A start-up company hosted in an ESA business incubator is developing the world’s first vertical takeoff and landing aircraft for personal use. The electric two-seater will open the door to a new class of simpler, quieter and environmentally friendly planes available from 2018.
“Our goal is to develop an aircraft for use in everyday life,” explains Daniel Wiegand, CEO and one of the company’s four founders.
“We are going for a plane that can take off and land vertically and does not need the complex and expensive infrastructure of an airport.
“To reduce noise and pollution, we are using electric engines so it can also be used close to urban areas.”
Founded in February 2015 by four engineers and doctoral students from the Technical University of Munich in Germany, Lilium has already proved the concept with several scale, 25 kg prototypes and is now developing its first ultralight vertical takeoff and landing aircraft.
Simpler and easier air transportation
Today, general public aviation offers fixed-wing aircraft and helicopters. Conventional aircraft are efficient, fast and available in many sizes but require airports often 20–50 km from city centres because of their space-hungry runways and the high noise levels.
Airports are expensive bottlenecks for transportation. This is especially so for short-haul flights, where travel time to and from airports can easily double the duration of a trip. This is not a problem for helicopters, which can take off almost anywhere and are therefore often used for short shuttle flights and special applications.
However, helicopters are very noisy and difficult to fly – which requires expensive licences. They also have no backup in case of rotor failure, making them expensive to build and maintain.
The Lilium vehicle combines the benefits of helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft while avoiding their drawbacks. While initially restricted to airfields, the goal is for it to take off vertically from almost anywhere – even from back gardens – it needs only an open flat area of about 15x15 m.
Although taking off and landing like a helicopter, by swivelling its engines it also functions as a very efficient aircraft that can travel at up to 400 km/h.
Entirely electric, the plane is much quieter during takeoff than helicopters thanks to its ducted fan engines. Its batteries, engines and controllers are redundant, making it a much safer design than conventional helicopters.
The plane is classed as a Light Sport Aircraft for two occupants, with the pilot’s licence requiring 20 hours’ minimum training – almost like taking a driving licence.
It is intended for recreational flying during daylight, in good weather conditions and in uncongested airspace up to 3 km altitude.
Using computer control for vertical takeoff and landing is essential for a vehicle targeted at the consumer market for personal transportation.
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A lab test with a small-scale model to verify the vertical takeoff and landing of the electric aircraft under development by ESA BIC Bavaria start-up Lilium.
Quelle: ESA
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Update: 13.09.2017
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Startup aus BayernLilium bekommt frisches Geld für elektrisches Luft-Taxi
Das deutsche Startup-Unternehmen hat für die Entwicklung des Lilium Jet 90 Millionen US-Dollar (rund 75 Mio. Euro) eingesammelt. Zu den Investoren gehört unter anderem der chinesische Internet-Gigant Tencent.
Der Lilium Jet soll mit durch Senkrechtstart- und Landefähigkeit auch in Ballungsgebieten einsatzfähig sein. Foto und Copyright: Lilium
Mit frischem Kapital kommen die Gründer von Lilium ihrem Ziel näher, ein elektrisches Luft-Taxi für fünf Personen in Serie zu bauen. 90 Millionen US-Dollar haben Investoren für das Vorhaben lockergemacht, wie Lilium am Dienstag mitteilte. Damit steige das Gesamtkapital des Unternehmens auf mehr als 100 Millionen US-Dollar.
Zu den Geldgebern gehört das chinesische Unternehmen Tencent, der von Skype-Gründer Niklas Zennström gegründete Fonds Atomico, die europäische Investmentfirma LGT und die Venture-Kapital-Gesellschaft Obvious Ventures.
"Das ist die nächste Stufe unserer rapiden Entwicklung von einer Idee zur Produktion eines kommerziell erfolgreichen Flugzeugs, das die Art und Weise verändern wird, wie wir innerhalb von und um Städte herum reisen", so Daniel Wiegand, Mitgründer und CEO von Lilium.
Gegründet wurde Lilium 2015 von vier Absolventen der TU München. Seither arbeitet das Unternehmen mit Sitz in Gilching bei München an einem elektrischen Flugzeug mit Senkrechtstart- und Landefähigkeiten, das einmal On-Demand Pendler befördern soll. Im April erfolgte der Erstflug eines unbemannten zweisitzigen Prototyps. Der bemannte Erstflug des Fünfsitzers ist für 2019 geplant.
