Unveils 5 seater model for use as on-demand air taxi
Munich, April 20, 2017: Lilium Jet, the first zero – emission electric plane capable of Vertical Take – Off and Landing (VTOL), has completed a series of rigorous flight tests in the skies above Germany.
The two – seater prototype executed a range of complex maneuvers, including its signature mid-air transition from hover mode to wing-borne forward flight.
ESA BIC Bavaria alumnus Lilium is now developing a larger, five – seater version of the Jet, designed for on – demand air taxi and ride – sharing services.
Celebrating the landmark moment, Lilium co – founder and CEO Daniel Wiegand said: “Seeing the Lilium Jet take to the sky and performing sophisticated maneuvers with apparent ease is testament to the skill and perseverance of our amazing team. We have solved some of the toughest engineering challenges in aviation to get to this point.
“The successful test flight program shows that our ground – breaking technical design works exactly as we envisioned. We can now turn our focus to designing the five seater production aircraft.”
The Lilium Jet is 100% electrically powered, so creates no harmful emissions, making it a potential solution to deteriorating air quality in towns and cities, caused by road traffic.
It is also the only electric aircraft capable of both VTOL and jet – powered flight, using its wings for lift, similar to a conventional airplane.
This advanced capability consumes around 90% less energy than drone – style aircraft, enabling the Lilium Jet to achieve a range of more than 300 km with a maximum cruising speed of 300 km/h.
In flight, the Jet’s power consumption per km will be comparable to an electric car.
Take – off and landing for a Lilium Jet only requires a small open space or landing pad on a building – alleviating pressure on congested roads.
Lilium joined the ESA Business Incubation program for two years.
About ESA BIC Bavaria
The ESA BIC Bavaria seeks entrepreneurs using space technologies in a non-space environment. That does not mean rocket science, but applies to multiple application fields such as navigation and positioning, communications techniques, Earth observation, materials, processes, signals or robotics.
ESA BIC Bavaria has four selection rounds each year. The next application deadline for the incubation programme is 14 June 2017. Apply now for ESA BIC Bavaria.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=youtu.be&v=ohig71bwRUE
Lilium GmbH
Friedrichshafener Str. 1
82205 Gilching / Germany
press@lilium.com
www.lilium.com
CEO: Daniel Wiegand
