Lilium

Got a pilot's license? That and a fat bank account will let you take off vertically then soar horizontally with Lilium's sleek electric-powered craft, now on sale in the US market. The offering marks the first private availability of eVTOLs.

Piloting a cruise-capable eVTOL aircraft will be unlike flying anything that's come before it, thanks to fully digital fly-by-wire flight control systems. We jumped in Lilium's motion-rig simulator to learn how the system feels from the cockpit.

On a recent trip to Europe, Loz Blain visited Lilium HQ outside Munich to see a spectacular full-size eVTOL mockup, fly the Lilium Jet in a motion rig simulator, tour the premises and meet the team. First stop: co-founder Daniel Wiegand.

With tiny, ducted electric "jets" instead of exposed propellers, Lilium's eVTOL aircraft looks incredible, but it'll place a unique strain on its batteries. Lilium has invested millions into a company that makes cells it believes are up to the task.

German eVTOL company Lilium has released test flight video of its stunning Phoenix 2 air taxi prototype making full transitions from vertical takeoff, to horizontal cruise flight, some turning maneuvers and a vertical landing – with full camera audio.

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.

New render images and details have emerged on our favorite Chinese "I can't believe it's not Lilium" eVTOL air taxi project. The Pantuo Pantala Concept H, out of Shanghai, might look like the Lilium, but it promises to hit faster cruise speeds.

Lilium's eVTOL is vastly different to anything else in the air taxi world, using 36 small ducted fans in place of larger rotors. One of the key advantages, says Lilium, is the reduced noise signature – and now we get to hear it for the first time.

Lilium has become the latest eVTOL manufacturer to announce a significant provisional aircraft sale – this time, a 220-unit, billion-dollar deal with Azul in Brazil, which values the electric seven-seat Lilium Jets at around US$4 million apiece.

There's a billion-dollar elephant in the room; any startup that wants to bring an eVTOL air taxi into commercial service needs to structure its entire operation to meet the same aerospace standards Boeing does. Does anyone have the money?

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.

Lilium's sexy aircraft design, with its tiny ducted fans in place of larger open rotors, will use twice the power of other eVTOLs in vertical lift and hover. But there's some serious advantages too; we spoke to Lilium's co-founder and CTO to clarify.