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Lilium says his five-seater jets can travel up to 300 kilometers in an hour.
Lilium
Flying cars have for years been limited to the world of fiction. Many companies are now hoping to realize their science fiction dream.
One of these companies is Lilium, an ambitious Munich start-up for the future of transport: a five-seat electric air taxi, which is expected to launch commercial flights in 2025.
The main goal that Lilium hopes to achieve, according to Remo Gerber, sales manager, is to make this service affordable, which users can use as a mobile app like Uber.
At the time of Lilium's founding, its founders understood that they did not want to make a "luxury product" or "something we sell to wealthy people," but an "affordable service" Gerber told CNBC in an interview.
To get a better idea of what it would cost, the executive took the example of taking the New Yorkers from Manhattan to JFK Airport in six minutes for about $ 70.
For reference, Uber plans to take pbadengers in its Manhattan helicopter ride service to JFK for a flight of about $ 200, which takes about eight minutes.
Lilium says its planes, which take off and land vertically, can travel 300 kilometers in an hour after a single charge. In the UK, this means that it would be possible to take someone from London to Manchester – in other words, from south to north of England – in one trip.
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In terms of general pricing, Gerber explained that a typical short-distance commute would cost roughly the same price as a commute with a company specializing in attractions like Uber or Lyft. Long-haul flights would cost the equivalent of flying in economy clbad by plane, he added.
According to Gerber, with a route like the one from London to Manchester in the UK, customers will have to pay an amount similar to what they would pay for a train ticket. According to the Gopili Travel Engine Metasearch, an average train ticket on this route costs £ 60 ($ 76).
The five-seat jet of the German start-up took off for the first time last month, a milestone for the company. Previously, Lilium had tested a two-seat variant in 2017.
Lilium was founded in 2015 by three friends from the Technical University of Munich. To date, it has raised approximately $ 100 million in investors, including Chinese company Tencent and London-based venture capital firm Atomico.
In six years, Lilium will be available in "several cities around the world," Gerber said.
And while Lilium's aircraft is pilot-controlled, the company claims to be building a team of experts focused on unmanned jets. According to Morgan Stanley, the market for autonomous flying cars could reach $ 1.5 trillion by 2040.
Besides Uber, Lilium faces fierce competition from major aerospace players, Boeing and Airbus, as well as from the German start-up Volocopter, which is also working on a vertical takeoff and landing air taxi.
Watch: Uber unveiled its prototype flying taxi, which looks like a giant drone
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