German Company Develops Experimental Flying Taxi Device

The race to develop a flying taxi is a high stakes competition, with startups around the globe.

But one company says its all-electric version will help not just commuters but the environment as well.

Germany-based advanced air mobility developer Lilium says the sky’s the limit with their experimental jet… billed as the first of its kind.

It lifted off vertically as it took to the skies in Spain this week.

"It's a completely battery-powered electric, vertical takeoff and landing jet airplane,” says Daniel Wiegand, Co-founder, and chief engineer at Lilium.

The electric taxi can carry up to six passengers and a pilot, and it’s built to handle extreme heat while not contributing to a warming planet. “These airplanes are meant to help avoid the climate change. This is why they are fully battery powered,” says Wiegland.

The company claims it’ll provide quicker but still affordable regional trips… like New York to Philadelphia in around an hour, compared to a longer journey by car or train.

Lilium is competing with rival start-ups to get the world’s first flying taxi off the ground.

Experts predict they could swarm our skies by the end of the decade, but it’s up to customers “I think it really is linked to whether people want to use the products and services. If there's demand from people, it'll be sooner than 2030. If there's no demand or no need, then it'll be after that time,” says Stewart Birrell, Professor of Human Factors for Future Transport at Coventry University in England.

With plans to go global next year, creators hope demand will be sky high. Lilium says it has already signed to deals to bring flying taxis to several countries including China, Italy, and Switzerland.