Start-up Lilium raises $90MILLION to make its five-seater 'air taxi' a reality
- Lilium is working on a five-seat electric powered jet with vertical take-off
- In April, it successfully tested a two-seater version of the aircraft
- It plans to use the new funding to expand hiring and carry it through the next development stages, buying it time to meet regulatory approvalsLilium, a
- German start-up with ambitions to develop a 'flying taxi', has raised £70 million ($90 million) in funding to make its flying car a reality.
The new round of investment makes it one of the best-funded electric aircraft projects to date.
The firm is developing a five-seat electric powered jet capable of vertical-take off, that could whizz passengers on a 12 mile (20 kilometre) journey in just five minutes.
Lilium, a German start-up with ambitions to develop a 'flying taxi', has raised £70 million ($90 million) in funding, making it one of the best-funded electric aircraft projects to date. Pictured is the two-seater version of the craft
Europe's largest family-owned investment firm; European venture firm Atomico; and Obvious Ventures, whose co-founder, Evan Williams, is a co-founder of Twitter.
Long the stuff of science fiction and futuristic cartoons such as 'The Jetsons', aviation and technology leaders are now racing to develop new types of electric-powered flying vehicles, dubbed 'flying cars.'
Firms working on flying cars include Airbus, Uber and a range of start-ups including one backed by Google co-founder Larry Page, called Kitty Hawk.
In April, Lilium said it was developing a five-seat 'flying taxi' after mounting successful test flights of a full-size, two-seat jet capable of a mid-air transition from hover mode, like drones, to wing-borne flight, like conventional aircraft.
Wing-borne, electric-powered flight allows commuter aircraft to travel five or six times the distance of drones, a Lilium executive said.
A 12-mile (20 kilometre) trip from Manhattan to JFK Airport could take as little as five minutes, he estimated.
Lilium is shooting for a manned test flight of its five-seat aircraft around 2019, and to roll-out 'flying taxi' commuter services, subject to regulatory approvals, some time in the next decade
Lilium said it plans to use the new funds to expand hiring and carry it through the next development stages of its five-seater electric jet, buying it time to meet stringent regulatory approvals.
The 70-employee company has roughly as many outstanding job postings as current staff, and plans to rapidly scale up hiring of aeronautical engineers, physicists, computer science and electric propulsion experts, Mr Gerber said.
Lilium is shooting for a manned test flight of its five-seat aircraft around 2019, and to roll-out 'flying taxi' commuter services, subject to regulatory approvals, some time in the next decade.
In April, Lilium said it was developing a five-seat 'flying taxi' after mounting successful test flights of a full-size, two-seat jet (pictured) capable of a mid-air transition from hover mode, like drones, to wing-borne flight, like conventional aircraft
The lightweight aircraft will be powered by 36 electric jet engines mounted on its wings via 12 moveable flaps
The lightweight aircraft will be powered by 36 electric jet engines mounted on its wings via 12 moveable flaps.
With a range of 186 miles (300 kilometres) and cruising speed of 186 miles/hour (300 km/hour), Lilium will be the only electric aircraft capable of both vertical take-off and jet-powered flight, the company said.
Combining these two features is what separates Lilium from rival start-ups working so-called flying cars or taxis that rely on drone or helicopter-like technologies, such as German rival Volocopter or European aerospace giant Airbus.
With a range of 186 miles (300 kilometres) and cruising speed of 186 miles/hour (300 km/hour), Lilium will be the only electric aircraft capable of both vertical take-off and jet-powered flight, the company said
A 12 mile (20 kilometre) trip from Manhattan to JFK Airport could take as little as five minutes, a Lilium executive estimated
Airbus aims to test a self-piloted flying car in 2017 and is exploring a helicopter-style vehicle capable of carrying multiple passengers over cities.
Volocopter GmbH, a startup based south of Heidelberg, has won certification for an electric-powered two-seat helicopter to conduct manned flights tests in Germany. 
Lilium said the funding, led by Chinese internet giant Tencent, also includes Liechtenstein-based LGT, Europe's largest family-owned investment firm; European venture firm Atomico; and Obvious Ventures. Pictured is the two-seat version during trials in April
Wing-borne, electric-powered flight allows commuter aircraft to travel five or six times the distance of drones, a Lilium executive said
It plans autonomous air taxi test flights in Dubai later in 2017.
'Autonomous transport will come faster in the air.
'There are fewer objects to navigate, requiring less complex sensors and software than when compared to a car operating in an area with pedestrians,' Volocopter Chief Executive Florian Reuter said in a recent interview.
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