An electric flying car has successfully completed its first test flight in Germany few days ago.
Munich-based company, Lilium Aviation declared about the initial test flight of its all-electric, two-seater, vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) prototype.
The firm presented a video in which the aircraft can be seen vertically taking-off like a helicopter and then accelerating into forward flight using wing-borne lift.
The aircraft is powered by 36 jet engines that are placed on the 10-meter long wings through the 12 movable flaps. When the aircraft is ready to take off, the flaps are pointed in downward direction in order to provide vertical lift. As soon as the aircraft is airborne, the flaps eventually tilt themselves into a horizontal direction that provides forward thrust, informs The Verge.
The company mentioned that its electric battery “consumes around 90 percent less energy than drone-style aircraft,†which enables the aircraft to attain a 300 kilometer range with 300 kph maximum cruising speed.
According to the co-founder of Lilium Jet, Patrick Nathen stated, “It’s the same battery that you can find in any Tesla. The concept is that we are lifting with our wings as soon as we progress into the air with velocity, which makes our airplane very efficient. Compared to other flights, we have extremely low power consumption.â€
Though the initial prototype consisted of two seats, Lilium Jet has invented another version that is capable of seating five people and also plans on transporting passengers. The company hopes that the users of the craft will call over the flying car via an application like Uber. Nathen also informed that they aim on setting low price so that it can be affordable for everyone.
Telegraph mentioned the company describing their mission to “liberate towns and cities from today’s congestion and pollution, with people able to come and go freely, vastly expanding the radius of their everyday livesâ€.
The firm also believes that along with reducing emissions in busy states, the car will prove to be a quicker transport means since it is five times faster than a normal car journey.
Also requiring minimum area for taking off or landing in, the cars could easily perform the task on roofs of buildings or car parks.