Lilium: German flying taxi startup first to build hub in US

German flying electric taxi startup Lilium has announced plans to build a 56,000 square-foot transport hub in the United States. The ‘vertiport’ will be developed in Orlando, Florida, at an estimated cost of USD 25 million, as per reports. Lilium is an electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) transportation service. The startup will allow passengers to travel to nearby cities within short periods of time. Lilium conducted its first test-flight in 2017, of their two-seater prototype. In 2019, the five-seater prototype began testing. As per Lilium, their final aircraft will have a range of 300 kilometres and a maximum speed of 300 km/h. However, Lilium isn’t the only eVTOL company in pursuit of pioneering the flying taxi space. Reputed names such as Boeing, Uber, Toyota and Airbus are currently working on their own eVTOL programs. However, all such programs will have to overcome serious regulatory and technical mandates before becoming a reality.