LILIUM: The German drone startup Lilium, based in Munich, aims to be an all-electric flying taxi maker. The company has demonstrated its first all-electric, vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) passenger jet. In 2019, it was reported to have sought safety approval in Europe and the US. A model aircraft, which achieved a first for a jet in 2017 when a prototype successfully transitioned between hover mode and horizontal flight, will have a 300-kilometre range. Lilium has raised $100 million to fund development work, including $90 million secured in 2017, though further financing will be required to go to full-scale production, the company said in 2019. Going forward, Gaining regulatory and public acceptance in the US is seen as a key step for Lilium, whose VTOL aircraft is designed to fly autonomously.
Bloomberg