German company Lilium already introduced us to its Flying Taxi project in 2019, but now the company has launched a truly innovative seven-seater upgrade in design.
Lilium’s new Flying Taxi design unveiled
It is a 7-seat version of their eVTOL air cab, and they plan to put it into operation in 2024.
The airframe of the new Lilium received CRI-A01 certification from EASA in 2020, but it still doesn’t have all the necessary permits to operate, although it looks like it’s just a matter of time.
The aircraft itself promises a 280 km/h cruising speed at a 3km altitude with more than a 250km range including battery reserves.
Strikingly, it has 7 seats, making it the largest passenger eVTOL at the commercial end of the market. If more people fit, the single ticket will certainly be cheaper.
It uses ducted jet fans, 36 of which are mounted on four inclined benches along with the wings. There are no large propellers. The small fans will spin much faster and probably consume more energy than with designs based on large propellers, although the company has not given details on the subject.
The goal is to use it in the urban environment in 2024, and they are now looking for more money by going to NASDAQ under a SPAC (Special Purpose Acquisition Company) listing, merging with Qell Acquisition Corp for a combined company value of about $3.3B.
