A new ‘flying taxi’ that can take off vertically form a static position could become the base for launching an on demand air service within six years, claimed a German start-up Lilium which unveiled this new vehicles.

The new vehicle which has jets engines powered by electricity and has five passenger seats, would be able to travel for a distance of up to 300 kilometers which can be completed in an hour travelling at its top speed.

The startup claimed that it had achieved a huge step earlier this month when it had successfully conducted a maiden flight of a full-scale prototype, even though it was a brief flight over Munich that was remote controlled. Lilium had in 2017 successfully tested a smaller version of the plane-car.

The startup aims to offer Uber-style, app-based air taxis in multiple cities by 2025 and it has been supported by large investments and has been able to raise more than €100m (£87m) since it was founded in 2015.

The latest version of the car has space for four passengers and a pilot. This would also form the basis of the mass production of the vehicles by Lilium. The fares would be around $70 per head for a cross-city hop from, for example, JFK airport to Manhattan, expects the company because of sufficient economy of scale.

“We are taking another huge step towards making urban air mobility a reality. The Lilium Jet itself is beautiful and we were thrilled to see it take to the skies for the first time,” said Daniel Wiegand, co-founder and chief executive of the company.

This new vehicles is more safe and affordable than other planes because of the relatively simple design apart from the 36 electric jet engines needed for vertical take-off and landing, according to Lilium. The company says that just a little more power than is required for an electric car is required for the plane to cruise in the air once it has taken off. This vehicle possesses a larger range compared to competitors that have created drone-based aircraft because of the fixed wing design. The other designs eat up much more energy for keeping them airborne.

The startup now wants to obtain certification for the vehicle now for which it would have to drive the vehicle through a set of rigorous flight testing. The company plans that its next major step would be to move the jet seamlessly from vertical to horizontal flight.

The jet made around 20 per cent of the noise of a helicopter, said Remo Gerber, chief commercial officer. “You could utilise this in cities where people live, it’s totally electric powered … This is very different,” he said.

The aim of the company for starting an app-based on demand service would not mean “landing in every garden… You’d be working with regulation around the world, integrating with public transport systems where they have them. We’re coming at a respectful way of thinking how people live, how we create corridors and not just fill the skies with these things,” he said.

(Adapted from TheGuardian.com)