Lilium, a German startup, plans to test a five-seat flying taxi in 2019.
Lilium has already been successful in testing a two-seat version of its flying taxi. Following this success, it has received additional funding from investors that want to see the technology take off.
Lilium says that it is shooting for the first manned test of this new flying taxi in 2019. It then hopes to introduce a taxi service using the aircraft within the next decade after this test.
The aircraft being developed by Lilium is a mixture of a drone and an airplane. The craft lands and takes off vertically, but can adjust its wings to flying like and airplane after takeoff, reports. Reuters.
The new aircraft from Lilium would allow customers to reach destinations much faster than by land. This is due to its ability to reach speeds of 186 miles per hour with a range that matches.
“We think our technology could be rapidly adopted in urban areas or between cities — all you need is a landing pad,” Remo Gerber, CCO of Lilium, told Bloomberg. “We’re looking for partners who can operate it, at a cost similar to train transport or taxi for passengers.”
Lilium was founded in 2015 by a group from the Technical University of Munich. It has hired workers that were previously employed by Tesla Inc (NASDAQ:TSLA), Aribus and other companies in the transportation field. The company also has the backing of the European Space Agency. Tencent Holdings Ltd (OTCMKTS:TCEHY) is also an investor in the startup.
As of this writing, William White did not hold a position in any of the aforementioned securities.
