide like a plane once it is airborne.
Airbus is also hard at work on a similar idea, with its latest Project Vahana prototype, branded Alpha One, successfully completing its maiden test flight in February 2018.
The self-piloted helicopter reached a height of 16 feet (five metres) before successfully returning to the ground. In total, the test flight lasted 53 seconds.
Airbus previously shared a well-produced concept video, showcasing its vision for Project Vahana.
The footage reveals a sleek self-flying aircraft that seats one passenger under a canopy that retracts in similar way to a motorcycle helmet visor.
Like Joby Aviation, Project Vahana is designed to be all-electric and take-off and land vertically.
AirSpaceX is another company with ambitions to take commuters to the skies.
The Detroit-based start-up has promised to deploy 2,500 aircrafts in the 50 largest cities in the United States by 2026.
AirSpaceX unveiled its latest prototype, Mobi-One, at the North American International Auto Show in early 2018.
Like its closest rivals, the electric aircraft is designed to carry two to four passengers and is capable of vertical take-off and landing.
AirSpaceX has even included broadband connectivity for high speed internet access so you can check your Facebook News Feed as you fly to work.
Aside from passenger and cargo services, AirSpaceX says the craft can also be used for medical and casualty evacuation, as well as tactical Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (ISR).
Even Uber is working on making its ride-hailing service airborne.
Dubbed Uber Elevate, Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi tentatively discussed the company’s plans during a technology conference in January 2018.
‘I think it’s going to happen within the next 10 years,’ he said.
Source: Dailymail
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