- Jun 19, 2014
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Jet-Powered Flying Taxi Startup To Develop Hubs Across Florida
Alex.
Jet-Powered Flying Taxi Startup To Develop Hubs Across Florida
Jet-Powered Flying Taxi Startup To Develop Hubs Across Florida
The world’s first all-electric vertical takeoff passenger jet could start operations from boutique hubs across Florida in coming years.
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The company says the pay-per-ride services will be emission-free, five times faster than a car, and produce less noise than a motorbike. The aircraft’s battery will have a 300-kilometer (186-mile) range; it can operate with a pilot or in drone mode. A first test flight took place in May 2019. Once the service is up and running, Lilium expects a short connection between, say, John F. Kennedy International Airport, in Queens, NY, and Manhattan would cost about the same as a top-end limousine service.
The aircraft, powered by 36 jet engines that swivel after takeoff to provide forward flight in the manner of a standard plane, uses 10% of the energy of multi-rotor drones used in helicopter technology. The savings should allow the craft to fly longer distances, overcoming some of the range issues that are seen as a major obstacle to electric-powered planes. The model has no tail, no rudder, no gearbox and only one moving part in the engine, features, Lilium says, that make the craft safer.
Alex.