TECHNOLOGY
GERMAN FLYING TAXI firm Lilium has picked up $ 90mn (€ 75mn ) in series B funding from a group of investors spread around the world , signalling the strength of the German startup market .
Investors , such as major Chinese technology company Tencent , are backing electric technology startup Lilium ’ s plans to bring a five-seater vertical take-off and landing ( VTOL ) vehicle to market within the next decade .
The Lilium jet is the next stage in electric transport , allowing passengers to travel five times faster than by car . The goal of the company is to revolutionise transport-as-a-service ( TaaS ) by allowing anyone to call one of these flying taxis with the touch of a button . Passengers will simply pay per ride and it is hoped the service will become as affordable as riding in a car .
The funding group consists of Tencent ; LGT , the international private banking and asset management group ; Atomico , founded by Skype co-founder Niklas Zennström ; and Obvious Ventures , whose co-founder Ev Williams is also co-founder and former CEO of Twitter . The investment brings the German company ’ s total capital raised to more than $ 100mn .
Daniel Wiegand , Lilium ’ s co-founder and CEO says : “ This investment is a tremendously important step for Lilium as it enables us to make the five-seat jet a reality . This is the The Lilium Jet – The world ’ s first all-electric VTOL jet
20 December 2017