The Future of Advanced Air Mobility

On The Radar

Lilium Jet Founder Daniel Wiegand Opens Up on eVTOL Pioneer's Business Plan

Danny in the Valley—aka Danny Fortson, West Coast correspondent for the UK's Sunday Times—did a good job getting Lilium founder and CEO Daniel Wiegand to open up about the eVTOL start-up's business plan in this recent podcast. He talks about how the German company got launched and how the science drives everything. 

There are places in the podcast where I found myself yelling out questions and wishing Danny in the Valley had pushed Danny in the Black Forest a bit harder, such as:

* When are you going to achieve full vertical-to-horizontal flight transition with your full-scale prototype?

* Why are you so sure that your all-electric design will be able to fly up to around six times further than other aircraft depending on current lithium-ion batteries? How exactly do the wing-borne ducted fans make so much difference?

* Can eVTOL air taxi really cost no more than taxis cabs on the ground? Surely, you are grossly under-estimating the cost of all the ground infrastructure and regulatory requirements?

* You say that multiple cities have approached Lilium to get services launched. Really, which ones and what exactly are you doing to help these cities prepare?

* How can it make sense for Lilium to both build and operate the aircraft? This is not a business model that has worked for any other aircraft manufacturer. What experience does the Lilium team have of operating aircraft on a commercial basis? What preparations are you making to do this?

That said, it's an engaging interview next time you've got 40 minutes to spare.