Transportation is one of the most important factors for a country’s progress. Unfortunately, traffic and pollution have made it unpleasant. Travelling duration has increased over the times in cities, all thanks to traffic. How to deal with it? Would a flying taxi be helpful? Or are they just meant to be a fiction?

Flying taxis are no more a science fiction. A start-up Lilium has turned the fiction into reality. Lilium’s mission is to develop an inexpensive aircraft that picks up people from simple urban structures. It also reduces pollution and dependency on fossil fuels. Lilium jets are lightweight electric aircraft that produce zero emission. It can travel from London to Paris in just 1 hour at a top speed of 300 km/h.

Lilium jet has a small wing at the front and a larger one at the rear. Both the wings are integrated with electric engines. Lilium jet is equipped with vertical take-off and landing system. This system helps in take-off vertically from almost anywhere as it requires only an open flat area of about 15 square meters. This system helps to save travelling time and space used for runways.

Unlike other aircraft, these jets produce low noise and run on clean energy. Lilium jets are developed with user-friendly operating systems. The engines used are similar to ducted electric fans which can replace conventional jet engines. These ducted fans help in reducing the noise and vibrations. The tilt-able electric engines on the wings help the jet to take off vertically and then transition to horizontal flight. Electric engines have very few moving parts and failure points. This could make their maintenance cost comparatively less than conventional fuel engines.

Lilium aims to offer economical and comfortable flying. Lilium is trying to develop designs with comfortable seating arrangements which would enable its application as a taxi. In future, this jet could become a sky taxi. These sky taxies can solve pollution and road traffic.