Inside Lilium, the German company trying to revolutionize air travel

German aerospace company Lilium wants to revolutionize air travel with its electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) jet.

“Revolutionize means make it absolutely zero emission,” Lilium CEO Klaus Roewe told CNBC Tech in an interview.

“We want to make a regional plane that has a decent transport capacity to have a meaningful effect on CO2 emission reduction.”

Less than a decade after being founded by four university students, the group is now one of Europe’s leading eVTOL companies. It made headlines in September 2022, when Lilium’s prototype performed a full transition from hover to wing-borne flight at a test facility in Spain. Lilium is targeting entry into service by 2026.

“There was a lot of efficiency gain made by the structure, by the systems, notably by the engines. However, you can see it’s now coming to a kind of plateau,” Roewe said.

“Getting another 20%-30% out, in terms of CO2 reduction, is very, very difficult. So, you have to make a leapfrog in terms of technologies.”

Lilium, which is backed by the likes of China’s Tencent and Earlybird Venture Capital, has started taking orders from the premium market. One jet will cost about $9 million.

The company is also developing a six-seater version, which will set a buyer back about $7 million.

The eVTOL space is fiercely competitive, with more than 400 companies and innovators registering designs on the World eVTOL Aircraft Directory.

However, Daniel Wiegand, a Lilium co-founder and chief engineer for innovation and future programs, said the company has an offering that is different from its rivals.

“Most of our peers are using propellers. These propellers have the advantage that they’re a bit simpler to design and they need less power in take-off and landing, but they’re less efficient in the cruise flight,” Wiegand said.

“We are focused on regional flights. We have picked the jet technology because it yields longer range.”

Watch the video above for CNBC Tech: The Edge’s tour of Lilium’s facilities in Weßling, Bavaria.

This video is a part of a four-part CNBC Tech series on eVTOLS. You can check out the other parts below:

#CNBC #FlyingCar #Lilium #eVTOL
-----

[forest]

I really hope Lilium can commercialize before going bankrupt

[DemPilafian]

Aviation will be one of the last industries to fully electrify, but it will happen. The transition will start from the bottom with smaller short-haul aircraft and work its way up. Designing from scratch is way more optimal than converting existing aircraft. Lilium looks like they are doing awesome work. These kinds of companies are the future, and the future will be clean, sustainable, and less noisy.

[harryjones]

i would always worry when they move very quickly on from the propulsion details to emphasise the fact that you will be able to have a trim finish in whatever style you want.

[nvca]

How can they be a "leading eVTOL company" when they haven't even created a prototype that has been flying with a single pilot/passenger?
I thought CNBC had some journalistic standards, like doing research and presenting facts? Instead its just an ad trying to keep the investors on board.🙄
Since 10 years are looking at an "RC plane" that can't fly with a single person on board and are annually pretending to sell a 6 or more seater very soon?
Its also not a jet unless you call your blow dryer a jet as well ... its a ducted fan ... just like an inefficiently small propeller inside a tube.


I am really waiting for the day they can finally present one of two people on board and make it fly some 30-40km, then I'll start to take them serious.

[edmondsmith]

First, great respect that Lilium refers to other companies as "peers" and not "competitors"!

All for a cleaner, quieter, more exciting future!

[cinemaipswich]

Here we see the "lift" design. Create low pressure on top of the wing, over a wide area. Having multiple engines makes for safety, and controlled variable performance.

[steveabplanalp]

I’m enjoying following the lLillium journey. Like any new pioneer lots of head winds and pessimism, however I can see the vision.

[lazy-rich]

Selling to the rich will never go out of fashion ✅

[anderbeau]

Omg I literally thought that was Thomas from the car channel for a while, they sound exactly alike! 2:45 😂

[veggieboyultimate]

If we ever want to commercialize this, the price to ride this must be fair

[GSSurry]

Turn the background music volume up, I can still hear the guys talking.

[nsubuganaziru]

I wish i could train to fly these cool jets.

[dangray]

99% of the premium market aren't interested in something which can only fly regionally and still costs €8-9million. They also aren't motivated by green-flight, or the advantages of VTOL.

I'm afraid with several hundred competitors, most of them will have to fold.

[greenironnose]

Since first flight in 1905 one thing is absolute common in aviation: The natural balance and the ability for gliding. Irrelevant it’s a helicopter, fixed-wing aircraft or a paper glider.
The smallest problem in flight control, and this Lilium thing will fall down like a piece of stone. I haven't seen a single video of the Lilium gliding with the engines stopped.
As I think that this shape is revolutionary new and unique, or rather strange, but it violates the basic principles of aviation.

[vaughnbay]

4:45 "....we are using a lot of carbon fiber...." Really! This 2:29 looks like an aluminum airplane.

[ahmetmehmet]

He says compressor but I dont see any compressor on the engine, plus what you supposed to do with compressed air if you are not burning it? These are just fans that accelerates the flow. Honestly that guy does not seem like an experienced engineer.

[SegaMario]

The sooner eVTOLs arrive, the better.

I want flying cars so bad!😫

[luigipepperoni]

On October 28, 2024, Lilium filed for self-administered insolvency at the Weilheim District Court for its two main operating subsidiaries. The company is drowning in debt and can't pay its bills. They were hoping for a 100M euro government-backed loan but got rejected. Around 1.5B euros of investor money might be gone down the drain, and their electric aircraft development is WAY behind schedule. Another startup bites the dust...

[ThomasHofmann]

Test flight is sheduled later this year. 🎉

[eoghanfla]

I’m really not sure about that pilot UI screen. As some who drives a new car with a similar screen that fails and turns off randomly I would prefer to see some analog tech for the pilot but maybe there’s a second set of controls.