Note that the presented instance is not similar to most of the eVTOLs we are used to. While numerous competitors are mainly equipped with large rotors and resemble small analogues of helicopters or copters in their appearance, the Lilium model has at its disposal as many as 36 propellers. All of them are compact in size and are located along the line of the wings and shank.
The rotary design of the traction motors looks quite reliable. youtube.com
The maximum power that the power plant of this electric air transport is capable of delivering reaches 1300 hp. With. At the same time, for the implementation of horizontal movement, it is enough for the device to use only a small part of these capabilities, within 200 liters. With. It is noted that this flying taxi is designed to carry 5 passengers.
At this stage, there is no exact information about how far a serial copy can fly on a single charge. At the same time, it is known that the test prototype calmly overcame the 280 km declared during the tests. Whether this is the limit of the capabilities of the flying shuttle, or not, is not yet clear.
Level flight is less costly. youtube.com
To clarify, the German air taxi manufacturer Lilium began developing them in 2017, and just two years later, the 36 propeller-driven prototype made its first test flight. At the same time, we had to work a little longer on the possibility of switching the electric aircraft from vertical lifting to movement in a horizontal plane. The task was completed only in 2022.
The design of the Lilium electric aircraft differs sharply from its competitors. youtube.com
In any case, the pace of development of this industry and the level of competition allow us to think about the imminent unloading of the road arteries of large metropolitan areas. Although not everyone is happy about this, expressing quite objective concerns about the safe operation of a new type of urban transport.