Flying taxi

Seven years after its first test flight, German electric air taxi manufacturer Lilium has run out of funding, and filed for insolvency for its two subsidiaries. It failed to raise an emergency injection of $54 million to continue its operations.

The prospect of a flying taxi service like that imagined by Lilium hinges on the ability of these aircraft to seamlessly transition from vertical to horizontal flight, and the startup has just demonstrated a key element of this functionality.

When it comes the the eVTOLs Joby Aviation is making as many moves as anyone, and its latest centers on new mobility options for the people of Japan, with plans to establish a local aerial ridesharing service with the country's largest airline.

Following the reveal of its impressive 7-seat eVTOL jet back in March, Lilium has announced that the flight control systems and avionics for the futuristic air taxi will be provided by aerospace firm Honeywell.

Volocopter has added to its suite of futuristic air taxis with a fixed-wing version designed to carry more people across greater distances, offering more seats and greater range than its previous all-electric aircraft.

After recently revealing plans to have a flying taxi station ready for action in Florida midway through the decade, Lilium has expanded on this vision, signing an agreement to build a network of at least 10 so-called vertiports across the state.

China's air mobility company EHang has added another location to its autonomous air taxi roster with the launch of an aerial sightseeing trial in partnership with real estate company Greenland Hong Kong.

EHang is on a mission to get its autonomous air taxis into the air around the globe. After flying into Spain earlier this year, the air mobility firm has now been granted its first trial flight permit in the European Union – but it's not in Seville.

Chinese air mobility company EHang has completed three test flights in South Korea to show off the passenger transport, emergency response and air tourism potential of its all-electric two-passenger autonomous aerial vehicle, the EHang 216.

Lilium is one of a number of startups working to make flying taxis a reality, and is now offering folks a new look at its vision by divulging plans for its first “vertiport” planned for Orlando, Florida, in 2025.

Although we've heard about several proposed passenger-carrying eVTOL (electric vertical take off and landing) aircraft, many are still in the conceptual stage. Such is not the case with the Alia, though, which we're told is making daily test flights.

Like a number of others in the field, German startup Lilium is out to shake up the world of aviation with an all-electric air taxi, and it has just picked up a little more momentum by way of an additional US$35-million investment.